Blue Hole ??s

I've read several reviews about the Blue Hole and choosing if you want to jump or not. So my first question is:

1. Can you get in the water without jumping? How deep is it?

2. Are there restrooms available?

3. Do any of the tour operators provide drinks or do we need to bring our own snacks and drinks?

Thanks!

Following

We went 4 years ago. When it was still a secret. We were the only ones there. Seriously, we were. Can you believe that. Some areas, you will have to jump into, while others, the lower falls, you kind of take a slippery walk down into the water.

When were were there, there were no bathrooms. I'm not sure how they would get any plumbing out there. it is seriously, off the beaten path. in the rain forest. That is what makes it so beautiful.

Most likely depends on your tour group, if they provide snacks our not. Ours included lunch. We stopped at Scotchies for Jerk Chicken.

Out of all the excursions, that my kids have been on. This has been one of their favorites. They were 6,9,12,and 15 at the time.

We were there in November. I took the first jump- thought I was going to die!! Did not jump anymore. I was able to sit on the edge in a few places and "plop" into the water. It is not somewhere where you spend hours "swimming" around. At least not when we were there. We basically went to each jump area, jumped in, did the rope swing, and then were done. We were also on a time constraint due to porting in Montego Bay and the 2 hr drive to get there and back.

Still no bathrooms. At least not that we saw.

No drinks or snacks either. But, again, you are not going to be there for hours like you would at a beach. We also went to Scotchie's for lunch afterwards.

My sons- 11& 15 also had the time of their lives and still talk about it!! Best excursion ever!

Hoping "no bathrooms" means there is someplace close to get to once you leave. Or are leg crossing exercises something I should start practicing now?

You can get in the water without jumping in. You can climb up and climb back down if you want. There are different areas that you can participate in or just watch. The place is beautiful so even just watching would be fun. We went with Liberty Tours and we went to lunch right after. I don't recall any snacks and no bathrooms.

You can get in without jumping, but to me, that was the best part and I'm almost a senior citizen! There were bathrooms there. Our driver had a cooler in the back, we bought drinks from him along our day's journey. Don't miss this spot. Even just watching is fun. (we used Brooks from Courtney Taylor tours). Our guide at Blue Hole was Val, and he was fantastic

Just did this a couple weeks ago, loved it! Now we went super early to avoid the big crowds and used Winston Gayle as a private tour guide. He is amazing and knows EVERYONE at Blue Hole so we got to go a tad higher in the falls area than the big groups do :D

Basic bathroom at the bottom of the falls, there were a few merchants during the walk that had food, drink and trinkets for sale.

I have a question about bringing a camera to the Blue Hole. I hear that the guides carry them for you and take pics for you. What kind of camera do most people bring with them?

The guides at Blue Hole are amazing. We had Nyon (I think that's how it is spelled) and he was so gentle with our 6-year old. He even carried our son on his shoulder to cross some of the rocks. The guides will also take lots of photos and they are awesome! I brought a GoPro with me on a chest strap to take lots of videos and our guide took pictures with a standard point and shoot digital camera. If you are concerned at all about your camera, bring a waterproof digital camera (the underwater disposable film cameras won't do it justice!)

We will have a 3 year old with us- doable for him?

How much climbing and walking is involved? Were you at all concerned with the safety of jumping? Were you confident the water was deep enough? I'm a worry wort but also very tempted. I will have an 11 and 15 year old with me.

How much climbing and walking is involved? Were you at all concerned with the safety of jumping? Were you confident the water was deep enough? I'm a worry wort but also very tempted. I will have an 11 and 15 year old with me.

I completely understand your worries! I am a large lady (fluffy is what they call it in Jamaica, which I love, as fat gets old and insulting fast). I was concerned about climbing, jumping, help, etc. I've attached a pic, I had a blast! I'm the big one he's helping in the pic. Daniel was our BH guide and he was fabulous. I experienced everything that he felt I safely could (I didn't go under the falls at the bottom, tight space, small hole--small for me, and I couldn't do the rope because I can't hold my weight safely). I jumped from the highest spot at the top of the tour, and I was the only one in our party to do it! Do what you feel comfortable doing, and enjoy it! No one cares, no one stares, the guide will keep you safe.

