Cautionary and general info on Carlisle Bay, Harbour Lights, turtles, and Neville

We had a wonderful day at Carlisle Bay this week! Private taxi fare was $4 pp, and there was no waiting for others to fill the vehicle. We are early birds and discovered the beach empty before 8 a.m. We were dropped off at the right end of this incredibly beautiful beach with gorgeous soft sand!

We saw the water toys of the Boatyard and knew we wanted to check out all the beach bar areas before deciding where to set up for the day. We immediately encountered a local (But Canadian) guy in front of Dee's bar, telling us Dee's was the best place to sit for the day. Needless to say, we moved on quickly.

We stopped at Harbour Lights, knowing they were closest to the turtles. A young man wearing a Harbour Lights shirt was setting up chairs and umbrellas. We mentioned to him that we wanted to snorkel with the turtles. I mentioned Nevilles name but was not sure if that was who we would get. After an hour or so, the guy came over and said Neville was on his way. He originally quoted $30 pp but quickly brought that down to $20 when I balked at the price. He also quoted $15 for 2 chairs and an umbrella.

Be very careful that the person you pay is wearing a shirt representing that beach bar. It was very strange that some people were given armbands, but we were not. We went back to him and asked about the armbands and eventually he did give us one, but claimed, "don't worry, I am one of the legal guys and I will watch out for you". We later saw a sign at the bar saying to ensure who you are paying are actual employees. Be careful and make sure you are given an armband!

Neville was wonderful. He brought us out to where a bunch of boats were grouped together and fed the turtles. There were 4-5 turtles swimming around. It was a great experience. Do it early though. The later in the day, the more people there were kicking around and less turtles were seen. We also snorkeled over a shipwreck. There were 10 of us in Neville's boat and we noticed the ones who paid Neville directly only paid $15, so the guy made a few bucks on us. Oh well. There were people selling turtle tours all day so do not worry that you will have to "find" someone to bring you out.

If you are a decent swimmer, you could definitely swim out to the turtles yourself but the wrecks were further away and the one we saw was not to be missed! If you walked to the far left of Harbour Lights, you will see a rope with floats that leads you right out to the turtles. I am glad we went with Neville. He gave a nice little tour and kept us safe..lots of boats going in and out of this area.

The entire beach got quite crowded as the day progressed but we had a ball. Beers at Harbour Lights were a bucket of 6 for $20,or $4 for a single beer, all US prices. If you walked to the left of Harbour lights and back towards the road a bit there was a trailer serving food and drinks and advertising the same beer for 4/$5 US (prices were also listed in Barbados dollars, so remember to do the math. $2 Barb=$1 US). She also served lunch which reportedly was great but it took a while to prepare!

Lots of walking vendors were on the beach but they did not get in your face, a simple No, thank you sent them on their way.

Very easy to get a cab back to port, in fact, around noon there were many drivers waiting right on the beach and asking if anyone needed a cab.

I had so many unanswered questions about this day before leaving, so I hope this will help fill in any gaps in your planning! I will do exactly the same thing next time in Barbados. What a fantastic day!

Lauri

Thanks for the detailed description! We will be going in about 2 weeks! So excited to swim with turtles!!!

How did the Boatyard look in comparison to Harbour lights?

Thanks for the info. Going in May. :)

Thanks for the detailed description! We will be going in about 2 weeks! So excited to swim with turtles!!!

 

How did the Boatyard look in comparison to Harbour lights?

Our cab driver dropped us off right by a pier which I did not realize at the time, is the middle of the Boatyard property. Right by the pier is the water trampoline and iceberg so we knew this was the Boatyard area. We wanted a quieter experience so continued walking to the left. So, we did not see the entire Boatyard area. As you walk to the left, you pass Lobster Alive, Dee's, Michaels, Copacabana and then Harbour Lights. Harbour Lights covered a pretty big area but only had chairs, umbrellas and the beach Bar behind it all. If you have kids with you the Boatyard would probably be better. If you want a more quiet area closer to the turtles, Harbour Lights would probAbly be better. Hope tht helps. Enjoy! it was a perfect beach day!

Lauri

Thanks!!! That really helps!!!

Lauri:

Excellent story. I had many doubts with Neville but I think it's safe to use it for swimming with the turtles. I have a teenager and I would go to the boatyard, is away getting to Neville from boatyard?

I felt extremely safe with Neville. He was a very nice guy! I imagine you can hire him from any beach bar on Carlisle. I originally heard of him being flagged down from the Boatyard but we were at Harbour Lights and could do the same. After we were picked up, he went further down the beach to pick up a few more people...that very well could have been at the Boatyard.

