Newbie's take on Bahamas Vs. Keys Vs. North Florida ( home port in DFW, TX)

[Betik]

As far as our family is concerned we would rather make 2 trips in PanamaCityBeach (PCB) vs 1 trip in Bimini or the Keys. Here is why.

• Bimini Pros:
  • adventure trip
  • amazing water color
  • good in making your neighbor hate you for taking your boat to the Bahamas
  • cool stories to tell & meet amazing people
    • the highlight of our trip to Bimini is the friendships we have made through this forum. Knowing what I know today, if the I knew the only thing I will get out that trip is those friendships, I will do it again and to hell the $$$ for buying a new boat, new truck and $15K of upgrades and repairs.
      • but lets be real, simply our family got REAL lucky with the people we met.
• Bimini Cons:
  • logistical nightmare
  • very costly trip ( in comparison to PCB)
    • $10K vs $4K for a full week
  • wear and tear on vessel, trailer and towing vehicle will be higher that you think ( especially your vessel)
  • you are your family's once a year vacation plan is completely at the merci of Poseidon mood
  • mosquitos, you don't understand the mosquitos situation until you actually experience it
  • at the end of the day you are in a foreign country, and the nearest emergency room could very well be you going WOT to Miami

• Keys Pros:
  • if Bimini is your dream, Keys can be Bimini with training wheels.
  • being able to see land on a Class D vessel is very comforting
  • cellphone connection most of the time while boating
  • if snorkeling or SCUBA is your thing look no further
  • cheaper than Bimini by at least $2K
  • always a few minutes away from proper grocery store ( ie Publix)
  • reliable internet and Air Conditioning is
  • mostly likely to bad in weather which you will normally you will not be able to cross to Bimini
• Key Cons:
  • I have been to 5 places and the beaches are not impressive
  • 2 extra days of towing as compared to PCB, which means 2 less days in the water
    • recall we are based out of DFW, TX
  • Costly trip ( in comparison to PCB)
    • $8K vs $4K for a full week
      
      
• PCB Pros:
  • 2 less days of towing as compared to keys or Bimini
    • recall we tow from DFW and it is 15 hour single day trip for us
  • protected waters especially in the Bay
  • very long shore line, where you are almost guaranteed to find beach which is just you and your family
    • On labor day, we took the ski and drove 6 miles east on Shell Island. Beached the ski and it literally just the 4 of us. PRICELESS worth every penny even if that trip only costed us like $1,500.
  • cellphone connection everywhere
  • cheaper than Bimini/Key $6K or$4K respectively
  • always a few minutes away from proper grocery store ( ie Publix)
  • reliable internet and Air Conditioning is
  • mostly likely to bad in weather which you will normally you will not be able to cross to Bimini or go snorkeling at the Keys
  • The sand is on par with Bimini if not better
    • for a family with a 7 and 9 year old that is where most of the money is
  • Dolphin almost guaranteed
    • every trip we have seen dolphins, sometime even twice. This is not some fins on the distance, this dolphins having courtship 5 feet away and swimming underneath your vessel kind of situation
  • you get to spy on Will ( and if you are real newb here; dont worry about it will make sense when you cannot control your boat and start looking of seadeck)
    
• PCB Cons:
  • Not sure where you snorkel, I have not found a decent place yet
  • Bay area can have shity looking like water color
  • When it is cloudy the watercolor turns gloomy very quickly
  • the inlet can be bad on holiday weekend
    • truth to be told I feel safer on my boat crossing to Bimini that on my ski on that inlet during a holiday weekend
      • Poseidon knows he has been on our side more than once on that Inlet.
  • We use the state park and their marina is great, but made out of concrete. Lots of scars on our ski because of that

To recapture, if you are bored and want an adrenaline rush you go to Bimini, you want a relaxing vacation you go to PCB. This sounds like I am oversimply it, but we bought an sx240 with the sole purpose of going to Bimini and I have made the crossing 3 times. We will most definitely return there, but with our kids' age and preferred activities, I cannot beat PNC when it comes to salt water boating. Proof of that is that we were there first week of March and most likely going again next weekend



Would you rather battle 5 footers and deliver fuel west of Bimini to stranded boats OR would you rather enjoy family time and be a sloth at PCB ?????

 

[Crob83]

Very enjoyable read ? sir

 

[Babin Farms]

Thanks for putting the time in and reporting your experiences @Betik.

