Turtles in Barbados

Hello All,

I'm heading out on my first cruise on April 29th on Adventure of the Seas. We are booked to go on the Turtle,Snorkel,Shipwreck,Beach excursion. Can any tell me how deep the water is where you snorkel? My DH and I are excellent swimmers but someone else in our party is a little apprehensive about booking this. I know there will be life vests. Any insight is well appreciated!!:cool:

We too are on the Adventure of the Seas - April 29th out of San Juan.

Day 2 - Barbados.

We want to snorkle w/ turtles. can't book the Tiami Five Star catamaran & Turtles... .Too late - have to book on the ship. However I see from reviews that there are some other ones that are private. Heard this is a great tour ! the Turtles are the way to go in Barbado's !!!

Yeah,,,

Nice to meet you,

Tracy & John

From Alberta - Canada

I did this excursion but through Carnival, it had the same name so I am assuming it is the same. The water where you swim with the Turtles is about 7-8ft. The water over the shipwreck was probably 15-20ft deep. We had a lady on our excursion that let the crew know she wasn't really comfortable in the water so one of the crew had her hold on to a life ring and he gave her a guided tour at all of the stops. When you stop at the beach they pull up close so its about 3 ft deep. Hope that helps.

We did a private tour with Silver Moon Charters and enjoyed it completely. The water in which we snokeled was very calm and even the beginner snokeler would not have any trouble. It is not that deep at the spots where they stop. We were only a small group, I believe they do not take anymore than 14-16 people so there was plenty of room on the catamaran and we were allow to sit on the back with our feet in the water when sailing back to the dock. I would recommend them to anyone and everyone. Our meal was included as well as soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. The pina colodas were a great way to finish the day while sailing back.

Choco, can you tell me what you paid?? How did you find out about this tour?

You can always try http://www.shasacatamarancruises.com/

The water over the shipwreck was probably 15-20ft deep.

sounds like the wreck of the tugboat BERWYN, in Carlisle Bay,

offshore the Bandstand, in front of our Ministerial Bldgs. on Bay Street.

This is a well-known popular scenic snorkelling spot for droves of tourists using the boat-tours

The Berwyn was deliberately scuttled by her crew, in 1916.

Before he died, Edward Stoute (a local historian) gave me the story

and now I pass it on to you.

Seems that Berwyn was involved in carrying coal (via barge?)

to/from The Canarie Islands, across the Atlantic from Barbados,

at a time (World War One) when submarines were dangerous to surface traffic.

The crew decided it wasn't worth the risk, so they simply opened her sea-cocks

and settled her (almost upright) on the sand bottom she now rests on!

Everyone including the ship's cat swam ashore, said Mr.Stoute!

101 years later, she's still there, getting a bit structurally unstable

but still providing a home for the large school of big-eyed Copper Sweepers

that spend the day inside her hull, before venturing 'outside' at night

Copper sweepers?

You'll recognize them by their distinctive metallic colour

when you dive down and peek inside the hull.

Enjoy. She won't be there forever.

Another hundred years and she'll be just a remnant 'backbone' on the sand

and no-one will remember who she ever was.

What an awesome tale!! Thank you for sharing it with us!

What an awesome tale!! Thank you for sharing it with us!

You're very welcome!

Next time you're snorkelling on her,

you can imagine yourself as one of the crew (along with the cat!) swimming ashore.

I now remember that I did my first P.A.D.I. certification dive on that wreck,

back in 1974.

I know it intimately, and have even been inside

(not great,not recommended, very cramped!).

I used to work for a nearby Dive Shop,

and that wreck was our beginner's/first-dive site

for those fresh out of the pool(crash course).

Berwyn is a steel hull, but after 101 yrs. in warm shallow water

she's starting to return to Nature, as must inevitably happen.

Some years ago, one of the local day-cruise boats meandered right over her

while they were anchored, snorkelling tourists,

and accidentally compressed Berwyn's superstructure, crunching it down somewhat.

That didn't help her long-term survivability!

That's why today the area is cordoned off

so divers and snorkellers must swim over to her from about 30 or 40 yds. away.

Now you know even more!

Thanks for the great links. I am still trying to plan our excursion for Barbados!

I sailed with Capt. Ron. He has an amazing crew and pride in what he does.

The food and drinks were great and he was much cheaper than the silvermoon. Almost 40% less expensive...

If you want a great day for a reasonable price..check him out.

One of the best things is you can call him on his cell phone and talk about it before you book. I talked to him for almost 30 mins. While we were looking for our transportation other boats tried to steal our business.

You cant go wrong with sailing with Captain Ron !!!

http://barbadosahoy.com/whynot.htm

"Capt. Ron" - I loved that movie!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm assuming you didn't book thru the ship. Do you know if he has clients throught the ship????????

Hi wv4dmb,

We're just back from Adventure of the Seas. We did Shasa's five hour snorkel/turtle tour and had a wonderful time!! If you have tentative snorkelers with you, don't worry...we had a couple of children along who were apprehensive, and Jason was very patient and reassuring with them.

He'll send a taxi to pick you up right at the pier, his catamaran is comfortable and in excellent condition. (Lunch and beverages were excellent, too!) There were LOTS of fish at the shipwreck/reef and the turtles were amazing. If that trip is too long for you, he also offers a three hour tour. I'd recommend booking with a private company such as Shasa over booking with the ship: better prices, more individualized sevice. Have a great trip, you're gonna love it!

Ripley

We booked with Thriller Ocean Tours (Steven) and it was the best snorkel adventure we've ever taken. Snorkeling w/ the sea turtles was amazing. The reef was gorgeous and the wreck was cool. His rum punch - the best!

I second Shasa. A great day in Barbados.

We are booking Thriller tour with Stephen. I hear alot about crowded boats. How many people is his max? Does anyone know?

We took the turtle excursion w/Tiami Catermerans and they did an excellent job. The food, beverages, guidence, and personel were great. (We booked this through Princess Cruises)

We are booking Thriller tour with Stephen. I hear alot about crowded boats. How many people is his max? Does anyone know?

Stephen's boat is not crowded. I believe there were around 16 people total with plenty of room to walk around when we stopped for punch and snacks. I highly recommend his tour. Here is a full review of his tour and some photos of the turtles.

http://familytravelfun.com/thrillertourbarbados.html

Pier to pier...

http://www.coolrunningsbarbados.com

Has anyone ever done the heat wave snorkel cruise in Barbados?