Florida to Bimini, BAHAMAS on a SEA-Doo GTX jet ski!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ค. 2020
- In 2019, we took our jet ski from Florida to Bimini, Bahamas. This is a short video for anyone out there who has been considering it. We looked for a video before we left for a little information and couldn't find one. So, we wanted to make one to share with you.
I didn't know I needed a jet ski until now! As a motorcycle enthusiasts, how have I never thought of traveling like this?!?!
Looks like I'm gonna be online alot researching which jetski to aquire for adventures like this!
Good luck because now it is so hard to get them i got two yamahas but you don't understand the struggle me and my dad had but in my opinion they were worth it.
Look at either the seadoo rxt 300 or any of the Yamaha svho series all those bad boys come super charged I personally love my Yamaha gp1800 love that thing to death
I quit motorcycling after 20 yrs and I’m on a ski instead, not the same but safer a bit
so if all hell breaks loose in America i can jet ski to bahamas
This trip is on my "Things to do before I die" list.
That would be a dream ride for us..
Best Regards from Norway
- Jet ski club STAVANGER
All i can say is its awesome i did it this year
Planning to make this trip this year! Thank you guys for the information!
Very cool. From Houston and would love to try this. thanks for the video.
youtube: Here is a video of a guy and his wife riding to Bahamas from FL
Me: ok ok.. not that i care but i'll watch it.
Me at the end of the video: Babe...! What do you say we sell one fo the cars and get a jet ski...!!!
that's awesome! I can't wait to do the same!
Just watched again. Doing this in June 2023. A lot of good tips.
So glad it helped! That was our hope :) we just put a new video out about the actual island-
Made that trip from haulover to Bimini June 2019 great trip just was a rough ride back
Nice! Awesome trip
Man I’ve been wanting to do this forever just can’t get anyone to go with me, maybe next year
Keep trying! It’s totally worth it!
Ok youtube, I'll watch it
I noticed the two jet ski's, did you also have a chase boat, or just the jet skis?
There were 2 other boats in the group.
How do you find these groups??
Probably not the answer you are looking for but it was literally a conversation I had with a friend that led to this trip. He knew a few guys that wanted to do the crossing and the dream was born. I get this question a lot.
Making this trip in June. We are excited but your video was very helpful.
We are doing the trip again in June as well. Trying to push out the 13th.
@@BroadvilleBeginnings a large group is making it on the 10th of June.
@@BroadvilleBeginnings i don't currently owned a jet ski but i need to join you guys one day on this for sure ... what an amazing experience!
Awesome! I would love to take our SeaDoo RXT-X out there with y’all - But the Queen has her concerns about crossing the ocean in on a jet ski. Lol.. How long did it take you once you made it to the ocean - Bimini? Actual ocean crossing time?
Once we got to the Atlantic It took about 2 hours. Definitely a trip worth doing!!
Awesome man!! This has been my dream, been watching videos of you and other people crossing to bimini on jet boats or skiis. I’m in nj and thinking of doing this hopefully once everything goes back to norm. What apps did you use to navigate? Or types of gps? Weather etc
I was sort of spoiled for the weather planning and navigation. We traveled with two Air Force navigators that planned this trip out. They also had a high end moving map gps’s in each boat. As a precaution each jets ski had hand held Garmin’s. Believe it or not, a lot easier to get separated than you would think. Each vessel also had vhf radios with emergency transmitting beacons. We had our phones as an absolute last resort. Better to have too much than not enough. Thanks for the question.
May I ask if you do that trip very often? , and if that's the case the midshipman doesn't stop them very often, isn't that very annoying?
We only made the trip once, were planning on going last year but the Covid restrictions caused us to push it. Not sure if we got lucky not getting stopped by the authorities or if it’s the norm. To be safe we did everything by the book, clearing customs on our way in.
How much fuel does the jet ski hold, did you have to re-fuel during the trip and how many miles per gallon?
I have since bought a new PWC so I don’t have exact numbers anymore. It held about 17 gallons and got just about 2.5 hrs out of the tank. Put 5 gallons in it on the way there but probably didn’t need it. Made it the whole way back on one tank, although I was on fumes as I pulled it on the trailer.