 

[CaTiRo]

I live in Bama, so the Florida panhandle is our go to spot for beach fun. We go to Orange Beach/Gulf Shores, Panama City, Destin, and St George Island. Thanks for posting this thread since my wife and I have been thinking about going to the Keys. We keep debating whether its worth the extra time and money verses going to the panhandle.

 

[Bizywk]

As far as our family is concerned we would rather make 2 trips in PanamaCityBeach (PCB) vs 1 trip in Bimini or the Keys. Here is why.

• Bimini Pros:
  • adventure trip
  • amazing water color
  • good in making your neighbor hate you for taking your boat to the Bahamas
  • cool stories to tell & meet amazing people
    • the highlight of our trip to Bimini is the friendships we have made through this forum. Knowing what I know today, if the I knew the only thing I will get out that trip is those friendships, I will do it again and to hell the $$$ for buying a new boat, new truck and $15K of upgrades and repairs.
      • but lets be real, simply our family got REAL lucky with the people we met.
• Bimini Cons:
  • logistical nightmare
  • very costly trip ( in comparison to PCB)
    • $10K vs $4K for a full week
  • wear and tear on vessel, trailer and towing vehicle will be higher that you think ( especially your vessel)
  • you are your family's once a year vacation plan is completely at the merci of Poseidon mood
  • mosquitos, you don't understand the mosquitos situation until you actually experience it
  • at the end of the day you are in a foreign country, and the nearest emergency room could very well be you going WOT to Miami

• Keys Pros:
  • if Bimini is your dream, Keys can be Bimini with training wheels.
  • being able to see land on a Class D vessel is very comforting
  • cellphone connection most of the time while boating
  • if snorkeling or SCUBA is your thing look no further
  • cheaper than Bimini by at least $2K
  • always a few minutes away from proper grocery store ( ie Publix)
  • reliable internet and Air Conditioning is
  • mostly likely to bad in weather which you will normally you will not be able to cross to Bimini
• Key Cons:
  • I have been to 5 places and the beaches are not impressive
  • 2 extra days of towing as compared to PCB, which means 2 less days in the water
    • recall we are based out of DFW, TX
  • Costly trip ( in comparison to PCB)
    • $8K vs $4K for a full week
      
• PCB Pros:
  • 2 less days of towing as compared to keys or Bimini
    • recall we tow from DFW and it is 15 hour single day trip for us
  • protected waters especially in the Bay
  • very long shore line, where you are almost guaranteed to find beach which is just you and your family
    • On labor day, we took the ski and drove 6 miles east on Shell Island. Beached the ski and it literally just the 4 of us. PRICELESS worth every penny even if that trip only costed us like $1,500.
  • cellphone connection everywhere
  • cheaper than Bimini/Key $6K or$4K respectively
  • always a few minutes away from proper grocery store ( ie Publix)
  • reliable internet and Air Conditioning is
  • mostly likely to bad in weather which you will normally you will not be able to cross to Bimini or go snorkeling at the Keys
  • The sand is on par with Bimini if not better
    • for a family with a 7 and 9 year old that is where most of the money is
  • Dolphin almost guaranteed
    • every trip we have seen dolphins, sometime even twice. This is not some fins on the distance, this dolphins having courtship 5 feet away and swimming underneath your vessel kind of situation
  • you get to spy on Will ( and if you are real newb here; dont worry about it will make sense when you cannot control your boat and start looking of seadeck)
• PCB Cons:
  • Not sure where you snorkel, I have not found a decent place yet
  • Bay area can have shity looking like water color
  • When it is cloudy the watercolor turns gloomy very quickly
  • the inlet can be bad on holiday weekend
    • truth to be told I feel safer on my boat crossing to Bimini that on my ski on that inlet during a holiday weekend
      • Poseidon knows he has been on our side more than once on that Inlet.
  • We use the state park and their marina is great, but made out of concrete. Lots of scars on our ski because of that

To recapture, if you are bored and want an adrenaline rush you go to Bimini, you want a relaxing vacation you go to PCB. This sounds like I am oversimply it, but we bought an sx240 with the sole purpose of going to Bimini and I have made the crossing 3 times. We will most definitely return there, but with our kids' age and preferred activities, I cannot beat PNC when it comes to salt water boating. Proof of that is that we were there first week of March and most likely going again next weekend



Would you rather battle 5 footers and deliver fuel west of Bimini to stranded boats OR would you rather enjoy family time and be a sloth at PCB ?????

Good comparison I hear FUN either way you go.

