Snorkeling From The Beach?

[frisbeewife]

I'll be in Roatan for my first time in March, along with DH, DS, DIL, and 3 grandsons (ages 16, 14, and 7). The 7 year old has never been snorkeling and since we want to do a reef snorkel trip the next day in Belize we were hoping there would be a nice beach in Roatan where he could practice before we throw him off a boat in the middle of the ocean. :D

 

Any suggestions? It would be best if there was also shade since DH has had skin cancer and prefers to avoid the sun when possible, plus we don't want to get too fried if we're going out on a boat the next day. And as long as I'm getting specific, it would be good to have chairs, food, water, etc. also.

 

Thanks!

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[Guest 2000]

I'll be in Roatan for my first time in March, along with DH, DS, DIL, and 3 grandsons (ages 16, 14, and 7). The 7 year old has never been snorkeling and since we want to do a reef snorkel trip the next day in Belize we were hoping there would be a nice beach in Roatan where he could practice before we throw him off a boat in the middle of the ocean. :D

 

Any suggestions? It would be best if there was also shade since DH has had skin cancer and prefers to avoid the sun when possible, plus we don't want to get too fried if we're going out on a boat the next day. And as long as I'm getting specific, it would be good to have chairs, food, water, etc. also.

 

Thanks!

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The Tabyana Beach Break offers steps from your lounger reef snorkeling. The beach is West Bay, the premiere beach on the island.

 

It would be interesting to have you compare the Belize snorkle excursion to the steps from the beach reef in West Bay. It maybe very well be Roatan is far superior to Belize.

[frisbeewife]

I like the sound of Tabyana Beach Break, but the excursion from RCCL has a minimum age of 12 and the youngest grandson is 7. Maybe I could contact Tabyana directly and see if we could come there without booking through RCCL? Or that might be Tabyana's age restriction, not RCCLs. I'll find out.

 

And now I'll have to make it a point to compare snorkeling in Belize vs Roatan. I've also heard Roatan has good snorkeling and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Edited January 4, 2017 by frisbeewife

[Guest 2000]

I like the sound of Tabyana Beach Break, but the excursion from RCCL has a minimum age of 12 and the youngest grandson is 7. Maybe I could contact Tabyana directly and see if we could come there without booking through RCCL? Or that might be Tabyana's age restriction, not RCCLs. I'll find out.

 

And now I'll have to make it a point to compare snorkeling in Belize vs Roatan. I've also heard Roatan has good snorkeling and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

 

Age minimum? that is nutter butter!

 

If Tabyana will not allow you then Bananarama offers a day pass with transport included, the worry here is you would have to walk down the beach about 5/6 mins past Infinity's L shaped dock to access the boat free reef snorkeling.

 

I think Tabyana is a book thur the ship only deal but please do confirm with them.

[OCruisers]

Double check and make sure the Tabyana Beach Break has a minimum age of 12. When we took it, there were several younger children on this excursion thru the ship. :confused:

 

You might want to also get your 7 year old to practice snorkeling without fins in the swimming pool on the ship so he could get use to how to breath with the mask/snorkel. ;)

[frisbeewife]

Double check and make sure the Tabyana Beach Break has a minimum age of 12. When we took it, there were several younger children on this excursion thru the ship. :confused:

 

You might want to also get your 7 year old to practice snorkeling without fins in the swimming pool on the ship so he could get use to how to breath with the mask/snorkel. ;)

 

I did send Tabyana an email asking about the age restriction. Haven't heard back yet. We might decide that buying the 7 year old his own mask and snorkel and letting him practice in the pool is the best way to go. Probably cheaper than paying for a day pass at a resort beach. :D

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[KungFuGrip]

There were plenty of young kids at Tabyana when we were there last week. I did overhear someone ask if he could just rent one of their floatation vests for his young daughter (she looked maybe 5 or 6), and was told they don't have any that will work for kids that small.

