What does a private boat from Miami to Bimini look like as a day?
You board in Miami or Miami Beach a little before sunrise. The captain has already checked the forecast and the sea state, and the boat is fuelled and stocked. Your only job is to bring your passport, your people and whatever you want to eat and drink on the way over.
The run east is the part everyone remembers. The water changes from green to a blue you have not seen before, and the Miami skyline shrinks behind you. Somewhere past the halfway point you feel the boat settle as the Gulf Stream lets go and the Bahama Bank rises under you.
Bimini sits about 50 miles off Florida's east coast, per the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism (read 30 Sep 2026). We do not quote a crossing time in hours. The day is sold as a single 12-hour charter, the captain sets the departure, and the Stream decides the rest.
On arrival the captain clears you in at Bimini's port of entry. Until Bahamas Customs and Immigration have cleared the boat, only the captain may go ashore. You wait aboard for a short while. Then the island is yours. The beaches of North Bimini, lunch in Alice Town, a swim off the boat in water clear to the sand.
Mid afternoon you head home so you are back in Miami the same evening. Your captain handles the clearance back into the United States. Then you step off, sunburnt and pleased with yourselves.
Gratuity is customary at 15 to 20 percent, in cash to the crew at the end of the day, and stays your call.
The Gulf Stream, in plain English
The Gulf Stream is a river of warm water flowing north between Florida and the Bahamas. NOAA Ocean Service puts its "average speed of 6.4 kilometers per hour (four miles per hour)" (read 30 Sep 2026). Its maximum is "about nine kilometers per hour (5.6 miles per hour)", and it "moves north along the coast of Florida".
Two things follow from that. First, the current pushes you north the whole way across. Your captain aims a little south of east to arrive where you want to. That is seamanship, not something you need to think about.
Second, wind against current builds a short, steep chop. A north wind blowing against a north flowing Stream is the combination nobody wants. Light south or southeast wind is what your captain hopes for, and a calm morning is why we leave early.
If anyone in your group gets seasick, take the tablet before you leave the dock, not after the first wave. Sit low and near the back, keep your eyes on the horizon, and eat something. The Stream is usually kindest early in the morning, which is another reason for the first light start.
The general Bahamas guide covers multi-day crossings and the wider islands. This page is about the one-day Bimini run, which is the trip most people searching for a private boat from Miami actually want.
What does a private boat from Miami to Bimini cost?
Four boats in our fleet are sold as Bimini day trips. Each is one 12-hour charter priced for the whole boat, captain and fuel included. Each of the four carries up to 13 guests, as published on its yacht page. Card payments carry a 5% fee; Zelle carries none.
38ft Axopar: $5,000 for the 12-hour charter, captain and fuel included. Departs Miami Beach.
52ft Prestige 500 Fly: $5,500 for the 12-hour charter, captain and fuel included. Departs Miami.
45ft Cantius: $6,000 for the 12-hour charter, captain and fuel included. Departs Miami Beach.
45ft Jeanneau DB43 2024: $6,300 for the 12-hour charter, captain and fuel included. Departs Miami.
A 50% deposit holds your date and the balance is due at boarding. The price is for the whole boat, so the cost per head falls as the group grows. Bring the friends.
Bimini entry fees are separate. Our Prestige and Jeanneau Bimini pages price them at $35 per person, plus whatever you spend ashore. The Axopar and Cantius pages list them as separate. We confirm the figure for your boat before you pay the deposit.
Everything the boat itself needs to enter and leave The Bahamas is arranged by your captain. Ask us for the full picture for your date and we will put it in writing before you pay the deposit.
Gratuity is customary at 15 to 20 percent, cash on the day, and stays your call.
Which of the four crossing boats fits your group?
Pick by how the day should feel. If you want a sporty, open ride, take the Axopar, which leaves Miami Beach.
If you want shade, a flybridge and somewhere to stretch out, take the 52ft Prestige. It rides the chop better and gives everyone room to spread across two levels. Each of the four carries up to 13 guests, as published on its yacht page.
The 45ft Cantius and the 45ft Jeanneau DB43 sit in between: modern, open and comfortable for the afternoon at anchor. The Jeanneau is the newest boat in the group.
Whichever you choose, the captain decides whether the day runs as planned. If the morning forecast says the Stream will be rough, the trip moves to another date. If no date works, you take a refund. That decision is the captain's final call.
Photos and layouts are on each yacht page. Ask us anything about a boat before you choose. A small group and a full boat want different things from the same day.
What do you need to carry to clear into The Bahamas and back home?
Bring a valid passport. That is our boarding rule for every guest on a Bimini day, children included. US Customs and Border Protection accepts a passport card or an enhanced driver's licence for re-entry by sea (CBP, read 30 Sep 2026). We ask for the passport itself.
If anyone in your group is not a US citizen, tell us when you book. Some nationalities need a Bahamas visa or their own US re-entry documents. We would rather settle that a week ahead than at the dock.
Children bring a passport too. It keeps both sides of the crossing simple.
On the Bahamas side, Customs wants proof of citizenship for everyone aboard and a health declaration (Bahamas Customs, read 30 Sep 2026). Your captain handles the filing. You hand over your passport and wait aboard until the boat is cleared.
Coming home, clearing back into the United States is the captain's job too. You may be asked to present yourselves in person. Follow the captain's lead; it takes minutes when the paperwork is in order.
Bring cash for the island. Bring reef safe sunscreen, a hat and a cover up, because the sun on the Bank is stronger than it looks. Everything else is in our what to bring guide.
Is there a season for the crossing, and what happens in hurricane months?
You can cross in any month. The calmest water usually comes in late spring and summer, when the wind sits in the south and east. Winter brings cold fronts and north wind, and north wind against the Stream is the most common reason a Bimini day moves.
The National Hurricane Center says "The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30" (read 30 Sep 2026). Its peak "is September 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October".
Plan around that peak. Late summer into October is the busiest stretch, and the likeliest time a crossing gets moved.
What that means for you: a booking in those months is real, and so is the chance of a weather move. If the captain calls it off for unsafe weather or sea conditions, you reschedule at no extra charge. If no date works, you take a refund. Our cancellation policy sets that out. Every crossing is subject to weather, and the go or no-go is the captain's final call.
How is Bimini different from the rest of the Bahamas?
Bimini is the closest Bahamian island to Florida, which is the whole point. Nassau, the Exumas and the Abacos are multi-day trips with overnights aboard. Bimini is a day, with a real Bahamian island at the end of it.
It is two islands, North and South Bimini. The tourism board calls Alice Town on North Bimini the hub, home to most hotels, restaurants and points of interest. You will not see all of it in an afternoon. You will see the water, the beach and a conch salad stand, and that is enough.
If you want the longer version, with overnights, the Miami to Bahamas yacht charter guide walks through it. If you want the commercial details for a Bimini charter, the Bimini and Bahamas yacht charter page has the boats side by side.
How to book your Bimini day
Send us your date, your group size and which of the four boats you like. We check availability, confirm the boat with the captain and send you a payment link for the 50% deposit. Nothing is charged until you open it and pay, as our terms set out.
Then we stay in touch about the forecast. A week out we know the pattern; the morning of, the captain makes the final call. Most Bimini days go exactly as planned. The ones that do not move to a new date, or are refunded if no date works, as the policy says. Some groups ask us to quote a Miami day instead; that is a separate booking.
Weekend dates in spring and summer go first, so ask early. Weekdays are quieter on the water and easier to book, and the island is quieter too.
Tell us your date and group size, or message us on WhatsApp, and we will hold the right boat for you.
