PHOTO CREDIT: Bimini Sands Resort & Marina.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he 4th Annual Lionfish Bash Coming Up on August 15-17 at Bimini Sands Resort & Marina in the Bahamas. The Fun Family Fishing Event Benefits Spinal Injury Victims
Bimini Sands Resort and Marina on South Bimini will play host to the Lionfish Bash, one of the most popular charitable fishing events of the summer, for the fourth year in a row on Aug. 15-17, 2014.
The Lionfish Bash is an annual fun family spearfishing event created in 2011 to raise awareness about lionfish, an invader species in the Bahamas/Florida ocean ecosystem, as well as to benefit The Woody Foundation, a Miami-based non-profit organization that raises funds to aid in the recovery of persons with spinal injuries. Prizes and trophies will be awarded for the largest lionfish and the most lionfish caught during the tournament, as well as other categories.
The registration fee for the event is $200 for a boat with four anglers, which includes the awards banquet at the conclusion of the tournament, a happy hour, t-shirts, raffle tickets, and goodie bag. Bimini Sandsí 40-foot dive boat, the Dive God, will be available for those who want to participate in the Lionfish Bash but donít have their own boats, for $50 per person. Guests who don’t want to spearfish but wish to attend the other events also may sign up for $50 per person.
For more information and Lionfish Bash event registration, please visit the Woody Foundation website.
All 2014 Lionfish Bash participants also will receive 10 percent off the cost of condo accommodations and dockage at Bimini Sands during the event on August 15-17, 2014. Ocean- and marina-view condo accommodations and deep-water slip reservations at Bimini Sands
Resort & Marina may be booked by calling the U.S. reservations line at 1-800-737-1007 or 954-615-1011, or the resort at 242-347-3500.
“New this year is the Captain’s Meeting on Friday, August 15, by the Infinity Pool at the Bimini Sands,” said Lionfish Bash co-chair Will Beckham.
What most people do is come over in the morning, get settled in, and then we meet for the Captainís Meeting in the evening, and then on Saturday we go out and bash lionfish.”
“We were delighted by the turnout for last year’s Lionfish Bash and the great time everyone had here all weekend, not to mention the fact that they caught 345 lionfish that were disrupting sea life on Bimini’s coral reefs,” said Bimini Sands President and CEO Frank Cooney.
We’re looking forward to welcoming an even larger group this year, and to having Woody here to join the fun and inspire us all for the fourth year in a row.”
There will be a Send-Off Party on Thursday, Aug. 14, at 6 p.m. at Shake-A-Leg Miami for those who cannot make the journey across the ocean. For more information, please visit the Woody Foundation website.
The Woody Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization formed in 2011 to raise funds for the recovery of people with spinal cord injuries. The namesake of The Foundation, James Woody Beckham, suffered his spinal cord injury while playing rugby with his college club team in January 2011. His family and friends have bonded together to support Woody by making donations to local charities that help others with similar spinal cord injuries. For more information, visit woodyfoundation.org.
PHOTOS: Photos/Poster to follow.
BAHAMAS ñ JULY 2014 ñ PAGE 8 ñ 4TH Annual Lionfish Bash