 

[JB Nonamé]

As far as our family is concerned we would rather make 2 trips in PanamaCityBeach (PCB) vs 1 trip in Bimini or the Keys. Here is why.

• Bimini Pros:
  • adventure trip
  • amazing water color
  • good in making your neighbor hate you for taking your boat to the Bahamas
  • cool stories to tell & meet amazing people
    • the highlight of our trip to Bimini is the friendships we have made through this forum. Knowing what I know today, if the I knew the only thing I will get out that trip is those friendships, I will do it again and to hell the $$$ for buying a new boat, new truck and $15K of upgrades and repairs.
      • but lets be real, simply our family got REAL lucky with the people we met.
• Bimini Cons:
  • logistical nightmare
  • very costly trip ( in comparison to PCB)
    • $10K vs $4K for a full week
  • wear and tear on vessel, trailer and towing vehicle will be higher that you think ( especially your vessel)
  • you are your family's once a year vacation plan is completely at the merci of Poseidon mood
  • mosquitos, you don't understand the mosquitos situation until you actually experience it
  • at the end of the day you are in a foreign country, and the nearest emergency room could very well be you going WOT to Miami

• Keys Pros:
  • if Bimini is your dream, Keys can be Bimini with training wheels.
  • being able to see land on a Class D vessel is very comforting
  • cellphone connection most of the time while boating
  • if snorkeling or SCUBA is your thing look no further
  • cheaper than Bimini by at least $2K
  • always a few minutes away from proper grocery store ( ie Publix)
  • reliable internet and Air Conditioning is
  • mostly likely to bad in weather which you will normally you will not be able to cross to Bimini
• Key Cons:
  • I have been to 5 places and the beaches are not impressive
  • 2 extra days of towing as compared to PCB, which means 2 less days in the water
    • recall we are based out of DFW, TX
  • Costly trip ( in comparison to PCB)
    • $8K vs $4K for a full week
      
• PCB Pros:
  • 2 less days of towing as compared to keys or Bimini
    • recall we tow from DFW and it is 15 hour single day trip for us
  • protected waters especially in the Bay
  • very long shore line, where you are almost guaranteed to find beach which is just you and your family
    • On labor day, we took the ski and drove 6 miles east on Shell Island. Beached the ski and it literally just the 4 of us. PRICELESS worth every penny even if that trip only costed us like $1,500.
  • cellphone connection everywhere
  • cheaper than Bimini/Key $6K or$4K respectively
  • always a few minutes away from proper grocery store ( ie Publix)
  • reliable internet and Air Conditioning is
  • mostly likely to bad in weather which you will normally you will not be able to cross to Bimini or go snorkeling at the Keys
  • The sand is on par with Bimini if not better
    • for a family with a 7 and 9 year old that is where most of the money is
  • Dolphin almost guaranteed
    • every trip we have seen dolphins, sometime even twice. This is not some fins on the distance, this dolphins having courtship 5 feet away and swimming underneath your vessel kind of situation
  • you get to spy on Will ( and if you are real newb here; dont worry about it will make sense when you cannot control your boat and start looking of seadeck)
• PCB Cons:
  • Not sure where you snorkel, I have not found a decent place yet
  • Bay area can have shity looking like water color
  • When it is cloudy the watercolor turns gloomy very quickly
  • the inlet can be bad on holiday weekend
    • truth to be told I feel safer on my boat crossing to Bimini that on my ski on that inlet during a holiday weekend
      • Poseidon knows he has been on our side more than once on that Inlet.
  • We use the state park and their marina is great, but made out of concrete. Lots of scars on our ski because of that

To recapture, if you are bored and want an adrenaline rush you go to Bimini, you want a relaxing vacation you go to PCB. This sounds like I am oversimply it, but we bought an sx240 with the sole purpose of going to Bimini and I have made the crossing 3 times. We will most definitely return there, but with our kids' age and preferred activities, I cannot beat PNC when it comes to salt water boating. Proof of that is that we were there first week of March and most likely going again next weekend



Would you rather battle 5 footers and deliver fuel west of Bimini to stranded boats OR would you rather enjoy family time and be a sloth at PCB ?????

Thanks for the comparison, been debating on where to go this year.