I so want to make this trip. Been watching different videos for about 2 years now. Its more of the money thing rather than being scared. Also hard to find people who would actually go. Would love to talk with ya'll away from here and see where ya'll from and if ya'll are planning another trip. Thanks so much.
I get it, were planning another trip this month before COVID put the brakes on it. Had 4 couples say they wanted to go but 3 dropped out when it came down to it. Will put it out there when another trip is planned.
how much did it cost for the week to park a truck and trailer at the marina??
I believe it was $75, but understand that was a few years ago. I would expect it is more now.
I apologize for asking if someone already did...I can’t find it anywhere...how many MPH did you guys did? Thanks a lot!
We averaged about 25 mph.
Sorry if this was asked, but either one way or round trip, excluding your daily trip in bahamas, how much gas did it take you to get there?? Great video by the way.
In that particular PWC it was ~17 gallons each way.
Hi buddy just watched your video I have a question the seadoo fish pro 170 will be fine to make that trip or u recommend the gtx 230? I want to get a jetskii but I'm undecided if fish pro 170 or gtx 230
Since this video I sold the GTX 155 and bought the GTI 170. We plan on making the crossing again in June and will post a video. I think you would be fine in either of your choices. Personal preference only but I purposely stay away from the supercharged models. You only get about 10-12 mph more out of the top end and the price wasn’t worth it. For me it was an easy choice, just depends on what you want. Good luck on your purchase and trip.
Hi live your video. I'm just getting into jetski ,do I need a jetski or seadoo in specific to make that travel to Bahamas???
There are a few companies that make great PWCs. They can all make the trip, weather permitting. It’s really up to the individual on the best option. Just check the range before hand to determine how much extra gas to take.
did you use a chart plotter, I have a Garmin 73sv on mine with all the US lakes but was wondering if I needed to download the N. Bahamas/S. Florida and pay for it ? Thanks, def giving me confidence to do this, i'm headed to S. Florida 2nd week of May or so depending on how many stops along the way I make to play on all the water ways and parks , 2021 GTX 300 :)
We had three handheld GPSs and two boat mounted GPSs between the four vessels. I did have a nautical map although after the fact, not sure what I would have done with it. I would down the Bahama maps to your GPS. Better to have it.
what average speed u have? How much gas do you burn?
We were not able to open it up out there for sure. I think we averaged about 25 mph. For gas, we completely filled the tank (~17 gallons) and had 2, five gallon cans strapped to the back. On the way there the low fuel warning started barking at me about 10 miles out. I think we could have made it but I put a few gallons in it to be safe. On the way back home we were able to make it on just a full tank.
@@BroadvilleBeginnings Thanks, greetings from Poland.
Could yall please tell me when u put in at miami where u leave your vehicle and trailer and how much it is daily to leave it there
Harbor Town Marina, which is in Ft Lauderdale. It was $8 a day when we did the trip two years ago.
Did any police stop you guys or gave trouble when you came back from bahamas?
Not at all. We cleared customs on the CBP Roam app. Super easy. I guess there is always the possibility of being stopped on the way in but didn’t happen to us.
One day I have to attempt this, but in a house boat. How legal would it be to park a house boat in those clear waters and stay their for a couple weeks? This is my goal in like years from now, but it's never too late to start planning ahead. It's e ocean so i'm sure you can boat camp where you want. Thanks!!
Yeah, I don’t remember seeing any boats randomly anchored off of the coast, but don’t see how it would be a problem. A houseboat would be the way to do it though, so many satellite islands around there to explore. You could have a different waterfront view every day.
My hat off to you that's to much water I need something bigger 😉
would you think just 2 skis going from the port of Miami to Bimini to be a dumb idea?
This is a tough one and depends on a lot of things. If you have reliable jet skis, good weather, and the trip is planned well, you could be fine. We had two boats, both equipped with high end GPS suites and I was still double checking my hand held the whole time. Heading east, you are literally aiming for a spec on a map, that is the reality of it. Chances are you could do it and get across with no problem. Hand held GPSs are usually accurate within about 10 feet so no problem there. But when doing something like this you have to plan for things not going well. Not trying to discourage the idea because it is an amazing experience but I’d have to think hard about doing the crossing with two skis. Just my opinion.
