Trip Policies for Private & Custom Trips

Bimini Customs Info

Bimini is a small collection of islands in the great Bahamas chain of islands. It’s the closest Bahamian island to the US, only 50 miles east of Miami. The Bahamian Immigrations & Customs officials are friendly and clearing Customs is simple and easy.

The Bahamian dollar is the local currency and it’s traded evenly with the US dollar. US dollars are freely accepted in the Bahamas and there’s no need to exchange your money to Bahamian money if you have US dollars. Credit cards and travelers checks are accepted in only a few places and expect a service charge. The sole ATM here on Bimini has become more reliable over the years.

The simplest solution is to bring US dollars. If you are arriving from outside the US, we suggest you get US dollars before you arrive in Bimini.

Upon your arrival at the South Bimini airport, you’ll be given an immigrations card to fill out. Where it asks for your local accommodations, please enter the information i will have provided you in advance. Under the ‘Purpose of your trip’ option, check only the ‘vacations’ box (checking the ‘business’ box invites a lengthy interview). If there are any questions, tell them you’re here on a dolphin trip with Joebaby, my Bahamian cell phone number is 242-473-2646, and I’m probably right outside the immigrations door waiting for you!

To enter the Bahamas, US citizens are required to have a current US passport. Non US citizens should contact their local Bahamian consulate for entry requirements. (You may have to get an ESTA if you are coming to Bimini through the USA)

Unless otherwise pre-arranged, I will be waiting for you once you clear customs. I’ll take you to your accommodations so you can unpack, get on your swimsuit and we can go for a swim!

Deposits & Payments: Credit cards are accepted thru PayPal, make payment to Joseph Noonan. Full payment is due 90 days before departure. All rates and conditions are subject to change. Dolphin Whisperers, Planetary Partners LLC and Joe Noonan reserves the right to cancel a trip at any time. In the event of such an occurrence, any payments received will be refunded; unless the trip is cancelled due to weather related events including a hurricane or tropical storm (see trip insurance below).

Weather: Bimini is blessed with great weather, the sun shines most every day. On occasion we encounter weather that limits our ability to go out to sea; on these occasions we will offer you a variety of activities to do on island. Most are free and some cost extra. Any optional activities that involve extra cost are your responsibility; there is no refund for cancelled boat trips.

Cancellation & Refunds: Travel insurance/trip cancellation insurance is always recommended. Because we cannot offer refunds for any reason (other than stated above) we recommend that you purchase travel insurance and/or trip cancellation insurance. Travel insurance and trip cancellation insurance is optional and is your responsibility. In the event of a trip being cancelled or shortened due to a tropical storm or hurricane, you will be happy you purchased the insurance.

In the event that you have to cancel your custom trip, we offer the following trip cancellation policy. Any notice of trip cancellation must be received in writing. It may be advisable to purchase travel insurance to provide coverage for unexpected travel cancellations, medical emergencies and baggage loss.

Notice of trip cancellation received more than 90 days prior to trip start date is subject to a cancellation fee of 35% of the total trip price. Notice of trip cancellation received within 90 days of trip start date are subject to a cancellation fee of 50% of total trip price. Notice of trip cancellation received within 45 days of trip start date are subject to a cancellation fee of 100% of the total price, with 20% applicable towards another scheduled trip within 12 months. Any travel insurance, trip cancellation insurance or trip interruption insurance are your responsibility.Check with your travel agent for more information.

NOTE: Travel insurance/trip cancellation insurance is always recommended. Because we cannot offer refunds for any reason (other than stated above) we recommend that you purchase travel insurance and/or trip cancellation insurance. Travel insurance and trip cancellation insurance is optional and is your responsibility. In the event of a trip being cancelled or shortened due to a tropical storm or hurricane, you will be happy you purchased the insurance. Cancellation insurance typically covers trip cancellations for hurricanes if the insurance is purchased prior to a weather system being officially declared a tropical storm. Check with your travel agent for more information.

