The west coast of Barbados is one of the most beautiful strips of beach in the world and one of the best ways to see it, is from the sea on a catamaran.
Take a trip on any of the multitudes of catamarans available to you while in Barbados. It is a great way to see the natural beauty of our island, be it with the whole family, with a group of friends or with a special loved one.
Each tour company varies their tours a bit, but the general package is about 4 hours long and includes a lunch stop as well as free-flowing drinks all day long. You'll find that there is a very popular theme in Barbados, free drinks.
Most cruises are comprised of a few different stops along the west coast; one to snorkel on a natural reef or a sunken ship, one for lunch and a lazy swim and one to a swim with the turtles.
That's right, the turtles are huge, rare, leather back turtles. These turtles have always been locals on the island, but over the years have become an endangered species and were becoming very difficult to see.
In an effort to slow down, and possibly stop, the extinction process, a group of English university students came to Barbados to study the turtles. They were able to mark a few of them to be able to monitor their movements and habits and were able to contain them by regularly providing food in a specific area along the west coast.
As their program progressed, more turtles came to the area and soon started breeding and so the population multiplied. It's hard to say at this point how many turtles there are along our coast, but thanks to those students, there are a lot more than there used to be.
Not surprisingly, the turtles quickly became an extremely popular tourist "must-do" and even excited a great deal of locals. The fact that there is hardly anywhere else in the world where you can see these turtles and interact with them in their natural environment is just another thing that makes Barbados very special.
The boats provide the snorkeling gear, and if you have never snorkeled before, don't be discouraged because the majority of boats have crew members to help you out, including life jackets.
Between swimming and feeding with the turtles you can also explore underwater wrecks where you can swim and interact with countless other types of fish, which makes our own unique petting zoo. Children love it, teenagers love it, adults love it and it's just a great thing to do.
The best part of these cruises is that you have so many choices. You can go on a large boat with many other people and have a party atmosphere, or you can go on a small twelve-passenger boat with an intimate group. You can even charter one of these boats for the day or go on a champagne cruise at sunset.
There are cruises which serve a casual Bajan buffet for lunch, some with sandwiches and snacks, or some with champagne and caviar, the choice is really up to you.
Some of the more notorious party cruises provide lively music for dancing and first-class entertainment onboard - exotic belly dancing, tropical dancers and the flaming limbo! On several of these evening cruises they even have some of Barbados' hottest bands performing onboard, and DJs who ensure that you stay on your feet and are part of the action all evening long.
So whether you are an avid sailor, or a devout landlubber, you will truly relish a day spent sailing - the wind in your hair and the sparkling blue waters of the warm Caribbean Sea Lapping beneath you.
When are you going to get the chance again?
Cruise Companies:
- Cool Runnings
- Rubaiyat
For a complete listing of contact information see our Barbados sightseeing listings by following the link below.
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