Barbados: Catamaran Tour with Snorkeling and Lunch

About This Experience

El Tigre's catamaran runs the full Barbados west-coast circuit in a single five-hour trip: two snorkel stops, a hot buffet lunch, an open bar, and a sail up the leeward coast in between. It is the busiest turtle trip on the island by review volume, and the reason is the shape of the day rather than any one stop.

The first stop is the turtle site, where the crew gets everyone into masks and fins and a guide goes into the water with the group. The second is the Carlisle Bay wrecks, where tropical fish shoal over hulls that sit shallow enough to see clearly from the surface. Between the two you are on deck, in sun or in the boat's considerable shade, with a drink in your hand.

Lunch is a hot buffet served on board and the bar is open for the whole sailing, alcoholic and soft. There is a beach stop near the end where you can swim ashore and walk the sand before the boat turns back for Bridgetown.

Highlights

• Two separate snorkel stops in one trip: sea turtles first, then the Carlisle Bay shipwrecks
• A guide goes into the water with the group rather than pointing from the deck
• Five hours on a classic catamaran with a sail up the sheltered west coast
• Hot buffet lunch served on board, plus an open bar for the whole sailing
• Hotel pickup and drop-off included, so no taxi to arrange at either end
• Deck space in full sun and a large shaded area, which matters on a midday trip

What's Included

• ✓ Sea turtle snorkeling stop
• ✓ Shipwreck snorkeling stop
• ✓ Snorkeling and safety equipment
• ✓ Hot buffet lunch on board
• ✓ Unlimited drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic
• ✓ Breakfast refreshments on boarding
• ✓ Hotel pickup and drop-off

Not Included

• Towels
• Gratuities for the crew
• Transport to the Bridgetown Cruise Terminal pickup point, if you are not on a hotel pickup

What to Bring

• Swimwear, worn under your clothes
• A towel
• Reef-safe sunscreen
• A dry bag or waterproof case for a phone

Good to Know & Caveats

• Every passenger completes a waiver form before boarding the catamaran.
• Turtles are wild animals in open water. The crew knows where they feed, but no operator can guarantee a sighting on a given sailing.
• The trip runs about five hours door to door with the pickup, so it takes most of a day.
• Cruise-terminal pickup must be arranged with the operator in advance; it is not automatic.
• Cancel free up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund.

Meeting Point

Hotel pickup is included and is confirmed with your booking. Cruise passengers can be collected from the Bridgetown Cruise Terminal, but that pickup has to be arranged with the operator in advance and the driver will ask for the name on the reservation. The catamaran itself boards in Bridgetown.