 

I'm going to guess that's the cause of the age restriction. If you can bring equipment for him, I bet the staff will work with you.

 

From what I can gather, it's one of the best close-in reefs anywhere, so I hope you find a place that will work with you. My wife loved it!

[SeaWatcher65]

Wondering if the snorkeling at West Bay by Tabyana off-shore is good or would we have a better experience doing an hour long off-shore snorkeling at Blue Channel - West End. Don't want to have to swim too far out.

 

We reserved a private tour with Victor Bodden Tours... basically reserving reliable transportation round trip for the day. Plan to see some monkeys, go to shop to buy coffee and vanilla, maybe snorkel for an hour on a boat, and hang out on the beach at Bananarama Resort the rest of the day. If the snorkeling off-shore is just as good, will skip the boat.

 

We went snorkeling without practicing once and it was a bit frustrating for my 9 yr old son and me... with the salty water and choppy water. I suggest buying your own snorkel mask and tube, if not fins too, and practicing first. Before our 2nd trip, we used a swimming pool at home to practice breathing with the mask, diving under water with the mask, and clearing it if needed. A good fitting snorkel mask (about $40 to 80) was a huge help compared to toy/cheap quality. We went to a scuba shop and made sure we got one that fit well around each of our faces.

[brewcrew4]

I like the sound of Tabyana Beach Break, but the excursion from RCCL has a minimum age of 12 and the youngest grandson is 7. Maybe I could contact Tabyana directly and see if we could come there without booking through RCCL? Or that might be Tabyana's age restriction, not RCCLs. I'll find out.

 

And now I'll have to make it a point to compare snorkeling in Belize vs Roatan. I've also heard Roatan has good snorkeling and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

 

There are two different excursions for Tabyana Beach. The Tabyana Beach Break does not have any age restrictions. The Tabyana Beach Snorkel has a minimum age of 12. They all go to the same place, the first one just doesn't include the snorkel rental.

[Gardendog]

Wondering if the snorkeling at West Bay by Tabyana off-shore is good or would we have a better experience doing an hour long off-shore snorkeling at Blue Channel - West End. Don't want to have to swim too far out.

 

We reserved a private tour with Victor Bodden Tours... basically reserving reliable transportation round trip for the day. Plan to see some monkeys, go to shop to buy coffee and vanilla, maybe snorkel for an hour on a boat, and hang out on the beach at Bananarama Resort the rest of the day. If the snorkeling off-shore is just as good, will skip the boat.

 

We went snorkeling without practicing once and it was a bit frustrating for my 9 yr old son and me... with the salty water and choppy water. I suggest buying your own snorkel mask and tube, if not fins too, and practicing first. Before our 2nd trip, we used a swimming pool at home to practice breathing with the mask, diving under water with the mask, and clearing it if needed. A good fitting snorkel mask (about $40 to 80) was a huge help compared to toy/cheap quality. We went to a scuba shop and made sure we got one that fit well around each of our faces.

 

I have the same question. DH and I really like to snorkel, but also like the beach. We are not interested in the monkeys at all, but probably want to check out the town West End. We thought of doing the Blue Channel snorkeling excursion with Victor, but wonder after reading so many posts here on CC, if that is overkill. Perhaps the beach snorkeling is so good that it is good enough?

[momto2js]

I have a 9 and 7 year old. We did snorkeling on our last trip. Ratan was great but we did a short boat trip. However, I had snorkel vest for both kids and they had their own equipment, all together we may have spent $40 each. Totally worth knowing the mask fit and that the vest would be available.

 

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[BrotherCraig]

The reef is right there at West Bay Beach. No age restriction for Tabyana Beach Break. We always snorkel from the beach there, near the wall, and go out. Very easy for kids and a lot of marine life right there about 4 feet deep. Heck, you will see some fish right when you walk into the water a few feet in. Lots of shade at Tabayana. There is nothing like it. I have snorkeled all over Belize and Roatan tops it.

