Swimming to the sea turtles from the beach- Have you done it?

[gapearl]

I have searched thread after thread after thread. From what I've read, it looks like you can swim out to the boats from Carlisle Beach and swim with the sea turtles on your own. I'm a pretty good swimmer and can tread water for a long time without getting tired. How far out of a swim is it? To those of you that have done this, how long did you stay out there? I'd love to hear as many of your experiences as I can. Thanks! :)

[GolferGal2]

I'm very interested in doing the same and have had the same questions. Hope we gets some replies with some great info and advice.

[WaggesAZ]

 

It seems that most say it is easier to go to the beach and let a small boat person take you out, as the turtles seem to be out quite a ways from the shore…Here are some threads I found: (I am not being snarky by giving you the links, honestly trying to give you information :))

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1691956&highlight=turtles+from+beach

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1734924&highlight=turtles+from+beach

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1619712&highlight=turtles+from+beach

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1594389&highlight=turtles+from+beach

[gapearl]

 

It seems that most say it is easier to go to the beach and let a small boat person take you out, as the turtles seem to be out quite a ways from the shore…Here are some threads I found: (I am not being snarky by giving you the links, honestly trying to give you information :))

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1691956&highlight=turtles+from+beach

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1734924&highlight=turtles+from+beach

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1619712&highlight=turtles+from+beach

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1594389&highlight=turtles+from+beach

 

Thanks for the reply. I already saw the first 3 links but the last one was helpful. I'm still looking to hear from others that have made the swim. The more active I am in port, the less time I have to spend at the gym on the ship. ;)

[GolferGal2]

Think we'll just go on our own and take chances of either swimming out to turtles ourselves or possibly catch a local boat from the beach. We'll decide when we get there. More money saved by doing our own thing converts to spending on some local food (flying fish sandwich) and beverages. Sounds pretty good to me.

[gapearl]

When do you leave? Please come back and share your experience.

[GolferGal2]

Will be in Barbados Fri., Dec. 21st.

[aimodels]

Whether you're at Payne's or Carlisle to see the turtles, typically the cats stop about 200-300 yards from shore.

 

The water is generally very calm, so it would be an easy swim for most people.

 

Cheers, P:)

[printingchick]

Absolutely. Have done it at Paynes Beach.

[gapearl]

Absolutely. Have done it at Paynes Beach.

 

How long did it take you to make the swim? 5-10 minutes maybe? Longer?

[peptobysmol]

I think most would easily be able to do swim it. I did it via catamaran and thought at the time it would be an easy swim. One of the downsides of it would be that the tours feed the turtles so they come closer. I wonder if you'd have the same result without the food.

[aimodels]

Having food definitely helps to attract the turtles.

 

We used to swim out every morning to the reef at Rockley Beach. The turtles were always there first thing in the a.m. until about 10:00 or 11:00. Just us and the turtles, no one else...

 

If you plan on seeing the turtles at Payne's or Carlisle, just watch for the catamarans and swim out to the group.

 

The cat's usually stop to feed the turtles between 10:00 and 11:00.

 

If you don't feel like swimming out, hire a local with a boat for $20 to take you out. You might even get free rum punch out of the deal :)

 

Cheers, P:)

[Henry325]

I'm interested in doing this also. Does anyone know how much a taxi is to Carlise Beach? Are you able to rent snorkeling gear at the beach?

[printingchick]

How long did it take you to make the swim? 5-10 minutes maybe? Longer?

 

Sorry for the delayed response. It's not far. If the current isn't strong, it's an easy swim. Five minutes I'd say. (It's been a while - 2010 - so my memory isn't precise!)

[jjtimes6]

We did this from Payne's Bay two years ago. It was quite a ways out, but I'm not the greatest swimmer and was able to do it. I was tired! The biggest issue, however, was the huge quantity of jellyfish in the water. They were small, and they were everywhere. I got stung twice, not a big deal, although it did hurt a bit.

 

I would not do it that way again, but it is possible that the jellyfish thing was a fluke. If I were to do it again (and that would only be if there were no jellyfish!), I would use a flotation device of some kind.

 

We got to Payne's Bay on the public bus, $1 US each way per person. Same thing on the way back. That part was awesome!

[aimodels]

The jellyfish issue might have to do with the time of year. We've been to Barbados in Aug and in Feb and never had issues with jellyfish.

 

Cheers, P:)

[DanAnna]

No problem swimming from beach. Here's a pic taken a few years back of me, my daughter, and her friend swimming out to where the turtles were. You can see by the location of the tour boats where the turtles were. The girls wore life jackets. My bad...Just noticed you were asking about Carlisle Bay. We were near Paynes Bay to the north. I'm sure it's similar though.

 

Edited January 10, 2013 by DanAnna

[jcolino]

My personal story:

 

I didn't have an excursion planned, but I had heard that there are turtles in Barbados. I decided to ask a taxi driver near the port to bring me to where I can swim with turtles. (My own fault for not being more direct - I probably spent more than I should have on taxi fare).

 

I arrived at a hotel where the taxi driver told me to visit the pool/beach employees and ask for a boat to take me to the turtles. They made a phone call and a boat showed up in about 20 minutes.

 

I boarded the boat and it took me about 100 yards away from shore and said, "we're here". He then started throwing bread overboard (a no-no to this Project AWARE diver). I paid him in full and told him that I can find my way back. He left me at the spot.

