Maximum Depth: 90 ft.
Bottom Time: 25 Min or per safe computer limit
Recommended Minimum PSI for Surfacing: 1000psi
Safety Stop: Mandatory - 5 Min @ 15ft.
Special Conditions: Strong Current
-The Wreck of the Bimini Trader
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Profile / Plan Maximum Depth: 90 ft. Bottom Time: 25 Min or per safe computer limit Recommended Minimum PSI for Surfacing: 1000psi Safety Stop: Mandatory - 5 Min @ 15ft. Special Conditions: Strong Current |
| If you've spent any time at
all diving with us off of Bimini, chances are you've put in a little bottom time
on the Bimini Barge and also probably the Sapona. Two of Bimini's most well
known wrecks. You might not however be familiar with another of Bimini's great
wreck sites. The Bimini Trader. The Bimini Trader is a 90 ft long wreck sitting in 85 ft. of water about 3/4 of a mile off shore of the southern tip of North Bimini. The eddying Gulfstream current often presents challenging dive conditions similar to those found on the Bimini Barge............ History During the 1980's the Bimini Trader was an active freight vessel carrying supplies back and forth between Bimini and Miami. By 1990 the vessel had fallen into dis-repair and had been left tied up to the sea wall in between the Chalk's Seaplane Ramp and the Fisherman's Paradise Restaurant. That is where it remained, undisturbed, until a fateful day in August of 1992. The day that Hurricane Andrew came to visit. Even though the ships owners chained her to the sea wall in preparation for the storm, the force of Hurricane Andrew proved too much for the vessels restraints. The storm broke her free from her bow shackles and the ship spun around, grounding herself on the Chalks Seaplane ramp. After the storm had passed, that is where the people of Bimini found the Bimini Trader the following morning. It took almost 3 weeks for the ships owners to devise a plan to move the vessel from the Seaplane ramp, allowing the Seaplanes to again resume service to North Bimini. The plan was to sink the vessel offshore since she would never again be seaworthy. They patched the holes as best they could and put as many gasoline driven pumps aboard as they could find. and, it all came down to mathematics. the pumps were pumping water OUT faster than the makeshift patches were letting water IN. Where she lies now designates the point where that ratio reversed itself. The crew quickly pulled off the pumps and abandoned ship. 20 minutes later the Bimini Trader was one of Bimini's newest dive sites.
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The Mysterious Anchors
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After diving the wreck a dozen times or so back in 92, the Bimini Undersea
staff began exploring the surrounding area of the wreck on days when the
current was not very strong. One day, we found something quite surprising!
Roughly 30 yards south of the main wreck site, leaning against a rock ledge was found a large anchor which appears to date back to the 1800s. We were so amazed at finding the large coral encrusted anchor that it took us another dive or two to discover that a second, smaller anchor was laying in the sand not very far away. There is no record of a specific wreck in that area although many ships sank in the Bimini area during the 1800s. Bimini was never in any main "Treasure Routes" although supply ships frequented her waters on a regular basis. The discovery of the 19th century anchors makes diving the Bimini Trader even more interesting and exciting for both die hard wreck divers as well as casual wreck diving fans. Be sure and request a trip to the Bimini Trader on your next dive trip with Bimini Undersea.
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