Rhino rider boats--dangerous for a bad back? Advice?

Hi all! We are coming to St. Maarten on Emerald Princess in October and have reserved a Rhino boat excursion there through Princess. We are in our fifties, and I have recently had a knee replacement and have a lot of problems with my back, including sciatica. Normally I am an active person and my husband would enjoy driving the boats. However, I am worried that my back could get injured when the boat bounces over waves. Is this something to be worried about? Do you ever bounce over waves, coming down hard? I am a good swimmer, but am also worried about getting in and out of the boat on the water to snorkel. Is it hard getting back in, especially if you aren't as limber as you used to be?

If this is too hard on backs, is there a boat tour that anyone recommends that goes to one or more beaches? We are there from 10 until 6. We've been to Orient and Mullet Bay and love those beaches, but if there is a private tour to Pinel Island, I'd like to hear about that. There isn't one from the cruise line.

Thank you all so much for your help--it is greatly appreciated!

Here's a Rhino

Check out the two tours here and here.

gary

Here's a Rhino

. Take a peek.

 

Check out the two tours here and here.

 

gary

Thank you Gary for your help with this question and my other one about sea weed!

While the videos show a really nice adventure, they don't help me to know if it would be jarring for a bad back. Does anyone have experience doing this and can tell me if they bounced on the water a lot?

As with any small motorized boat, the faster you go and the rougher the seas the more they'll bounce. If you don't need to make a reservation or can cancel the day of your visit, I'd wait to see how the weather is or has been the past day or two and then how large the waves are in the bay when you arrive.

While the videos show a really nice adventure, they don't help me to know if it would be jarring for a bad back. Does anyone have experience doing this and can tell me if they bounced on the water a lot?

It really depends on the sea conditions and how you drive the craft. With any significant wave action you will slap up and down, particularly if you run it at speed -- which is sort of the point of the thing. If you run it slowly where there are waves, you should be OK, but you should expect some jarring.

It really depends on the sea conditions and how you drive the craft. With any significant wave action you will slap up and down, particularly if you run it at speed -- which is sort of the point of the thing. If you run it slowly where there are waves, you should be OK, but you should expect some jarring.

Off topic:

navybankerteacher, which navyships were you on between 1960 and 1970? Rating?

Off topic:

 

navybankerteacher, which navyships were you on between 1960 and 1970? Rating?

Shasta AE, Muliphen AKA, De Long DE, Kennedy DD, Boxer LPH, Plymouth Rock LSD.

My wife and I did this tour last Nov and loved it. We are also in our fifties. Yes, you may experience hard bouncing, particularly when you go over the wake of the boat in front of you. We did a lot of this and it was a little jarring. Either stay close to the front of the line or be a little off to the side to avoid the wake.

I don't recommend slowing down because the guides will signal you to speed up. Remember, they must reach the destination beach with enough time to allow swimming time and then get back.

A couple of things about the beach, Happy Bay. One, they link the boats together off shore and you swim into the beach and back after. (The life vests you wear make this easy) Also you are on the French side so you will be informed that you may, lets say "see sights". We certainly did.

This is a fun tour but only you can decide if you're physically up for it.

My husband has always had minor back issues and after riding the rhino with my daughter, herniated his L4 disc. You go fast over the waves and it does jarr your back. He will never ride the rhino again as he was in terrible pain afterwards for about 2-3 months. He was lucky to receive steroid epidural injections, which worked but he now has a residual foot drop.

There are nice boat rides to pinel island, captain bob does nice trips. We used him, he's excellent

http://www.soualigadestinations.com/soualiga_destinations/Most_Popular_Tour.html

There is also a ferry that runs from orient to pinel for under $10.

My husband has always had minor back issues and after riding the rhino with my daughter, herniated his L4 disc. You go fast over the waves and it does jarr your back. He will never ride the rhino again as he was in terrible pain afterwards for about 2-3 months. He was lucky to receive steroid epidural injections, which worked but he now has a residual foot drop.

I am so sorry to hear about your poor husband's back. That is a sad story and I will definitely stay away from small watercraft like this. I have herniated discs as well as spinal stenosis and also have permanent nerve damage in my foot. It began after a trip to New York city, walking in high heels. The sciatica was so bad when I got home I passed out and fell into a beam in my house, blackening my eye, and needing immediate surgery for spinal decompression where a synovial cyst had formed and was impinging my sciatic nerve. I feel for your husband. I am going to have epidural injections next week for another bout of sciatica that began after total knee replacement last May. I think we will just go to Orient Beach and relax in the water...no bouncing for me.

I thought that the video that I linked in my first reply showed how 'bouncy bouncy' the ride would be.

gary

DH and I rode the rhino riders a few years ago. It was the roughest ride we have ever had and we both ride jetskis all the time. We would never go back on the rhino rider. With a bad back, I would not recommend it. Plus they want you to go as fast as the leader which makes it rougher.