EXUMA, The Bahamas – Students of the L N Coakley Secondary School participated in the Culinary Competition sponsored by the Village at Hoopers Bay, at the Ninth Annual Bahamian Music & Heritage Festival in George Town, Exuma from Thursday, March 14- Saturday, March 16, 2013. The students were allowed to cook dishes of their choice, but using onions farmed in Exuma.

Pictured from left holding one of their dishes are Lucharno Bethel, Dana Tucker, Gina Rolle, First Runner-up; Ryneishe Thompson and Hazen Rolle, repeat champion. (BIS Photo/Derek Smith)

BIMINI, Bahamas — They are charging hard again offshore Bimini and the historic Big Game Club Resort & Marina is putting out the call for teams to compete in the upcoming Billfish Bonanza tournament.

Following two recent, highly successful Wahoo tournaments, in which over 10 dozen anglers hauled in nearly three tons of fish, Billfish will be on the hook for May 15-18 for what should prove to again be a memorable outing.

“Considering our last tournament in February, we have a lot to live up to,” smiled Big Game General Manager Michael Weber.

The Bimini Smackdown II Wahoo tournament brought together 22 boats over 100 anglers in a fun-filled weekend that featured plenty of Wahoo action, a Playboy Playmate, Ernest Hemingway’s grandson, country music artist and outdoor TV show host Craig Morgan and the launch of the world’s first, at-the-dock shark experience—Bimini Bull Run.

Weber said the entry fee for the upcoming billfish tournament will be an affordable, $1,450 per boat, which includes four anglers per boat, events, prize money and giveaways.

GEORGE TOWN, Exuma – From stories about the rebellious slave Pompey to more modern times inclusive of Independence, the Ninth Annual Bahamian Music & Heritage Festival has certainly lived up to its billing of showcasing the dynamic facets of local history and culture.

On Thursday the historic Regatta Park came alive with the sounds of Hallelujah from various singing groups and soloists against the backdrop of backyard scenes, craft displays, makeshift museums, ancient fixtures and food cooking demonstrations clearly depicting this year’s festival theme, “From Whence We Came”.

Under the lead sponsorship of the Ministry of Tourism, the opening day drew scores of residents and tourists who braved the chilly weather to get a taste of something uniquely Bahamian but somewhat indigenous to the Exumas and its more than 360 Cays.

Charity Armbrister, Director of the Central and Southern Islands, Ministry of Tourism, says that the festival is one of the most successful signature events for the islands of The Bahamas.

The family of the late Beryl Rolle regrets to inform of her passing at the Princess Margret Hospital this morning (11 March 2013) after a long illness. She was the wife of Darrel Rolle, former Cabinet Minister and PLP Member of Parliament for the North Andros Constituency in the Pindling administration.

REMARKS BY  

It is in a spirit of gratitude that I address you today on the precious soil of Inagua; the island where I was born; the island where we produce the salt of the earth from the waters of the ocean; the island of the flamingos, the roseate spoonbill, the Bahama hummingbird and many other wonders of nature; the island that is a veritable paradise for nature-lovers.

We are here today to celebrate the history of Inagua and to pay tribute to the memory of an extraordinary son of the Caribbean, a citizen of the world, a man who in his short life span was a journalist, poet, lawyer, philosopher and liberator -- a monumental figure in the history of the Caribbean and the Americas.

BIMINI, The Bahamas -- Recent news that sharks are disappearing at a rate of 100 million a year globally has rocked the commercial shark diving industry. Now more than ever safe and educational shark diving sites are needed and the Bahamas are ground zero for this growing industry trend.

Safe shark diving is good for tourism; a live shark can be worth “tens of thousands of dollars” compared to the “hundreds” that can be made by selling its fins. With that in mind an enterprising team of industry experts have created the world’s first educational dockside shark diving site on the small island of Bimini, Bahamas to help dispel myths and misconceptions of sharks.

Bimini Bull Run is headquartered at the Bimini Big Game Club, a 30-minute flight from the South Florida and a legendary outpost for fishermen, host to numerous major sport fishing tournaments for more than half a century. At this marina Bull Sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) have regularly visited since the time Hemmingway called Big Game home looking for fresh fish scraps from cleaning tables.

A spokesperson for the site said: "We're very excited to be able to offer one day guaranteed shark encounters with this completely unique and misunderstood shark species. Sharks are under siege around the world and we have found that positive encounters with sharks change attitudes and mindsets allowing for the continued preservation of these animals in ways that negative encounters cannot accomplish and for us safety is key. We built a large infrastructure to keep sharks and people safe, it's a completely new operation that allows divers, non-divers, and film and TV productions a unique place to encounter them in their natural habitat."

ALICE TOWN, Bimini — Following two highly successful wahoo fishing tournaments in recent months, the historic Big Game Club Resort & Marina has more world-class fishing news with the announcement today that well-known Captain Chase Camacho will be offering regular blue water charters from Bimini starting on April 1st.

Captain Chase, though his Chase N Dreams Yacht Charters, announced with the addition of The Bahamian Foreign Vessel Charter License and his acquisition of a Class A Bahamian License Captain License, that he and Miss Kethleen II, a 58’ Viking Sportfish, will soon be trolling the waters off Bimini for Blackfin Tuna, Blue Marlin, Sailfish, Swordfish, Dolphin, Wahoo and many other sport species that have made Bimini one of the most sought after sport fishing destinations in the world for more than a half century.

Sport Fishing Magazine recently ranked Bimini #3 in the Top Ten Greatest Fisheries of All Time.

Miss Kethleen II, according to Captain Chase, who learned to fish at the legendary Big Tuna Grounds off of Montauk, Long Island, is tournament rigged with the latest in electronics and fishing tackle, including Shimano Tiagra gear. 

The Bimini Big Game Club, following a multi-million-dollar renovation reopened in 2010. The resort has long history as a world-class sportfishing destination. Bimini’s location along the legendary Gulfstream (a “river” of warm water) location is at the apex of a superhighway for migrating fish and acts as a kind of sushi conveyor belt carrying abundant food to the local fish.