Wander Women Bimini:
A Dive + Yoga Retreat
Bimini, Bahamas
December 12-16, 2024
Join us for a curated exploration of the mystical islands of Bimini in The Bahamas! Home to many legends, including the Fountain of Youth and the Lost City of Atlantis, we’re in for a magical weekend of land and sea adventures from the backdrop of a privately chartered boat and a beachfront villa with a private chef.
This five-day adventure will bring you on the ultimate escape to frolic from Fort Lauderdale to Bimini Island in the peak of a world-famous hammerhead season. Picture a Caribbean island with sandy streets plied by golf carts, lined with colorful conch shacks, and backed by turquoise waters — at the tip of your fingers. Did you know that Bimini is the closest island to mainland America? Yes, that’s right, a new passport stamp awaits just a quick two hour ferry ride or a forty minute flight away — and on this trip you’ll get to see Bimini from both.
Hammerheads, dolphins, reef sharks, stingrays and a rum-filled ship wreck are all on our underwater bingo card for Bimini! When we’re not blowing bubbles we’ll be soaking up each others company in a private waterfront residence, indulging in juicy yoga flows, bopping between beaches, eating delicious local fare, visiting fun ocean-themed museums and galleries, hosting silly sleepover spa nights, and touring a shark research lab — to which our retreat donation is headed — by bicycle.
Our shark whisperer photographer and big-time Bimini fan Rayna O’Nan will be by our side and behind the lens every step of the way above and below water. Not only will she wow us with her incredible shark knowledge; she’ll ensure everyone leaves with profile-picture worthy shots smiling next to our toothy underwater friends, tasting local dishes, cheers-ing to sunsets on our own stretch of beach and generally catching those behind-the-scenes magic moments of friendships old and new.
The rumors are true — it is better in the Bahamas. They also say the sun never stops shining there — and it’s just about factually accurate. With an average of 350 days per year of blue skies, we’re inviting you to swap your winter coat for a wetsuit and come mermaid it up with us one last time for 2024!
While we can’t make any promises on finding that Fountain of Youth or the Lost City of Atlantis, childlike-joy and a sense of paradise are all but guaranteed.
The Details
This five day retreat will be held from Thursday, December 12th to Monday 16th, 2024, and pricing starts at $2,950. This retreat has also reached the minimum required bookings and is now a guaranteed departure! More details below!
What’s Included
• One night at boutique hotel in Fort Lauderdale and three nights in a luxury villa in Bimini
• Two meals a day
• Daily yoga
• All outlined activities — see below!
• Ferry from Fort Lauderdale to Bimini + all further local transportation
• A custom welcome bag
• Tips for tour guides and drivers (we generously tip on your behalf, removing the stress and anxiety of when and how much to tip in a new culture!)
• Professional photos of the retreat, including underwater photography
• Donation to Bimini Shark Lab
What’s Not Included
• Flights
• Mandatory travel + dive insurance
• Meals not included in the itinerary — we’ll head to restaurants as a group though, or be happy to make recommendations
• Alcohol not included in the itinerary — though you’re welcome to use our private villa to make a home bar!
• Dive gear rental — we’ll help pre-arrange any bits you do need though
• Dive crew tips — due to the different levels of service guests require, we leave tipping our dive professionals up to you but we’ll be happy to make recommendations
• Optional upgrade activities — see below!
The Itinerary
Subject to change, but you’re going to have a magical time — here’s the general idea!
Day 1: Arrive to Fort Lauderdale and slip straight into holiday mode at our funky-fresh lifestyle hotel by making the most of its fabulous amenities including a saltwater pool, rooftop bar, free bicycle hire and local museum entry. Join us for Meet Your Mixologist and get ready to shake, stir, and sip your way to cocktail perfection at Sparrow, the rooftop bar, before gathering for a signature Wander Women Sip N Stretch class. Dine in-house on the terrace where we’ll cheers to each other and the adventure ahead!
