Bahamas Fishing Event for the Whole Family

Families in Utah are always looking for unique vacation ideas. What if there were a fun family vacation that was not only an exciting adventure for everyone in the family, but helped a great cause as well. At Bimini Sands Resort in South Bimini, Bahamas, they are gearing up for the third annual Lionfish Bash to be held July 12-14. Everyone is invited to join in on the fun, even families in Utah.

In the South Atlantic, lionfish are infesting the waters and causing problems for the native sea life. The predatory fish are multiplying faster than they can be controlled, and their presence is devastating the ecosystem in and around Bimini. The lionfish are invaders of the area and need to be removed.

The Lionfish Bash is an even coordinated to be fun for the whole family and benefit the Woody Foundation. The Woody Foundation was organized in 2011 after college student, Woody Beckham was injured in a rugby match and paralyzed from the chest down with a spinal cord injury. The Woody Foundation raises funding and awareness for spinal cord trauma in the region. The first two annual events raised over $40,000 for the cause while helping eliminate the lionfish infestation.

"There are a couple of new things planned for this year's event," said Lionfish Bash Organizer David Mills in a May 31, 2013 interview with thebahamasweekly.com. "For one thing, Bimini Sands' new 40-foot dive boat, the Dive God, will be available for people who want to participate in the Lionfish Bash, but don't have their own boats. They can come to Bimini via plane or high-speed ferry for the weekend and still be able to compete."

So, families from Utah don't need to worry about bringing fishing equipment or renting a boat, all they need to do is get to Bimini. Organizers have been content with the success of the event in it's first two years but look forward to welcoming more participants.

"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 in the May 31, 2013 interview with thebahamasweekly.com. "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 third year in a row."