(Originally posted April 10, 2019; New comments added February 2, 2024)
The sand bar that extends south from North Bimini Entrance Point continues to move south, encroaching on the dredged channel east of the Bimini Waypoint shown on Explorer Chart BIM 3. That problem is made worse by the lack of any effort by the Bahamas Government to move and maintain the buoys previously placed at the channel entrance. The deepest water into Bimini Sands Marina or the North Bimini Harbour is currently along a straight line from the Bimini Waypoint to the jettied entrance of the Bimini Sands Marina. The minimum SLW depth along this line is currently 2.4 meters. Just inside the jetties the depth drops to 1.5 meters for a very short distance then deepens to 3 meters at the marina basin. The straight line course between the waypoint and the jetties passes close and on the wrong side of a red buoy which was previously the second buoy on the channel entrance. The first buoy along this approach was moved by a hurricane over a year and a half ago and now rests on the Entrance Point shoal in very shallow water. This buoy should be avoided.
For vessels headed to North Bimini Harbour, a turn to the north should be made along longitude 79° 18.2′. A green buoy marking the area of this turn has been last seen on the beach near the Bimini Sands jetties. There may be several buoys marking the channel between the Entrance Point shoal and South Bimini. Depths along this part of the channel range between 2.3 and 4.5 meters.
Mariners should be alert for moved or missing aids to navigation and expect shifting sand and the possibility of future shoaling. Government maintenance of aids to navigation has been casual in the past. We have been unable to find any local contacts that can advise of changes in the existence of buoys and their accurate positions in the Bimini Channel.
Thank you for your update on the Bimini channel and for sending your previous routes from 2023. Your routes were superimposed on an older chart from the Near Bahamas 8th edition (2018). Our current edition is the 11th, published in 2023. Here is a screen shot to show your route on the current chart. Notice that the waypoint was moved in 2020 and the route has been adjusted three times since your 2018 chart. We completely agree with you about using VPR (Visual Piloting Rules) in this area as the shoaling is ongoing. We have made changes to the chart almost yearly. We appreciate sailors like you taking the time to let us know when changes have been made and our charts need to be updated. Keep up the good work for everyone's benefit.