If you are interested in getting travel insurance, travel writer Chris Elliott says that InsureMyTrip.com is the leading travel insurance comparison site, offering the ability to quote, compare, and buy the best quality plans from all reputable companies. He says InsureMyTrip.com has the first and largest unbiased customer travel insurance Ratings and Reviews forum, with over 12,000 reviews to help you learn from other travelers about the things that really matter: value, benefits, claims, and service.

Responsibilities: Dolphin Whisperers, Planetary Partners LLC, Joe Noonan, Joebaby and all cooperating agencies act only in the capacity of agent for the passengers in all matters relating to transportation, hotels, and other reservations and do not assume any liability whatsoever for injury, damage, loss, accident or delay to person or property due to any act or default of any hotel, carrier, restaurant, company or person, including Dolphin Whisperers, Planetary Partners LLC, Joe Noonan, Joebaby, its employees and agents rendering any of the services included on the trip for any circumstances beyond their direct control. In addition, Dolphin Whisperers, Planetary Partners LLC, Joe Noonan and Joebaby reserves the right to refuse participation to any passenger who is acting, from their point of view, in conflict with the trip’s goals or mission, or for acting in an unsafe manner. Any passenger who is refused participation for their actions forfeits any and all payments made. Upon payment of trip deposit, the passenger agrees to the above terms.

Dolphin Whisperers Risk Waiver – Please click on this link, print out our Risk Waiver, and bring the completed form with you.

Phones: International rates apply to all calls coming in and out of the Bahamas. If you wish, you can give my local Bahamas cellphone number (242-473-2646) for use in case of emergencies. If wifi isn’t available at your accommodations, there are several places we can arrange for you to use it.

Packing List

Bimini’s weather is similar to Miami, which is 50 miles west of us, straight across the Gulf Stream. It‘s typically a warm climate where it can get cool at night. For your simplicity and enjoyment we encourage you to pack light and keep your luggage to a minimum.

Please realize that you need to arrive with all your preparatory shopping completed. Bimini is two small islands and is completely free of large grocery stores, drug stores, convenience stores, etc.

You will need to bring your own mask, snorkel and fins. If you’ve never snorkeled before, you’re in for a treat! L.L. Beans sells mask/snorkel/fin sets online, (www.llbean.com). You can often find snorkel sets at Sports Authority. Just make sure that the skirt of your mask is made of silicone (some of the cheaper masks are not). Ask the store clerk for assistance if you’re not sure.

When you try on a new mask, do a simple test to see if it fits – move the strap out of the way, look down at your feet, put the mask snug up against your face, suck in your nose to create a vacuum, then let go with your hands. If the mask stays on for at least 15 seconds, you have a watertight seal.

Wetsuit – wetsuits are entirely optional. When I first started coming to Bimini, I would come in the winter months from the snowy north and I never needed a wetsuit, even after hours in the water. Now, living here, I wear one from fall to spring. If you tend to get cold fast and want to spend hours a day in the water, and our trips other than mid-summer to early fall, you might consider bringing a wetsuit.

Personal Gear –

1 swimsuit and a beach towel

2 pair shorts

1 pair long pants

3 – 4 t – shirts

1 sweater, ideally fleece/non-cotton

A light jacket for the winter months

A lightweight raincoat

1 pair sandals/flip flops (extra footwear optional)

A small bag/backpack to carry stuff to the beach/on the boat

Current Passport

Simple toiletries (toothbrush, paste, soap, shampoo)

Sun protection – waterproof sunscreen & hat are necessary, sunglasses & a long sleeve shirt recommended

Dramamine/seasick prevention medicine. (Caveat – Bring your ginger and natural remedies if you prefer, but just in case, bring Dramamine too! Its not worth being sick out to sea, and you’ll feel better knowing you’ve got it if you need it)

Favorite snack food

Water bottle

Extra cash for eating out and buying gifts

Tipping – We collect tip money at the end of the trip which is distributed among the people that help make this trip possible. We are often asked to recommend an amount, and in response suggest you might wish to tip 10% of the trip cost.

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Please email or call me if you have questions. I look forward to meeting you!

Joebaby

Adventure awaits!

© Joebaby