Listen to local legends and two of the most fascinating stories you'll hear throughout The Islands of the Bahamas link Bimini with The Lost City of Atlantis and the Fountain of Youth. And, whether you believe these tales to be fact or fiction, they are as much a part of the island's proud history as its association with Ernest Hemingway.
The Lost City of Atlantis
In 1968, the discovery of a 0.8 km stretch of neatly aligned 300-foot long limestone blocks, estimated to be between 5,000 and 10,000 years old, off the coast of North Bimini led many to believe that this was once an undersea road to the Lost City of Atlantis. Carvings in the rock formations appear to indicate a network of highways or part of a collapsed wall and, to this day, many divers continue to examine the relics for further evidence to support their theory.
The Fountain of Youth
Even before the 'discovery' of The Lost City, Bimini has long been believed to be the location of the Fountain of Youth. The story goes that in 1513, Ponce de León stopped in Bimini during his search for this mythical fountain which Bahamians believe he heard about from the Caribe Indians in Puerto Rico. A spot said to be the fountain can be seen near the airport in South Bimini and is of great pride to locals, many of whom claim to have been revived by the medicinal power of the water. It is also said that the Healing Hole, a special pool on South Bimini, holds magical powers of rejuvenation and healing and that if you lie on your back at a mystical place called Memory Ledge, you'll see flashbacks of your life!