Oh...and I forgot to mention how absolutely WONDERFUL his rum slush is!! With grated fresh nutmeg..have never tasted rum punch so yummy!

Enjoy!

lauri

Lauri thank you very much.

I'm going to look for Neville. the have snorkeling gear? My husband has but my son does not.

Yes, Neville provided masks and snorkels. No need for fins in the small area and not safe for the turtles with so many people swimming around them! Have a great time! lauri

Thanks Lauri for answering all my questions

Thank You for this great information. We plan on doing this on 4/22. Is there any way to find Neville directly once your at Harbour Lights?

Thank You for this great information. We plan on doing this on 4/22. Is there any way to find Neville directly once your at Harbour Lights?

Yes! This is exactly what we did! We settled into our chosen lounge chairs at Harbour Lights and soon a guy came over and welcomed us. We told him we were interested in snorkeling with the turtles, preferably with Nevil. He calls Nevil directly to tell him he has customers! Maybe 30-45 minutes later, the guy came over to get us and we saw Nevil pulling up his boat.

We got to Harbour Lights very early, before 8 am but turtle excursions were advertised all day. I would highly recommend going out as early as possible. We saw many turtles whereas those people going out later saw just one or two.

Have a great time!

Lauri

Hi

Sounds like a great place. We are going in April. Do you know if where you were was anywhere around Pebbles Beach? I heard this was close to where some ship wrecks are.

Thanks

Hi

Sounds like a great place. We are going in April. Do you know if where you were was anywhere around Pebbles Beach? I heard this was close to where some ship wrecks are.

Thanks

Yes! We were on Brownes Beach and Pebbles beach is just south of that. Nevil did take us South to get to the wrecks, so that makes sense! If you look at a map of Carlisle Bay, we were dropped off in the Boatyard area and it is just a short walk to Brownes and Pebble Beach but I assume you could ask your taxi to drop you right at Pebble Beach. We were not sure which beach we wnted to hang out on so just mentioned Carlisle Bay to our driver.

We only saw one wreck with Nevil but I think that was because we spent too much time at the turtle stop! Next time we are there, I would like to see more of the wrecks.

Have fun! Lauri

We will be doing a SUP tour at Carlisle Bay and taking a cab to it (past Brownes Beach). If we wanted to leisurely walk back to the terminal after the tour can we walk on the beach? I know there's admission to places like the boatyard, but can we walk through it?

We were further down from the boat yard and walked back without any problem. Not too far. I think we were on the street when we passed the boat yard but I can't see why you couldn't walk by it on the beach too. Beaches are public as far as I know - I don't think they could keep you out.

We had a wonderful day at Carlisle Bay this week! Private taxi fare was $4 pp, and there was no waiting for others to fill the vehicle. We are early birds and discovered the beach empty before 8 a.m. We were dropped off at the right end of this incredibly beautiful beach with gorgeous soft sand!

We saw the water toys of the Boatyard and knew we wanted to check out all the beach bar areas before deciding where to set up for the day. We immediately encountered a local (But Canadian) guy in front of Dee's bar, telling us Dee's was the best place to sit for the day. Needless to say, we moved on quickly.

We stopped at Harbour Lights, knowing they were closest to the turtles. A young man wearing a Harbour Lights shirt was setting up chairs and umbrellas. We mentioned to him that we wanted to snorkel with the turtles. I mentioned Nevilles name but was not sure if that was who we would get. After an hour or so, the guy came over and said Neville was on his way. He originally quoted $30 pp but quickly brought that down to $20 when I balked at the price. He also quoted $15 for 2 chairs and an umbrella.

Be very careful that the person you pay is wearing a shirt representing that beach bar. It was very strange that some people were given armbands, but we were not. We went back to him and asked about the armbands and eventually he did give us one, but claimed, "don't worry, I am one of the legal guys and I will watch out for you". We later saw a sign at the bar saying to ensure who you are paying are actual employees. Be careful and make sure you are given an armband!

Neville was wonderful. He brought us out to where a bunch of boats were grouped together and fed the turtles. There were 4-5 turtles swimming around. It was a great experience. Do it early though. The later in the day, the more people there were kicking around and less turtles were seen. We also snorkeled over a shipwreck. There were 10 of us in Neville's boat and we noticed the ones who paid Neville directly only paid $15, so the guy made a few bucks on us. Oh well. There were people selling turtle tours all day so do not worry that you will have to "find" someone to bring you out.

