Regularly scheduled commercial seaplane service between Florida and North Bimini has not been available since 2005. That is scheduled to change beginning on?December 21, 2015 thanks to a new partnership between?Cape Air and?Resorts World Bimini (RWB). ?Two flights daily will begin?between?Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Bimini’s North Seaplane Base at Resorts World Bimini. Service is schedule to ramp up beginning January 18, 2016 offering?four flights per day. An additional daily flight will commence then as well between?Watson Island Seaplane Base in Miami and Bimini.
Cape Air has been offering daily flights throughout the?Caribbean since 1998.
Resorts World Bimini is a?750-acre luxury Caribbean beachfront resort and casino located just 50 miles off the Florida coast. The casino resort opened on July 1, 2013. Last week the property announced they would be investing another $450 million in the project.
The new seaplane service will benefit more than casino-goers and the resort, it will offer?an important service to locals.?RWB President Ed Farrell said,?“Regularly scheduled seaplane service was an important service for the island, and the absence of this service created a degree of hardship for its people,” he said. “Resorts World Bimini is pleased to be a part of this new partnership which will provide another travel option, making life that much easier for the people of Bimini, and offering a unique experience for visitors who wish to vacation there.”
Director General of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism,?Joy Jibrilu welcomed the announcement as well saying inter alia, “The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism is pleased to welcome Cape Air’s service to Bimini.”
The route will be covered by Cape Air’s?Cessna Caravan Amphibian; a 9-passenger, turboprop, high wing plane that can land on sea or ground.
Another option for visitors is Resort Worlds’ Bimini SuperFast cruise ship. The vessel?accommodates up to?1600 passengers and offers voyagers a full casino within 45 minutes of leaving Miami. The journey to Bimini on the SuperFast lasts about 2.5 hours traveling as fast as 30 knots.