By Travis Cartwright:
A tense silence filled the Resorts World Bimini marina.
A crowd of onlookers sat near the weighing station waiting for the next boat to arrive. Anglers from across the United States had descended on the tiny island of Bimini for the Inaugural Resorts World Wahoo Challenge Feb. 2-5.
There were 25 boats, with men and women from as far away as Texas battling it out for the top prize of $35,000. Everyone at the weigh-station lingered anxiously, sipping on free rum punches and Kalik, the native beer of the Bahamas.
Suddenly the silence was broken by a boisterous sound. It was music, more specifically a guitar solo. Someone was blaring George Thorogoodâs âBad to the Boneâ loudly. As Team Bad Habits idled into the marina, an angler on deck was rocking out to the music, beer in hand. A group bikini-clad girls flocked to the men. It was obvious that Bad Habits was having a good day.
âWe went out early and kept hunting,â one of the men said. âIt was a lot of fun being out there.â
The team caught several wahoo, and they found mahi-mahi too.
The event was sponsored by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with Resorts World Bimini and the Bahamas Ocean Sports Authority.
Team Whoâs Your Daddy from Miami, Fla. caught an 80.3-pound wahoo on the first day of the tournament. Whoâs Your Daddy took first place with a total combined weight of 261.5 pounds. Second place went to Bad Habits with a total weight of 248.6 pounds. Third place went to Fishinâ A Loan with a total weight of 191.3 pounds.
The tournament was a celebration of all things Bahamian, and the anglers were treated to authentic Bahamian food, drinks, music and hospitality.
Bimini consists of two main islands, North Bimini and South Bimini, and numerous cays just 50 miles south of Florida. It has a history of entertaining fishermen. People use golf carts to get around on North Bimini, as the island is only 7 miles long. Many visitors even rent bicycles and spend their days having picnics on the islandâs gorgeous beaches.
Bimini is no stranger to hosting lively and exciting events or personalities. The Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon believed the fountain of youth was located somewhere on the island. Many famous Americans visited the island during the 1960s and 70s, too, including Ernest Hemmingway, Jimmy Buffet and Martin Luther King.
King, the late great civil rights leader, wrote parts of his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in Bimini. He stayed at the Bimini Big Game Club. The legendary Bimini Big Game Club, located in Alice Town, caters to visitors in search of world-class fishing experiences that range from bonefishing and deep sea fishing, and thereâs incredible shark diving as well.
Today, Bimini hosts scores of visitors in search of their own Fountain of Youth. The island, with its close-knit community, offers an escape from the modern world.