It's better in the Bahamas! Welcome to the Out Islands of the Bahamas, or as we like to call it the REAL Bahamas. This video is about the island of Bimini. It is our intent to show a glimpse of our two hosts (Kevin Oestenstad and Jennifer Fox) discovering the Out Islands of the REAL Bahamas for the first time.

Join them on their journey to discover truly authentic Bahamian destination experiences in The Biminis. They get off the beaten path and SEEK what historical, natural, and cultural wonders these beautiful islands in the Bahamas offers to visitors.

What they found in Bimini completely changed their perspective of what they thought about the Bahamas. The Out Islands is not a place for everyone, so if you are looking for touristy resorts, crowded beaches, casinos and cruise stops, or marine life behind aquarium glass, don't come to the Out Islands.

More importantly, our hosts found themselves. These tranquil islands of the Bahamas also allows you to RECONNECT to yourself and your loved ones.

Learn more about the resorts where you can stay and the activities you can do in Bimini and the REAL Bahamas at http://www.myoutislands.com.

Myth has it that Bimini could be the lost city of Atlantis. Snorkeling and diving at its best. A fisherman's paradise.

See the Dolphin House Museum owned by Ashley Saunders. Closest island of The Bahamas to the US Coastline. Hemmingway's ' Islands in the stream'. The crew is shown around by fishing guide, Ebbie David.

Source: Bahamas Weekly

Excitement is building up for the staging of the 2009 Caribbean Awards Sports Icons in the Bahamas next month.

The second staging of the awards is on 20 November with a whole week of sporting activities in the build up as part of the CASI Week.

Last year, this historic initiative, the brainchild of Jamaican Al Hamilton, who now lives in London, was staged for the first time in Jamaica.

The Kingston event got great reviews. Sports figures like Mike McCallum, Jimmy Adams, Aleen Bailey and Michael Frater attended, as well as Jack Warner the FIFA vice–president.

CASI Week In The Bahamas will include a four–day schedule of basketball, softball, boxing and the finale, the grand awards banquet at Hotel Breezes. Cayman may be sending a softball and boxing team out there to compete.

Bahamas–based Fred Sturrup is a journalist and also president of the Pan American Caribbean Boxing Organization. He has been co–ordinating things with Hamilton.

It was Sturrup who convinced the Bahamas government and corporate sector to support CASI2 despite the recession.

Sturrup said:

“I was honoured to be the guest speaker in Jamaica and the end result was a strong consensus for CASI 2009 to be held in the Bahamas.
“Last year, the Pan American Caribbean Boxing Organization reached an understanding with CASI to work jointly in the effort to project the programme that pays fundamental tribute to those sports persons who have so greatly boosted the image of the Caribbean through sports since the late 1940s.
“I take this opportunity to thank the leaders of the Amateur Boxing Federation, the Bahamas Basketball Federation, the Bahamas Softball Federation and the Bahamas Boxing Commission for endorsing CASI 2009 and becoming partners.
“I applaud also my very good friend, Caribbean brother and colleague Al Hamilton. You know, Al is a genius of an organizer. He has been successfully running the Commonwealth Awards for nearly 30 years.”

In fact, the next staging of the Commonwealth Sports Awards is later this month in Leeds, England and former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis is the guest of honour. There is a possibility that he’ll attend CASI2 as well.

Source: Cay Compass

When Sean Nash began the St. Joseph Marine Institute more than 10 years ago, many people asked him why. There’s no marine life in landlocked Missouri. Surely there are forests and other earthly things the kids could study.

The Benton High School biology teacher and instructional coach had a ready answer.

“The fact is that our planet is 75 percent covered by ocean. For us to take the approach that the oceans aren’t important, just because of where we are, is a closed-minded approach,”

Mr. Nash said.

Each May since 1999, he has taken 18 honors students from Benton, Lafayette and Central high schools to Andros Island in the Bahamas to study the coral reef and other marine life. The students meet for two hours each Monday and spend a week in the Bahamas in the spring. The trip is paid for by the students and through fundraisers.

“I think it helps our kids become more worldly and have a global view,” Mr. Nash said. “There is nowhere I could take a class of students and drop them in an eco-system and have them be completely surrounded by the animal life that they’ve been studying all year.”

The program received national attention for helping the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Services add two species of coral to the endangered list. Students and scientists from around the world visit the Marine Institute Web site — stjoeh2o.ning.com — for photos and other information. Former students of the class, many now in the biology field, also post on the site.

“If we could show a little red dot where every marine biologist is working, I think you would see an outline of the United States, and we’re this dot in the middle,” Mr. Nash said.

Alex Paolillo was a member of the class that went to the Bahamas in 2004. He’s now a first-year science teacher at Benton.

“It was amazing to see firsthand what you were learning in class,” he said.

This spring will be the first visit for Benton senior Abby Lucas. She plans to have a career in science, and she believes the program will be beneficial.

“A lot of people came back from it and said it was really cool,” she said.

Next spring, the students will go to the Florida Keys for the first time, instead of the Bahamas, for their annual field trip. Part of the reason has to do with the economy, Mr. Nash said. Typically, a weeklong trip to the Bahamas costs each student about $1,500, which includes room, board and snorkeling fees. The Florida Keys trip will cost less than $1,000.

“It’s a pretty good bargain, and they get this really innovative experience,” Mr. Nash said.

Source: St. Joe News

Locair will be starting flights to the Bahamas on Nov. 19.

Flights will depart from St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport. It is the only nonstop service from Tampa and St. Petersburg to the Bahamas’ Abaco Islands, a release said.

Introductory rates begin at $189 each way, plus tax. This discount applies to all flights to and from St. Petersburg-Clearwater and must be purchased by Oct. 15.

Based in Fort Lauderdale, Locair operates with the FAA as an air taxi airline. It provides passenger and cargo service to destinations in the United States and the Caribbean.

Source: Tampa Bay Business Journal

Mariner's Choice International, Inc. (Pink Sheets:MCII) has entered into another international distribution partnership to cover the islands of the Bahamas. This distribution partner is a joint cooperative of a leading specialty resort operation and a marine products retailer and service provider.

This new distributor will bring together a substantial degree of expertise and connections throughout the Bahamas, as well as provide a high degree of visibility for the Mariner's Choice brand throughout the islands. They will create a significant demand for the product line in the coming months, as the off-season approaches for the remainder of the US mainland.

"We are excited about boat and yacht owners coming in contact with our brand in the Bahamas, and asking for the product when they venture to the Florida market, creating additional demand in the South Florida market," states Peter Hellwig, VP of Mariner's Choice. The initial stocking order of the entire line of 10 products has been delivered. Future orders are expected in the weeks to come. "This allows another point of entry to the Caribbean Islands, which is a year-round market for our product line,"

states Hellwig.

About Mariner's Choice International, Inc.Mariner's Choice provides high-performance, eco-safe consumer and industrial products utilizing leading-edge biodegradable technologies. Each product is tested to exacting standards and performance levels, with the goal of providing the greatest benefit and satisfaction to our customers. Our "green" products, some of which employ nanotechnology, are a timely solution for the environmental and health concerns that affect people globally.

Source: Globe Newswire