Wave Runner / jet Ski in Barbados??

[Asia_Leone]

Hello, we will be in Barbados next week...for our 7 day Carnival cruise (Victory) and was wondering if anyone has ever did the jetskiing here? If so is it nice? We can't swim and prefer the beautiful blue clear water over the dark deep ones (so scary)....or should we jetski on a different island?

[aimodels]

Most folks renting out waverunners will tell you that you need to keep them in the deeper water, where it's darker blue. If the water is light blue, it's shallow and you can run the risk of running aground.

 

I've rented waverunners several times in Barbados, and got told the same thing every time...

 

Cheers, P:)

[Asia_Leone]

Thank you! What about a really pretty beach?

[aimodels]

Throw a dart at a map of Barbados... j/k :D

 

All the beaches are beautiful. Any of the west side beaches will be fine for waverunners. Some of the south beaches are good too, if the waves aren't too rough. Anything from Dover or Worthing north up the west side is great for waverunners.

 

You'll find a lot of folks renting waverunners around Carlisle Bay.

 

Cheers, P:)

[AntiHamstr]

I think almost every island is going to tell you the same thing. Keep the jetskis in the dark blue deep water. It's safer for the equipment, snorkelers and swimmers, and most importantly you. Think about what will happen to you if you hit something or someone going 30-40 mph. It's not pretty and people die that way.

 

 

The following is unsolicited advice from a former lifeguard, which you are free to ignore:

LONG TERM: Please take some swim lessons so that you can at least float or tread water. It may save your life someday. FWIW floating in salt water is almost trivial for most people once you get over the urge to panic.

SHORT TERM: Put on a PFD (aka life jacket), and get used to trusting it to keep you afloat. Unless you are unconscious or do something really stupid it's nearly impossible to drown while wearing a properly fitted PFD.

[Asia_Leone]

Ok I guess I have to clarify myself more...I have jetski in Nassau and Bora Bora and we would go REALLY far out and the water is clear blue. Although it's deep, the water is more a light blue VS that deep dark scary blue that's extremely rough...the one where you feel like you're going to get eaten by sharks...

 

I have jetski in Hawaii and Sapphire Beach on St. Thomas and it was so horrible. The water far out is so dark and so rough.

 

I guess what I'm trying to ask is which beach has nicer calmer and lighter shades of water for jetskiing.... Sorry for the confusion!

[aimodels]

Carlisle Bay - check it out on Google Images...

 

Cheers, P:)

[AntiHamstr]

No need to apologize. Jetskiing in rough water gets old REALLY quick.

 

 

aimodels is giving good advice: Carlisle Bay looks like a great choice. The beaches near the dock are on the leeward side of the island which means that the water is usually pretty calm. It's been over 5 years since I rented a jetski on Barbados, but I remember it being very calm even in the deeper water.

 

 

You have absolutely nothing to worry about with the sharks. Nothing they eat looks or sounds anything like a boat or jetski.

[AntiHamstr]

I forgot to mention that it's best to try to get there early. On AVERAGE, the ocean tends to be calmer in the morning, and gets rougher as the winds pick up throughout the day, and more boats and jetskis are around to chop up the water.

 

 

Like I said, it's been a long time since I rented one on Barbados, but if it's still set up the same way its mostly just locals with a few jetskis walking up and down the beach looking for business. Don't forget to haggle. Chances are they will start with an amount MUCH higher than they will take at the end, especially if you are there early in the day.

 

 

Most importantly, remember that one US dollar is worth two Barbados dollars. If they quote you something like “100 dollars” without specifying currency, your response should be “100 Barbados dollars... so that's 50 US dollars.” If you ask them “US or Barbados”, their answer tends to be “$100 US”. ;-)

 

 

One nice thing is that the guy I rented from told me to keep it away from the shallow water, and away from the harbor, but other than that I could go anywhere I wanted as long as I was back on time. Personally I don't like being confined in little boxes.

 

 

Have fun and be safe.

 

 

Dennis

[aimodels]

In the past, I have rented waverunners from Barbados Blue.

 

They are located at the south end of Carlisle Bay, right next to the Hilton.

 

You will have no problem finding someone willing to rent you one at Carlisle... And YES, always be willing to haggle on the price...

 

Cheers, P:)