The kids will LOVE you if you take them here and will probably say this was the best part of the trip! Our guide told us about the depth and history on the way there, we had no worries about depth as they have yet to find the bottom.

ONE NOTE: Wear water shoes! They are a must for gripping and feeling secure on the walking.

Thanks so much Martha!!!! It looks like you had a blast and you set my mind at ease. I think I'll go for it!

thanks so much martha!!!! It looks like you had a blast and you set my mind at ease. I think i'll go for it!

have a wonderful time!

ZZ, DH & I are confirmed with Winston Gayle on our port stop in OR this summer. So far we have scheduled BH, lunch, and tour of OR, may also do DRF. I have been trying to find out how much I need to tip everyone. Seems like every time I turn around I realize there will be someone else who expects a tip. I want to be prepared and I don't want to 'short-change' anyone as I know we are all just trying to make a living. We also plan on offering to buy Winston's lunch. So, would you mind telling me how much you tipped Winston and also the guides at Blue Hole? Thank you for any info you feel comfortable in sharing. Janie

I guess I should have posted my question to all instead of just ZZ. I would appreciate anyone's answer to my question about tipping.

Me too!

ZZ, DH & I are confirmed with Winston Gayle on our port stop in OR this summer. So far we have scheduled BH, lunch, and tour of OR, may also do DRF. I have been trying to find out how much I need to tip everyone. Seems like every time I turn around I realize there will be someone else who expects a tip. I want to be prepared and I don't want to 'short-change' anyone as I know we are all just trying to make a living. We also plan on offering to buy Winston's lunch. So, would you mind telling me how much you tipped Winston and also the guides at Blue Hole? Thank you for any info you feel comfortable in sharing. Janie

I went last Jan ('15) with a group of about 12 and at Blue Hole, we each chipped in $20, since we had 2 guides there, and they were fabulous! we were there for a little over 2 hours, and the guys were awesome. They were starting to get busier as we were leaving, so you may end up only having 1 guide, if they are too busy to double up...

We went with Travel Jamaica, and had Erol as our tour guide for the day. he took us all around the island, dropping people from our group here and there and picking them back up throughout the day. he did a fantastic job, took us to some "out of the way" places, took us shopping and got us some nice discounts (although I'm sure most of the tours have their "Shops" that they get discounts at too...) and he definitely earned his $$. I think we each put in $20 for the tip, which was almost 50% of our per person cost, but I personally felt he deserved it all.

Honestly, even after the tips, food for the day, and shopping, I think I may have spent a total of $100 the whole day, but I bought quite a few souvenirs that I normally don't buy.

I've read several reviews about the Blue Hole and choosing if you want to jump or not. So my first question is:

1. Can you get in the water without jumping? How deep is it?

 

2. Are there restrooms available?

 

3. Do any of the tour operators provide drinks or do we need to bring our own snacks and drinks?

 

Thanks!

I went last Jan, so things may be a bit different now, but when I was there, you did NOT have to jump in the water, but that did limit the # of "pools" you could get in... I was not brave enough to jump off of a couple of the "cliffs", but still had an amazing time! The guides were amazing, and made sure you were comfortable with doing the jumps... they were very encouraging as well.

There were bathrooms available, but I would recommend using them before you start your treck up the waterfalls, or right before you leave, as you're quite a ways away from anywhere, so it may be a while before you're able to find another place to go... and the road is NOT smooth, so it may not be easy to "hold it" ;)

This was one of my all time favorite places I have been, but seeing some of the more recent reviews, it looks like it may no longer be a "secret"...

thank you very much Saxgirl, your info helps very much! Janie

Not sure i want to spend two hours in a vehicle for a short time swimming

I don't I saw a response to this question but how deep is water if you jump in? We are non swimmers so I didn't know if they have life jackets there?

if you look at tripadvisor pictures there are many with life jackets. I think the water is pretty deep in spots but you don't have to jump.

If we landed in Ocho Rios I would consider this; but based on the potential crowds and the drive from Falmouth, we decided to pass. It look fun though.

I don't I saw a response to this question but how deep is water if you jump in? We are non swimmers so I didn't know if they have life jackets there?

It varies but it ranges from 15-20 feet deep with some spots up to 30 feet deep. I only know because I insisted on asking my guide before every single jump I did. (I'm not jumping in any shallow water LOL)