crossman2k

this picture pretty much illustrates 2 of my questions about hmc...

 

first - i see the little buoy / rope 'barrier' thingy in the water... are you not allowed to swim out past that? it really doesn't look to be terribly far out, and i assume the water's pretty shallow, even at the buoy line...

 

what if i wanted to out further, or swim in a non-buoyed area? is that allowed - and thereby that little line just kinda a guideline - maybe for kids? :confused:

 

next - i like to walk on the beach... long walks on the beach... is there a similar 'barrier' on the beach, restricting access at a certain point? or if, for instance, i wanted to walk all the way down the 'crescent' - say, to the far left / top part of this picture, is that allowed? :)

 

lastly... i haven't seen a single sand castle in any of the pics of HMC i've ever seen... is that because the sand's too fine to work for this... or just because there are no sand castle type equipment (buckets, shovels) on the island? i'm all grown up, but i still love making a mean sand castle every now and then :D

I'll try to answer your questions:

First - The barrier you see in the picture is the side barrier that connect to the shore. The actual barrier goes pretty far out to about 150 feet. The depth of the water is about 12 feet at the end of the barrier. You can also swim past the the side part of the barrier but that is where the aquatic center is so there is alot of boating and sailing activity going on. Cabanas 7 -15 are also past this point. The beach also continues about two miles until it reaches a point. I noticed many people walking the beach and that is also where they horseback ride.

Second - The sand is okay but not the best for making sandcastles. Bring your own shovels and containers to build. They have a sandcastle contest just after lunch. Read the Capers. It normally happens in front of the beach bar but if you let them know you want to participate they will go to your area and judge your castle.

Hope this helps. Enjoy!

We just came back from Half Moon Cay two weeks ago and rented Cabana #4 Orange. It was at the edge of where the crowds and lounge chairs start to thin out and very close to the BBQ pavillion and main bathroom. We loved it!

In my opinion if you want to still be part of the action but not be overcrowded with people and lounge chairs then rent cabana 4, 5, or 6. Cabanas 7, 8, and 9 are situated where the water sports center is at so there is alot of kayaking, sailboating, and motorboat activity going on. If you want to be away from the crowds and enjoy peaceful relaxation then rent numbers 10-15.

We walked the length of the beach several times and noticed that alot of the ship crew hang out just past cabana 15. We said hello to the asst cruise director, some of the waiters we recognized, and some of the entertainment staff...including many of the dancers in thong bathing suits. ;)

However I think that any cabana is a good cabana and is well worth the $225 price we paid. The island is a beautiful paradise and as I mentioned in previous posts, we felt like royalty for the day. Have fun!