 

In summary: Yes, I saw turtles. No, I should not have paid for a boat to take me there.

Edited January 20, 2013 by jcolino

[gapearl]

No problem swimming from beach. Here's a pic taken a few years back of me, my daughter, and her friend swimming out to where the turtles were. You can see by the location of the tour boats where the turtles were. The girls wore life jackets. My bad...Just noticed you were asking about Carlisle Bay. We were near Paynes Bay to the north. I'm sure it's similar though.

 

 

Thanks for the picture! I can definitely manage that swim. :)

 

 

My personal story:

 

I didn't have an excursion planned, but I had heard that there are turtles in Barbados. I decided to ask a taxi driver near the port to bring me to where I can swim with turtles. (My own fault for not being more direct - I probably spent more than I should have on taxi fare).

 

I arrived at a hotel where the taxi driver told me to visit the pool/beach employees and ask for a boat to take me to the turtles. They made a phone call and a boat showed up in about 20 minutes.

 

I boarded the boat and it took me about 100 yards away from shore and said, "we're here". He then started throwing bread overboard (a no-no to this Project AWARE diver). I paid him in full and told him that I can find my way back. He left me at the spot.

 

In summary: Yes, I saw turtles. No, I should not have paid for a boat to take me there.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. I was just thinking maybe I should just cough up the 20 bucks and let one of the boats take me out. I guess I'll see how it goes when I get there. I'll be sure to come back and report my experience after my cruise.

[erniesband]

:mad: I'm going to rant here for a good cause. Please be careful if you're going to use fins to swim out from shore to the turtles , fins can hurt the turtles. You can't always see them and they can't always see you. A hard fin to the head or body can do some serious damage. All of the cat excursions I've been on will not allow fins in the water with the turtles. This year I went out with Calabaza and while we were in the water there was a moron in the water either from shore or from one of the boats from shore not only wearing fins but he was chasing and trying to grab the tails of the turtles. This type of behavior scared away the turtles and ruined the experience for a lot of others. If you hire a boat to take you out please don't use fins in the water! And remember turtles can bite! It is always best to let them come to you.

Edited January 23, 2013 by erniesband

[Putterdude]

We went to Carlisle Beach about two weeks ago and went out on a boat for $20 which included rum drinks and rum punch. The area really was crowded and will likely go back to Folkstone Beach were we had a much better experience last year.

[illiniwahoo]

In carlisle bay, the catamarans will be towards the far end of the beach towards the Hilton (probably 2/3 of the way down the beach). I was looking for them near the boatyard and they weren't there. We were planning on just swimming out, but I didn't see the catamarans immediately. we hired a boat - many people will ask you if you want a snorkel tour. Our boat driver fed the turtles, and we saw two big ones. I can't imagine how I would have found the turtles or shipwrecks without being fed (not necessarily proper for ecology!) The boat then took us to two shipwrecks. AWESOME! It wouldn't be too bad to swim out to either the turtles or the shipwrecks - but I saw it as paying for the tour guide - not the ride.

p.s. most were asking $20pp, but I talked Charlie down to 15pp.

[Dutsch2]

We are on Adventure of the Seas March 10th, 2013 and are hoping that another small family might be willing to join us for an excursion. We found a tour group called Cliff Sharker which has gotten nothing but Rave Reviews on Trip Advisor. They have several tours available and would be willing to work with us. We are hoping to take a 2 hour trip focused on snorkeling with the Turtles and Shipwrecks. We would have to be the first ones off the ship to beat the catamaran crowds and swarms of people from the ship. They don't allow any alcoholic beverages until the snorkeling is complete for safety reasons. We are a group of 3 - 2 parents and a 17 year old?

[gapearl]

We are on Adventure of the Seas March 10th, 2013 and are hoping that another small family might be willing to join us for an excursion. We found a tour group called Cliff Sharker which has gotten nothing but Rave Reviews on Trip Advisor. They have several tours available and would be willing to work with us. We are hoping to take a 2 hour trip focused on snorkeling with the Turtles and Shipwrecks. We would have to be the first ones off the ship to beat the catamaran crowds and swarms of people from the ship. They don't allow any alcoholic beverages until the snorkeling is complete for safety reasons. We are a group of 3 - 2 parents and a 17 year old?

 

Hi Dutsch2, welcome to Cruise Critic! :)

 

You should head over to your roll call and chat with others also on your sailing. You might be able to link up with another family there.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1466446

 

Have fun!

[chirpy12345]

:mad: I'm going to rant here for a good cause. Please be careful if you're going to use fins to swim out from shore to the turtles , fins can hurt the turtles. You can't always see them and they can't always see you. A hard fin to the head or body can do some serious damage. All of the cat excursions I've been on will not allow fins in the water with the turtles. This year I went out with Calabaza and while we were in the water there was a moron in the water either from shore or from one of the boats from shore not only wearing fins but he was chasing and trying to grab the tails of the turtles. This type of behavior scared away the turtles and ruined the experience for a lot of others. If you hire a boat to take you out please don't use fins in the water! And remember turtles can bite! It is always best to let them come to you.

 

I share your frustration. I was on a Calabaza tour in April of last year and a moron from the tour kicked one of the turtles with his foot. The turtle promptly swam of, so the moron Matt went on to the next turtle. I was so mad. The moral is it's not just the morons with fins, but the morons who can't control themselves because they apparently aren't comfortable in the water.