The Baleària Caribbean ferry terminal sits at the end of Eller Drive in Fort Lauderdale, where a 2,500-passenger catamaran departs three mornings per week for Bimini, the westernmost district of the Bahamas and the closest Bahamian landmass to the United States mainland.
The crossing covers forty-eight nautical miles and takes approximately two hours, making a day cruise to Bahamas from Miami feasible as a same-day return journey. The ferry service launched in 2022, restoring a direct maritime link that had been dormant since the mid-2010s, when previous operators suspended routes due to fuel costs and hurricane damage.
Bimini consists of two main islands—North Bimini and South Bimini—separated by a narrow channel and connected by a short water-taxi ride. The northern island hosts most visitor infrastructure: Resorts World Bimini, a casino complex with a rooftop pool; Radio Beach, a crescent of white sand that Ernest Hemingway frequented in the 1930s; and the Healing Hole, a landlocked tidal pool fed by underground springs that local legend credits with restorative properties. The southern island remains quieter, with mangrove estuaries and the ruins of Bimini Road, a submerged limestone formation that amateur archaeologists have speculated is a remnant of Atlantis, though geologists classify it as naturally occurring beachrock.
The ferry schedule dictates the rhythm of the visit. Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday departures leave Fort Lauderdale at 09:00, arriving in Bimini before noon. The return voyage departs Bimini at 18:00, docking back in Florida by 20:00. Port fees and taxes add approximately thirty dollars per person to the base fare. Passengers clear U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Fort Lauderdale before departure and Bahamian immigration upon arrival, a process that can extend terminal wait times by forty minutes. The vessel itself—Baleària's fast ferry platform—features reclining seats, a snack bar, and outdoor decks, though the crossing can be rough in winter months when northerly swells push through the Gulf Stream.
Miami Beach lies twenty-five miles south of the departure terminal. Most day cruise to Bahamas from Miami tours include optional hotel transfers, though travelers departing from South Beach should budget ninety minutes for morning traffic along Interstate 95 and the transition to Port Everglades.
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