 

[haknslash]

Should have looked at other PCB threads. I could have put you in ideal and low-key boat launch where you’re not dealing with the St. Andrews state park or marina (tall ass concrete walls of doom for your gel coat). Depending on the type of place you’re looking for and your budget I can recommend what I would consider nice places to stay. Maybe you’re taste is higher or lower than mine, not sure. If you have kids or are young and like to party PCB is a great spot as there is plenty to do. If you like the beaches and everything else about PCB but want a more laid back and family experience then I would suggest any of the other more known towns and cities nearby such as Destin, Orange Beach, Fort Walton, Gulf Shores (Alabama and less taxes) and a few other places along the shore. I don’t Scuba dive but there are some popular wreck sites to dive around the coast and not far from Shell island. The EE Simpson tub boat is one of the more popular wreck sites as it’s not very deep to get to. If you go several miles east from shell island you’ll come to military testing ground waters so be mindful of that Lol. Depending on the gps app you use you may even see there are warnings out in the gulf for unexploded ordinances lol.

Love me some PCB or any of the gulf coast panhandle towns. Yes the bay can change colors based on the tide and winds. If you’re looking for cleaner bay waters you’ll need to hang around the pass, either on the shell island side or the state park side. Water will be nice and clear there until the tide changes and then you can literally see it change from clear emerald green to brownish lol. Good snorkeling spot would be the jetties at shell island. That’s also where the ice cream boat comes . I’ve had manatee and dolphin swim up to me while anchored in the pass on the state park side. I ran into Will one day while eating at Just the Cook boat lol. Also ran into a few JB.net members from time to time down there just out of the random blue sky. If riding in the bay I would use gps or chart plotter because it can get extremely shallow with no warning at all, especially if the water is more murky that time of day,

In the gulf at shell island. I would see @Rod5 out there from time to time....



In the bay just off the side of the pass on the state park side. Water can be amazingly clear here depending on the tide....



Same location in the bay and this manatee comes up to me. Illegal to touch them but it was cool as heck to see a water cow lol....

 

[haknslash]

Here’s a vid in the bay and along the pass where those pics were taken from. Gives you a good idea of the color of the bay water and as you get closer to the pass it will clear up. You can see the manatee follow my anchor line right up and come see me. Then you’ll notice the tide come in and the water will change colors pretty quickly. That’s when the bottlenose dolphin decides to swim up to me. I wished the water wasn’t murky then but he came right next o me. I thought it was a shark at first lol.

Vacations like those are the times I miss the jet boat. We will have to go back to renting pos pontoons on our trips now but it is fun having a jet boat out there. I always wanted to do the Bimini trip with everyone and the one time I also went last second was the same year Bill and Jin went which was the same year you went with all the issues. Bill’s boat got destroyed and it was just a total cluster f*** of a trip getting everyone there safely. In hindsight I’m glad I did not go on that trip as I would not have wanted to experience Bimini like that my first time out there lol. I will stick to the panhandle of Florida and the Alabama gulf coast in this day with how the world is.

 

[PEARCE]

We've been to the Panhandle may times for our beach vacation and fresh seafood fix. We're campers so we bring our rolling condo with us and stay either at a state or national park. The last time we went we stayed at Gulf state park in Alabama. We'll probably stay there for our trips that direction for the foreseeable future. Awesome park! Have I wanted to have my own boat at times while there, yes of course. But having your own boat there with you makes it a whole different kind of vacation. When we go to the coast it's for relaxing on the beach and enjoying fresh seafood. We might even throw in a fishing charter for a day, but that's it. To us it truly is a fun and relaxing vacation.

This past spring break we got cheap airline tickets and flew to Miami to rent a Jeep and drive to the Keys. We stayed in Key Largo at a dive and snorkel resort. Awesome place! We did a snorkel trip and it was the best that I've seen since being in the Caribbean. We drove to Key West one of our days there and I can say that I've been there. Not in any rush to get back. The beaches there are not anything like what they are in Gulf Shores/Destin area. It's a LONG WAYS down there too! To me the Keys are more for the fishing and snorkeling/scuba diving then just beaching. We found some amazing seafood restaurants that were more for the locals then tourists that made the whole trip worth while. Seeing the beautiful turquoise water did make me wish I had our boat there, but then I thought of the 3 days of towing to get there. No thanks! We live SE of Dallas. To get where we snorkeled would not have been fun in the Yamaha. We were on one of those dive boat catamarans and it was rather 'sporty' on that and it was probably 50' long and 15' wide. To be on the water down there for whatever the conditions a center console to me is the most ideal.

