Boating in The Islands Of The Bahamas (Photos)

For sailing enthusiasts, it’s hard to imagine a more perfect day than one spent bathing in perennial sunshine while cruising around the warm Atlantic Caribbean Sea in The Islands Of The Bahamas.. The clear, sun-soaked waters are full of colorful fish, reefs ready for snorkeling or diving, and generally ideal temperatures with clear skies all add up to make The Bahamas a fantastic vacation spot for ocean-dwellers. Whether you want to head to the larger islands like Nassau or putter around the more secluded Out Islands, you’ll be guaranteed to have a vacation you’ll remember for years to come.

Planning Your Trip

With over 100,000 square miles of pristine waters, The Bahamas are a popular destination for boaters, with nearly five million visitors annually. With so many different islands to choose from, selecting your location can be a daunting task, but luckily there are several resources online and by telephone that you can use to help you plan your trip. Start by checking out the official guide for boating and fishing to brush up on all of the procedures for entering the country’s ports and for a listing of the various marinas and their facilities. This guide can give you a great start toward compiling all the necessary documents and forms required for cruising on in to island paradise.

Boating Flings

If you want to bop between the islands but you don’t want to do the work of planning a skipping trip, you may want to consider joining one of the boating flings. Departing from Florida, these little trips are like caravan road trips at sea, with one lead boat guiding the rest of the crowd on a mini-journey. They are a great opportunity to make friends with similar interests or just to let someone else show you the best beaches and most scenic routes between islands. Trips range from four to 11 days and can include snorkeling, fishing, and other activities – whatever floats your boat!

Discount Deals for Boaters

The Bahamas tourism web site, www.Bahamas.com, has a list of current discounts geared specifically toward boaters, starting with fuel discounts and working up to complete vacation packages. For example, Bimini Sands on Bimini (located just a short ride from Miami) is offering a complete five-night vacation package, including boat docking, accommodations, one resort activity, meals, and beverages, all starting at $145 per person per day. The resort activities include snorkeling, kayaking, fishing, and even a shark encounter adventure! Old Bahama Bay on Grand Bahama Island is featuring a small boat offer for those with boats 35 feet and under of $647 for a three-night stay, including docking, hotel room, and access to resort facilities like the fitness center and snorkeling equipment.

For more information on available travel packages, activities and accommodations, call 1-800-Bahamas or visit www.Bahamas.com. You can also look for The Bahamas on the web on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

This is a "sponsored post," meaning the company who sponsored the article compensated me for writing the article. The opinions I have expressed, however, are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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, International Travel Examiner

Keely Herrick spent eight years as an attorney in a New York law firm, then left in 2010 to chase the ghosts of Romantic poets Shelley and Byron around Europe. Her passion for travel has taken her to the Galapagos Islands, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. Give her a map and a couple of days...

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