Captain Nautica Tour

Has anyone been on this tour recently (late 2013 or 2014)

Looking for a snorkeling excursion that has excellent snorkeling and the boat is pretty easy to get on and off.

What is the ladder like on the boats for this excursion. Mostly I want to know if it is solid..not wobbly. I don't like ladders and have difficulty on the wobbly ones.

I am an experienced snorkeler, looking for good coral variety and colour as well as fish and other marine life. Not just fish.

Any details on this tour are most appreciated

Thank you!

When is your cruise? I am planning on doing this excursion in a couple of weeks, and I would be happy to report back after that if you'd like.

I would also like any opinions on this excurshion. I usually don't book excurshions through the ship, but this one has very good reviews. We'll be there June 13

Sure thing. I'll be down there very soon (my cruise leaves next Saturday); I'll be sure to post a full review for you.

Has anyone been on this tour recently (late 2013 or 2014)

 

Looking for a snorkeling excursion that has excellent snorkeling and the boat is pretty easy to get on and off.

 

What is the ladder like on the boats for this excursion. Mostly I want to know if it is solid..not wobbly. I don't like ladders and have difficulty on the wobbly ones.

 

I am an experienced snorkeler, looking for good coral variety and colour as well as fish and other marine life. Not just fish.

 

Any details on this tour are most appreciated

 

Thank you!

I have used Cpt Nautica twice. The last was in 2013 summer. Staff was laid back but still professional- not a party atmosphere (positive for me). I felt very comfortable with them. The first time my group had two males leading the group and my last trip was two females. Groups are kept small (both times we had about 12 folks on the boat). They do not get in the water with you.

I will say the highlight is swimming with the sea turtles and not looking at coral. The first site they took us to had tropical fish but I would not describe it as a ton. You have to swim closer to shore (and you can NOT go ashore because it is protected) to find any fish. I personally found it lots of fun but honestly I had low expectations.

The next site has the sea turtles. For someone that LOVES marine life, it was the highlight of my last trip. I mean how often do you get to swim with a sea turtle? I saw fewer sea turtles on my trip in 2013 than in my previous trip but I saw more fish this time so go figure. When I went previously I seriously saw over 40 sea turtles just chill'n and going about their business.

There are larger boats that have a staircase the the water. I wish I could remember the name on the side of the boat. Below is what the boats look like. I have very fair skin so the tops are great for shade on the way out to the site.

Cpt Nautica's boats have sides that are soft so it is very easy to get into the water. I personally did not have any issues using the ladder to get back on the boat. It is very sturdy. You can see the ladder in the picture below if you look carefully. It is in the up position on the mid part of the boat.

Here's my review from last week's cruise. The Captain Nautica part can be found in posts 16 and 17:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2044263

I loved it, although I felt pretty much the opposite of the poster above me regarding the snorkeling stops. Turtle Cove was okay, but there's really not much to see there, other than the occasional turtle. The second spot, with the coral and tropical fish, though, was beautiful. You do have to get close to shore to see the good stuff, but it's absolutely worth the effort.

Getting into the water is a bit tricky. You have to step out onto the inflated sides of the boat, sit down, put your flippers on, and then jump in. For more coordinated people, this may be a piece of cake, but I was convinced I was going to fall into the water somewhere in that whole process. It wasn't scary - worst case scenario, I end up in the water earlier than I had planned - and I pulled it off, but it was a bit tricky. Getting back into the boat is much easier than getting out; they have a relatively stable ladder for you to climb up at that point.

Our guides, Kaylee and Max, were fantastic. They do not get in the water with you. I loved this excursion and had a blast. OP, I think you would enjoy it, since you say you are an experienced snorkeler. I would NOT recommend this excursion for weak swimmers - the currents are very strong around the shore, and the coral (most of it fire coral) is very close to the surface - it takes some strength and swimming skill to keep yourself in a safe place. This would also not be a good choice for anyone with back, knee, or motion sickness issues. The speed boat ride can be pretty rough, especially on the trip out.

Hope that helps!