If you are a decent swimmer, you could definitely swim out to the turtles yourself but the wrecks were further away and the one we saw was not to be missed! If you walked to the far left of Harbour Lights, you will see a rope with floats that leads you right out to the turtles. I am glad we went with Neville. He gave a nice little tour and kept us safe..lots of boats going in and out of this area.

The entire beach got quite crowded as the day progressed but we had a ball. Beers at Harbour Lights were a bucket of 6 for $20,or $4 for a single beer, all US prices. If you walked to the left of Harbour lights and back towards the road a bit there was a trailer serving food and drinks and advertising the same beer for 4/$5 US (prices were also listed in Barbados dollars, so remember to do the math. $2 Barb=$1 US). She also served lunch which reportedly was great but it took a while to prepare!

Lots of walking vendors were on the beach but they did not get in your face, a simple No, thank you sent them on their way.

Very easy to get a cab back to port, in fact, around noon there were many drivers waiting right on the beach and asking if anyone needed a cab.

 

I had so many unanswered questions about this day before leaving, so I hope this will help fill in any gaps in your planning! I will do exactly the same thing next time in Barbados. What a fantastic day!

Lauri

Thank you so much for this information. My family and i leave in two weeks on RCI Adventure of the Seas and this helps a bunch!!!

Happy sailing everyone!

lah66, About how long was the trip when Neville took you out to swim with the turtles & snorkel the shipwreck?

THANK YOU so much for this information.

Myself and my kids ( 23 and 27 yo) will be in Barbados in couple weeks and we are looking to do turtles swim . Do you have any contact information for Neville? I am a planner and I do prefer to secure the tour ahead.

One more question please, What was the reason of choosing Harbour light beach over boatyard beach ? Do they offer free shuttle to the ship - thank you

Very helpful review. We enjoyed Harbour Lights a few years ago.

We choose the Boatyard and it was great!!! (Nice padded chairs, buckets of beers coconut shrimp) Probably the best day we have ever had on any of our cruises.

I am a planner too!!! I found it easy to find Neville on the beach. There are a lot of tours taking people out to the turtles and WHEN I go back I wouldn't stress about it!!!!

It is a very easy day!!! Get to Carlisle Bay and you will be fine!

This sounds like a perfect day for us. Two adults in our 50's, without kids. We're early risers, so it sounds like we can get to the beach early. I have a few questions:

--Do you know how early Neville starts doing the turtle tours? That would be our first priority. Is he difficult to track down on your own, or must you get someone to find him for you?

--Did you leave your stuff on the beach when you went out on the boat? Or is there a place on the boat to leave your things?

--If we did Neville first, how is the availability of beach chairs when you return? Our cruise offers an excursion to Harbor Lights, but I cannot see paying $30pp when we can do it on our own for so much less.

Thanks for any responses. We'll be there in a few weeks, and I like to go with a plan.

This sounds like a perfect day for us. Two adults in our 50's, without kids. We're early risers, so it sounds like we can get to the beach early. I have a few questions:

--Do you know how early Neville starts doing the turtle tours? That would be our first priority. Is he difficult to track down on your own, or must you get someone to find him for you?

--Did you leave your stuff on the beach when you went out on the boat? Or is there a place on the boat to leave your things?

--If we did Neville first, how is the availability of beach chairs when you return? Our cruise offers an excursion to Harbor Lights, but I cannot see paying $30pp when we can do it on our own for so much less.

 

Thanks for any responses. We'll be there in a few weeks, and I like to go with a plan.

Hi, we just returned from the 2 week NCL Breakaway cruise, with a day in Barbados! we went to Carlisle Beach (and we left the ship at 8:45am), no worries to get a taxi - we were dropped at the end that was closer to the turtles/shipwrecks and within 10 minutes of getting our chairs/umbrellas' - IVOR came along asking if we wanted to snorkel the turtles and shipwrecks! We were his first customers of the day, and our boat only took 6 people out on the first round, it was $20 per person and it was the best money spent! Ivor was a true gentleman and was genuinely concerned for each person to have a good time and a good experience! the tour was about an hour! he offers banana rides and other things besides the snorkeling with the turtles and snorkeling the shipwrecks. As a matter of interest, Ivor had taken probably 3 boatloads out before we saw the infamous Neville - not picking on the guy, but you need to understand that the earlier in the day the more success you will have with the turtles!

Thanks mygreyhound66, it's great to have an alternative. What did you do with your things when you went for the turtle snorkeling? Did you just leave everything with your chairs?