The idea of taking our current jetboat to the Bahamas is out. It just doesn't make a lot of financial sense to me. The conditions have to be damn near perfect and you're still on a light weight open boat. I know many people have done it many times on even smaller boats then ours, but I just don't see the appeal to the risk. On lakes and bays these boats are great since that is what they're built for and not open oceans. I don't mean to be on a soapbox but that is the way I feel. I've read all threads on all the Bimini trips that someone in this forum has taken and/or organized and they are truly amazing trips. For as much effort and expense to get there, to be there, and back, it better be amazing!

 

[CaTiRo]

The stretch of beaches from Gulf Shores, AL to St George Island, FL are beautiful and some of my favorite to enjoy the water and sand.

Pearce, you mentioned living near Dallas. How is the Gulf there in Texas? I've only seen the Gulf from Florida to Louisiana.

 

[PEARCE]

The stretch of beaches from Gulf Shores, AL to St George Island, FL are beautiful and some of my favorite to enjoy the water and sand.

Pearce, you mentioned living near Dallas. How is the Gulf there in Texas? I've only seen the Gulf from Florida to Louisiana.

Galveston sucks! The Port Aransas area is ok. If you want water and beaches like the Florida panhandle you have to get down to South Padre. It's the same time and distance to travel to Destin as it is to S. Padre so we choose Florida.

 

[CaTiRo]

I forget just how big Texas is. It's crazy how you can go thru several states and that equals the time from Dallas to south Texas.

 

[Betik]

Very enjoyable read ? sir

if you though that was fun, you should try this LOL

https://jetboaters.net/threads/bimini-me-my-attempt-to-concur-the-gulf-stream.14801/

 

[Betik]

If you go several miles east from shell island you’ll come to military testing ground waters so be mindful of that Lol.

While testing mini mock Bimini run for the ski, I have been about 15 miles east and to Saint Andrew sound. Good think you told me, I had no idea. It is not only the unexploded ordinances , I deserve those, but if Law Enforcement see me on or close to military sites, I get 1st class one way to Guantanamo Bay LOL.

In general we stay just far enough to be away from people still as close as possible. I might ping you before my next trip as we like the St Andrew state park a lot, but this is what that marina has done to our ski .......... I even had to replace the lettering on the stbrd side.

 

[Betik]

The stretch of beaches from Gulf Shores, AL to St George Island, FL are beautiful and some of my favorite to enjoy the water and sand.

Pearce, you mentioned living near Dallas. How is the Gulf there in Texas? I've only seen the Gulf from Florida to Louisiana.

We have driven through pretty much the entire shoreline of Texas in search for a potential beach house, but unfortunately we had to write it off. Frankly speaking we have not found something great in Alabama either, though I am hoping @haknslash might have ace up his sleeve.

 

[CaTiRo]

The sand and water in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Alabama were imported from Florida.

 

[Betik]

The sand and water in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Alabama were imported from Florida.

We will make a pass to check it out..

 

[haknslash]

While testing mini mock Bimini run for the ski, I have been about 15 miles east and to Saint Andrew sound. Good think you told me, I had no idea. It is not only the unexploded ordinances , I deserve those, but if Law Enforcement see me on or close to military sites, I get 1st class one way to Guantanamo Bay LOL.

In general we stay just far enough to be away from people still as close as possible. I might ping you before my next trip as we like the St Andrew state park a lot, but this is what that marina has done to our ski .......... I even had to replace the lettering on the stbrd side.

If you been down to St Andrews Sound then you’re in military operations zone. It’s ok to be there si long as you have VHF on and monitoring channel 16. That is the Tyndall Drone Corridor and they will make announcements via VHF for any vessels in the area if there is a drone launch. If you see patrol boats or helicopters in the area don’t proceed further lol. I don’t think they do operations there during the weekends. A few miles further are missile test sites that you may want to avoid

 

[Shookie]

Other than a spring break trip there 25 years ago, never been to PCB. Most likely gonna attend the big meet in July down there so definitely some interesting stuff above. Bimini would be awesome, but some good points are made.

 

[Berrie]

We kept our boat in PCB for one season when we lived in south GA. We drove down there about every other weekend, it was awesome.
And then we moved to Kansas City (I still question that decision daily )

To assure we will return to the area, we bought a waterfront lot on Escambia Bay last year, so the first major step has been made.

Bimini is indeed very expensive.
Before Dorian, it was much less expensive to go to The Abacos, and The Abacos is quiet, rural, the real Bahamas. We loved it there.
Unfortunately they still have not recovered from Dorian, so there aren't many rentals open yet. But if I had to choose between Bimini and Abacos, I wouldn't give Bimini a fraction of a thought.