Was it just your two jet skis or did you have a boat or 2 trailing you..
We had two center console fishing boats in the group as well. Actually followed them. Staying in their wake helped some but it is still a fairly rough ride.
Who do you contact to make this happen? I have a group of people looking to do this. I've contacted a few places in Miami, I can't find anyone that does this.
Hey Brandon, not sure I understand your question on who to contact. We didn’t do this trip through a company nor was it a guided trip, if that is what you’re asking. If you could elaborate a little we would love to get you the answers you’re looking for.
No way! I was just entertaining the idea of buying a jetski and taking it to florida to visit a friend with for some fun, and thought wow. Wouldn't it be cool to ride out to an island and then I thought, hello? The bahamas? but obviously google map can't tell you how far of a "boat" ride it is but this video really helped me wrap my head around the idea. I couldnt watch with audio but plan to later, but just in case, what was your average speed?
We averaged about 25 mph. I have only done the crossing once so I have nothing to compare it to but I felt like we had fairly calm seas.
Sweet
did u need a pass port or id to enter bimini
You do need a passport and have to clear customs upon arrival. I am sure they have COVID-19 rules now as well. Check out Bahamas.com for the latest protocols.
@@BroadvilleBeginnings i got everything. just waiting to get my covid test 3 days before trip
Wow Modern day PWC machines just as big as the Pick up Truck hauling it Geez and getting bigger and bigger ..900 pounds ....
Hi, I loved the video and had been wanting to do that from long time ago. Do I need any permission or visa to do that ?
Also what was the average speed you was going ? Thank you. Good video.
Great questions. Coming from the U.S. you need a passport and you need to clear customs each way. I would recommend getting online and have a full understanding of the process and cost on both ends of the trip. We did our crossing almost two years ago and some things may have changed, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic. Our average speed was about 20 MPH. We had relatively flat water (for being in the Atlantic Ocean) and were following behind a boat. With that being said, it was still a bit of a rough ride on the PWC, which is why we kept the speed down.
Looks so fun! What was your average MPH while crossing the Atlantic?
We averaged about 25 mph and the trip took about 2.5 hours.
Thanks!
Do you feel like you could have gone faster or was that really it based on the waves?
How would someone keep in contact with any planned activities
Cliff, I wish I had a good answer for you. We did this with a couple of friends and not through an organized group.
Nice
Hopefully everything works out for me and I'll be doing this adventure
This summer
We are actually talking with a group of friends to do it again this summer. Going to be reaching out to the resort on the island to make sure things are opening back up. Good luck with your trip and let me know if you have any questions
How did you secure the PWCs once you got there?
We weren’t as prepared as we probably should’ve been. Once we cleared customs we just started stopping at marinas and asking to dock overnight. Most of the marinas are designed to dock 40 foot boats and above but cash is king and we found a place. I think we ended up spending $30 a night at a place next to the Hilton resort!
wow the water looks like a lapis lazuli
Did you use GPS to get there.
Yes, we each had handhelds and both boats has gps suites onboard.
That is on my bucket list. Would you do it again? Would you consider going further to Exumas?
We are actually talking about doing it again in 2021. A different group of people but the same route. Not sure I would make the trip to Exuma, looks like a long way past Bimini. You would really have to plan out your fuel well. Now that we are talking about it, maybe I would. Lol!!!
Can i go from bimini to us and do i need a visa and tell me about the customs please
If you are a US citizen you only need a passport. We actually cleared customs through an app. Check it out. CBP ROAM can be found in your App Store. Super easy.
@@BroadvilleBeginnings lol seriously doubt he’s a us citizen with a question like that.
No American asks if they can come to America and what all paperwork they will need to get in. That’s too funny.
Know anyone that did it in a pontoon boat
I don’t and haven’t seen any videos on TH-cam.
Did any police stop you
No police stopped us. We cleared customs on both sides with no issues.
Very cool. I assume you stayed overnight?
Yes! We actually stayed 5 nights. We got an air bnb. It was great to have the jet ski because you can take day trips around on it.
Hope you nailed it somewhere in the open ocean.