Ship
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 fueled 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. Then the water shallows and the ride settles as 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 We do not quote a crossing time in hours.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 reports the boat in to US Customs and Border Protection, and everyone aboard presents themselves to an officer. Then you step off, sunburnt and pleased with yourselves.
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, while you are in it the current sets you north. 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. Wind and chop usually build through the day, 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 carry a published Bimini day-trip price. Each is one 12-hour charter priced for the whole boat, captain and fuel included, and each carries up to 13 guests. Larger boats in the fleet can be quoted for the crossing on request. All four are certified to carry the guest numbers we publish, and your captain files the clearance on both sides. The paperwork is ours to hold, not yours to chase. 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 confirms the booking and the balance is due at boarding. A confirmed charter is nonrefundable, so pick a date you can keep. A weather cancellation by us is the exception, and the policy covers it. The price is for the whole boat, so the cost per head falls as the group grows. Bring the friends.
Bimini entry is $35 for each guest. That is our own published figure, and you pay it on the day rather than with your deposit. Food, drinks and gratuity are extra too. So is whatever you spend ashore, on lunch in Alice Town, a golf cart or drinks on the beach.
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 is the longest of the four and gives everyone room to spread across two levels. Each of the four carries up to 13 guests.
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, whether the day runs as planned is the captain's final call. For a Bimini crossing we tell you by 6pm the day before whether it runs, moves or is refunded. If we cancel for weather you choose: another date at no extra charge, a full refund, or a 12 month credit.
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 license 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, your captain reports the boat in to US Customs and Border Protection and is directed to a reporting location. He cannot enter the country for you. CBP says an application to enter the United States "must be made in person to a CBP officer at a U.S. port-of-entry" (read 2 Oct 2026). 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. What matters is the wind on the day rather than the season. A south or southeast wind makes for an easy crossing. A north wind against the Stream is what moves a Bimini day. Winter cold fronts bring that north wind more often.
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".
NOAA's Coast Pilot for this coast is blunter. It counts 58 tropical cyclones that threatened Miami between 1842 and 1995. Of those, it notes, 52 "occurred during the months of August, September and October" (Coast Pilot 4, chapter 10, edition of 27 Sep 2026).
What that means for you: a booking in those months is real, and so is the chance of a weather move. If we cancel for weather you choose. Another date at no extra charge, a full refund within 10 business days, or a 12 month credit. Our cancellation policy sets out the conditions. 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 sits 50 miles from Florida's eastern coast, 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 many 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 sets out how we run the day.
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; by 6pm the day before your crossing we tell you whether it runs, moves or is refunded. If we cancel, you choose: another date at no extra charge, a full refund, or a 12 month credit. 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.
