Boat Rental - is it worth it?

We will be in Bermuda for 3 days in September (coming in on Serenade of the Seas) and we are starting to plan out what we'd like to do while there.

Are boat rentals worth it? I see all these islands in Great Sound, and wasn't sure if they were worth visiting for fun/snorkeling/relaxing, or if we'd just be better off booking an excursion.

Many thanks!

We did it last year- it was fun. We had the America’s Cup yachts doing heats around us so that part was a little stressful but overall it was fun. We went to some tiny little plots of sand and snorkeled off HMS Vixen. They give you a cheap loaf of bread and you can throw it into the water and the fish surround the boat.

We highly recommend renting a Boston Whaler, one of our favorite activities while staying on the island. Very easy to handle and safe fir beginners. Search past threads with that term for details and ideas. We really like H2O Watersports for their location and boats but there are others to choose from.

We rented a Boston whaler today from h2o watersports and it was the best part of our back to back cruise on summit which included 8 port stops. We had it for 5 hours and had fantastic snorkeling and the water was cold so I can only imagine how nice it will be in September. Really nice guy that owns it who will give you a map of where exactly to go to have a great day. We took it for 5 hours from 830 to 130 and had a blast.

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I can add that while my husband and I zipped around from reef to reef to shipwreck and little islands...etc..., we saw excursion boats with people sitting on chairs like a bus to see the ship wreck and the turtles, all spots that we saw up close and by ourselves. Much better experience.

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It is a blast! We rented a small Boston Whaler from Somerset Watersports and they were great. We got the map and the bread, went to the Vixen and fed the fish, then went to several secluded beaches and snorkeled. They give you a cooler and ice, so we brought a bottle of wine and some plastic cups we brought from the ship. We ate lunch at Woody’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ tying right up at their dock, went under the Worlds Smallest Drawbridge, and whipped around Hamilton Harbour getting a good look at all the activity in preparation for the America’s Cup (which was the following year). It was worth every penny, and easy to get the hang of. My tip is to bring snorkel equipment from home, and we connected with friends we made in our roll call who remain friends and cruising buddies to this day. We rented for four hours, we might go for longer next time.

Thanks, all! I think we're going to go for it :-)

Thanks, all! I think we're going to go for it :-)

You’ll have fun- was one of the highlights of our trip. Would go earlier in the morning to avoid sun and heat. They have a cover over them but you are pretty exposed.

It is a blast! We rented a small Boston Whaler from Somerset Watersports and they were great. We got the map and the bread, went to the Vixen and fed the fish, then went to several secluded beaches and snorkeled. They give you a cooler and ice, so we brought a bottle of wine and some plastic cups we brought from the ship. We ate lunch at Woody’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ tying right up at their dock, went under the Worlds Smallest Drawbridge, and whipped around Hamilton Harbour getting a good look at all the activity in preparation for the America’s Cup (which was the following year). It was worth every penny, and easy to get the hang of. My tip is to bring snorkel equipment from home, and we connected with friends we made in our roll call who remain friends and cruising buddies to this day. We rented for four hours, we might go for longer next time.

We also booked via Somerset for later this month. Are these placed you went to recommended via their map? Or did you do your own research before you got there?