Day 2: Today we rise early and make our way by ferry to Bimini! In just two hours you’ll be stepping onto sandy shores with a new passport stamp in hand. After a quick and cute local lunch, we’ll be heading straight to our first dive of the weekend — a two tank private charter to the famed Sapona Wreck once used as a floating warehouse to store liquor during the Prohibition Era — and a wild reef shark encounter! Bubbles and buoyancy in check, it’s time to relax; we’ll be exploring with the same operator all weekend, so you can settle into the boat life groove. After diving, we‘ll make our way to our stunning beach villa, where we can hop effortlessly from private pool to beach, for check-in and a sunset stretch. For dinner, we’ll dine poolside on a locally-sourced and chef-prepared BBQ banquet. Let the festivities take you into the night… or straight to bed! 😉
Day 3: Rise and shine for a vinyasa yoga session on the beach right outside our windows, and a curated breakfast feast. Golf carts are the go-to on car-limited Bimini, and today we’re getting behind the wheel! We’ll make tracks around North Bimini island and stop off at a number of cool and quirky sites including The Dolphin Museum, Radio Beach, a conch shack and more, finishing up with lunch at a family run local find overlooking the harbor. Now for the moment you’ve been waiting for! We’ll gear back up and head out on our private charter to encounter the odd but enchanting hammerhead sharks that call Bimini home for the winter season. High on adrenaline, low on stress, these dives involve finding a seat on the sandy bottom at twenty feet and watching the show — so tanks will last for ages and you’ll have plenty of face-time to get acquainted with these cuties. After sunset dinner at a poolside pizza restaurant, tonight we put our villa to good use with an ol’ fashioned PJ party — movies, snacks, spa masks and swapping stories.
Day 4: We’ll start our day with a sunrise stretch followed by a lovingly prepared breakfast feast — enjoy it as you like… by the pool, on the beach, or served right to your bed (hey, it’s vacation babe!). Today we’ll swap scuba for snorkel and venture by private boat to the shallows of Honeymoon Harbour (hereby dubbed ‘Bestiemoon Harbour’!) to swim with some friendly stingrays and a kaleidoscope of tropical fish. In keeping with Wander Women tradition, we’ll also be giving back to this gorgeous destination by lending our hands for a beach clean up along the shores.
Sun-kissed and smiling at our good deed, we’ll head back to town for an afternoon of free time adventuring in your island whip. Lounge by the pool, return to a favorite beach, grab a piña colada, or treat yourself to an afternoon at the spa. For those not maxed out on water adventures, there’s also the option to add on an afternoon dolphin snorkel trip! Although hammerheads and dolphins are on opposite peak season schedules, these curious beauties are present year round in Bimini’s waters. Enjoy a magical afternoon on the ocean searching and swimming with wild dolphins — a rare and powerful experience. We’ll regroup in the evening at our villa oasis and toast to our last night in paradise with a curated dinner experience — dress up, or down, but prepare to dress in theme 😉 a Wander Women theme night is in store!
Day 5: It’s our last day, but the fun’s not over yet! After a morning stretch and meditation to seal in the weekend’s goodness, we’ll fuel up and head out for a cycle tour of Bimini’s less discovered South Island. Here, we’ll make stops along the way including the famed Fountain of Youth, a nature trail, and, most excitingly, the Bimini Shark Lab, a cutting edge research and conservation facility where we’ll learn about the majestic creatures we spent our weekend with! We’ll end our magical retreat on a seaplane ride back to the mainland — phone storage and hearts alike overflowing with incredible memories, new bestie connections, and a renewed appreciation for the gorgeous blue planet we call home.
The Adventure
Why sightsee when you can sight do! We’re going to enjoy Bimini in motion — but feel free to hang back anytime you need to rest and recharge. Here’s what’s included, but of course, expect some surprises. All boat tours, with the exception of the optional dolphin snorkel tour add-on, are private charters.
Daily funky yoga flows
Rooftop mixology session
Private Hammerhead 2 tank dive
Private Wreck + reef shark 2 tank dive
Private Stingray snorkel tour + beach clean up
Private North Bimini golf cart tour
Private South Bimini bicycle tour
For those craving more, there is an optional add-on to make the most of every moment!
