Swimming with the turtles

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Day #3 - Sep 4th.

One of the things that I looked most forward to was swimming with the turtles and snorkeling over some ship wrecks.

It was suggested that I go on a Catamaran instead of a regular powerboat. I took this cruise with Cool Running Catamaran Cruises. They will pick you up at your hotel around 8:30 or so and drive to Bridgetown to hop on your boat.

From the start, the crew was incredibly friendly: cracking jokes, getting everybody on board a cocktail, and allowing us to take over the boat. It was not too crowded -- we sat on the back of the boat the entire time - legs dangling in the water even at higher speeds -- and just chilled.

Lunch on-board was great! I imagined light sandwiches, but was surprised to be served buffet style with a green salad, beans & vegetables, fish, chicken, fresh baked banana bread, and carrot cake.

We made 3 stops. One to snorkel with the turtles, the second to snorkel over a sunken wreck and coral reef and the third to enjoy a nice meal. Depending on the weather and currents, the water is going to be crystal clear or a little hazy. For the most part, you can still see everything. The turtles are really cool, especially being able to swim with them.

I saw several Hawksbill turtles, but did not see any Leatherback turtles. The Hawksbill turtles can grow to 30-39 inches and weigh between 150 to 220 pounds. The peak season for nesting in Barbados is between mid-May through mid to late October.

The Leatherback turtle is the largest turtle, they can grow to six and half feet, and weigh 2000 pounds. Their shell is not "hard" like other turtles.

Snorkeling over the shipwrecks were fun, it was tough getting some clear pictures, and I'm not sure if the flash in my camera went off.

As we were heading back to the docks, we noticed quite a bit of flying fish. We were in more open waters and being in the front, I got splashed a lot more often by the water. That was fine by me!

I highly recommend Cool Running Catamaran Cruises, and this is an event you don't want to miss.

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Photos

Hawksbill turtle
I was elated that we were surrounded by these beautiful creatures.

Puffer Fish
These are odd looking fish.

Surrounded
I felt like I was in this giant aquarium. It really is awesome to be underwater!

Big One
I was hoping this one didn't get away from me before I could get his mug.

Shipwreck
It was tough to get a clear image of this ship. To get a better shot, I would've had to be no more than 6 feet from this.

Life underwater
Reef and plant life is astounding.

Living it up
I've never been on a catamaran so this was a first for me. This photo is of a catamaran similar to ours.