Dolphin snorkel + freediving tour
The Food + Accommodation
In Fort Lauderdale we’ll shake off our travels at a new-to-the-scene boutique downtown hotel that boasts a saline infinity pool, rooftop bar, swanky gym and afternoon gelato ritual (heck yeah!). All rooms will be shared amongst two guests with two queen sized beds.
In Bimini, we are serving major sleepover vibes so pack your party PJs! Accommodation is limited on Bimini, so we scored big-time with a chic private villa boasting a fabulous pool and deck that roll straight into the sand on our own stretch of beachfront home sweet home-away-from home.
Of course, you can room with a friend but if you’re traveling solo, fear not, so are most of our Wander Women guests! We’ll do our best to pair you with someone we think you’ll click with based on your welcome forms — and we’ll all be besties by the end anyway. Read on for more details on room types!
• Superior Shared — These rooms will feature a shared king bed and an ensuite bathroom.
• Shared — These rooms feature a shared queen bed and an ensuite bathroom.
• Quad Shared — Pajama party! This room features one shared queen bed, one single twin bunk and one single twin bed for a total of four guests, who will all share an ensuite bathroom.
Between diving below water, and exploring above land, we’ll definitely work up an appetite, and we can’t wait to introduce you to our private chef for the weekend! Serving up family style BBQ’s, delicious and nourishing breakfasts and an intimate farewell dining experience, you will get to sample some delicious local produce and recipes. When we’re not being spoiled in-house, we’ll venture out to local conch shacks or recommend great spots for your own exploration (and yes, there will be options for non-seafood eaters like Alex!). Most dietary restrictions can be catered to. If you’re unsure; let’s talk!
Travel With Us
On this trip, you’ll be traveling with Alex Baackes as your host, yoga teacher, and ocean hype girl and Rayna O’Nan as your photographer and resident shark enthusiast.
Alexandra Baackes is the founder of Wander Women Retreats and Alex in Wanderland as well as a PADI Divemaster, an AmbassaDiver, and a Women Divers’ Hall of Fame Associate Member. She has worked in the dive industry as an underwater videographer, a writer for publications like Sport Diver and Scuba Diver magazines, and as the creator of Wander Women Retreats. She is also a RYT 200 Registered Yoga Teacher, an RYT 50 Aerial Yoga Teacher, a Buti Bands and Sculpt instructor, and a regular yoga practitioner for more than a decade — she can’t wait to practice with you.
Rayna is a Wander Women regular, capturing the memories of our trips in Fort Lauderdale, Key Largo, West Palm Beach, the Maldives, Bali, and Raja Ampat! She is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, owner of Ocean Rays Photography and self-professed shark whisperer who has been working on dive boats for nearly 10 years. After becoming a scuba instructor in the Florida Keys, she picked up an underwater camera and fell in love, allowing her to travel the world taking photos of underwater life to inspire marine conservation. Rayna spends her days guiding others through their own shark experiences, along with using her marine biology background to educate her guests on the importance of sharks in our marine ecosystems.
Getting There and Away
This retreat starts in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, and ends in Bimini on Monday. Getting to and from Bimini is a precise dance, and to maximize options and convenience we have included travel one way to Bimini — by fast ferry — so that you can ease into the trip stress free.
• Traveling from afar? — The closest airport is Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), a quick and easy twenty minute ride from our hotel, where we’ll meet you poolside for welcome drinks and a post-flight bliss-out yoga class.
• South Florida local? — Get in touch for a self-transport retreat option. We can unbundle the Day One inclusions and transport to the pier the following morning so that you can make your own way to the ferry. We’ll provide detailed directions on where and when to meet, along with options for how to get there if need be. If any other Wander Women opt for this, we can put you in touch too for buddying up in ride-shares!
On return, there is one commercial flight option that departs from South Bimini Airport (BIM) to FLL per day, and we’ve included your airport transfer to get there. We have left your return travel open to make connections more seamless for those who will be connecting onward to airports further afield; or those who may wish to extend their adventure! More details and assistance will be provided on booking.
Please feel free to reach out to us for help with flight recommendations — we’re always available at retreats@alexinwanderland.com. We offer an hour of complimentary consultation on booking your trip, after which we will offer our hourly consulting at a special retreat guest rate.
Join Us
This retreat has a huge amount of interest from our Wander Women dive community — book soon to avoid disappointment! Your deposit will be the first of three total payments for this trip, spread into convenient monthly installments.
This trip is also a guaranteed departure! We have met the minimum required bookings, so you can jump straight into holiday planning mode and book your travel for this retreat.
Can’t make this one? Don’t sweat — sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know when enrollment opens on future retreats. Don’t hesitate to email us at retreats@alexinwanderland.com with any and all questions or concerns over if this is the right retreat for you. We’re always here to chat.
Wander Women Bimini: A Dive + Yoga Retreat, December 12-16, 2024
$2,950.00 – $3,550.00
F.A.Q.
So does non-refundable really mean non-refundable?
Yes, all payments are non-refundable. If the trip must be postponed or canceled due to events beyond our control, you will be offered the choice between a full refund and applying your payments to a future trip.
The reason payments are non-refundable is that we start incurring costs from the moment someone presses “book” — from credit card fees to high hourly wages for our team who correspond with guests, manage trip inventory and our e-commerce platform, analyze forms to create room assignments, coordinate with our local vendors, and beyond.
There’s nothing we want more than for our guests to take and enjoy the travel they have worked hard and paid for. Thank you so much for your understanding and respect of our need to enforce this policy strictly. We want to be here to travel with you for years to come!
Will I need travel and dive insurance?
Yes, it is mandatory for all Wander Women Retreat guests to have personal travel and dive insurance for the duration of the trip, either through a travel insurance provider such as World Nomads, or an industry specific membership insurance such as Divers Alert Network (DAN). World Nomads offers coverage at affordable rates. We recommend you book your travel insurance as soon as you make your trip deposit to protect your investment.
What dive certification do I need?
This retreat is open to all certified levels of diving from Open Water to total pros! Also, no prior experience diving with sharks is needed. We’ll take it slow with a chilled reef shark dive on Day Two before the hammerhead dive on Day Three, so you can ease into it if it’s your first time. There will also be briefings both days on what to and not to do when interacting with these beauties.
Wait, are sharks safe to swim with?!
Yes! Sharks are safe to swim with when following the proper guidelines. You’ll be with shark professionals who spend their days with them, 100% safely, and you’ll always have a shark safety diver with you.
What kind of sharks can I expect to see this time of year?
During the winter season in Bimini, we can expect to see hammerhead sharks — we’re here for peak season! — Caribbean reef sharks and black tip reef sharks.
Do I need to be good at yoga?
Absolutely not. (And frankly, we don’t believe in the idea of being “good” at yoga!) We have a range of yogis from brand-new beginners to talented instructors join us on our trips. You’ll get the opportunity to sample a wide range of yoga styles, and you can opt in or out of as many classes as you wish.
Will I have time to do my own thing?
This is your retreat and we want you to make it exactly what you want! There’s a lot to see and experience, so we’ve tried to design an itinerary that balances the best of activity and downtime. But any time you want to bow out to have some “me-time” or do your own thing, we’re going to cheer you on.
What about visas?
Good news! Entering The Bahamas is a relatively straightforward process as visas are not required when you hold a US, UK or Canadian passport — along with many other countries. Before traveling you will just need to make sure that you have at least six months validity from your intended return date and a blank passport page — hurray, another stamp!
Is there an age requirement?
You must be 18 years or older for this retreat. We love the age diversity of the Wander Women community, which includes travelers ages 18 to 68! We get a lot of questions from those concerned they will be the oldest or youngest on a retreat — all are welcome, truly.
I have a unique rooming request, how can you help me?
Email us! We’ll do our best to make it happen via retreats@alexinwanderland.com.
Is this trip women only?
This one’s for the girls! Our guest continue to tell us how much they love taking time to dive with just women in this male-dominated industry. We are so proud of the supportive, empowering vibe of our dive retreats and know that you’ll love them, too!
I want to extend my trip. Can you help me?
Absolutely! The Wander Women team have traveled extensively through Florida and Bahamas and will gladly offer an hour of complimentary consultation on expanding your trip, after which we will offer our hourly consulting at a special retreat guest rate.