[SeaWatcher65]

Just back. Sharing a great experience at Roatan Bay. Reserved a private driver for the day with Victor Bodden Tours. Went to West Bay Beach by Infinity Bay Resort (by the pier there). Our driver watched all our belongings. Small boat there "Queen of the Sea" took us farther out to the Blue Channel for $25pp included a guide in the water who swam with us. We are Dad, Mom, 11 yr old with our own gear but very limited snorkeling experience and had no problems. The boat had gear if needed. We tried snorkeling from shore at West Bay in the "kidney area" and saw some fish and stingray. But the coral was high to the surface everywhere, we never would have found our way though to deeper water. Definitely recommend taking the boat to Blue Channel (video is from there). Our driver also took us to Victor Bodden's place where the monkeys will jump around on your head -- a lot of fun there too! Here's the link to the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox9m3f1Aegk&feature=youtu.be

[Guest 2000]

Just back. Sharing a great experience at Roatan Bay. Reserved a private driver for the day with Victor Bodden Tours. Went to West Bay Beach by Infinity Bay Resort (by the pier there). Our driver watched all our belongings. Small boat there "Queen of the Sea" took us farther out to the Blue Channel for $25pp included a guide in the water who swam with us. We are Dad, Mom, 11 yr old with our own gear but very limited snorkeling experience and had no problems. The boat had gear if needed. We tried snorkeling from shore at West Bay in the "kidney area" and saw some fish and stingray. But the coral was high to the surface everywhere, we never would have found our way though to deeper water. Definitely recommend taking the boat to Blue Channel (video is from there). Our driver also took us to Victor Bodden's place where the monkeys will jump around on your head -- a lot of fun there too! Here's the link to the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox9m3f1Aegk&feature=youtu.be

 

I am pleased to hear you enjoyed your day on the island. I understand the ease and comfort of having a guide while at Blue Channel.

 

About West Bay and the Kidney... was there not a buoy to mark the sea side exit of the reef? Were there not guys on kayaks to directing people? Was the visibility poor? Was there no one else in the kidney area to show you the outlet? I agree there is only one way out through the reef at the spot, if the visibility is poor it is a challenge to find.

[SeaWatcher65]

I am pleased to hear you enjoyed your day on the island. I understand the ease and comfort of having a guide while at Blue Channel.

 

About West Bay and the Kidney... was there not a buoy to mark the sea side exit of the reef? Were there not guys on kayaks to directing people? Was the visibility poor? Was there no one else in the kidney area to show you the outlet? I agree there is only one way out through the reef at the spot, if the visibility is poor it is a challenge to find.

 

The kidney area was easy to see from shore and we went straight there. Visibility was OK and with patience, plenty of fish to sea. Also stingray. I saw the buoy markers on the side but I think I misunderstood what they were for. There was a guy on a kayak who offered to show us the way out deeper. I saw one kayaker leading a snorkeler out there by holding rope attached to the kayak. I was a big nervous doing that because it was just my 11yr old and me (and I was worried about going out too far and not having energy to get back). The great thing is, going out on the boat, my wife joined us for the snorkeling. Out at Blue Channel, the guide took us out for a long swim away from the boat pushing my limits.... but I did it!

 

At the Blue Channel area, the coral could be very near the surface of the water too but at other times the water was very deep, maybe 50 to 100 feet. It was beautiful and I was less worried about getting too close to the coral and getting cut/hurt. The guide was very helpful to point out things I would have missed like a sea urchin that was kind of hidden. We saw many more fish in schools like in the linked video.

Edited January 22, 2017 by SeaWatcher65

[Guest 2000]

The kidney area was easy to see from shore and we went straight there. Visibility was OK and with patience, plenty of fish to sea. Also stingray. I saw the buoy markers on the side but I think I misunderstood what they were for. There was a guy on a kayak who offered to show us the way out deeper. I saw one kayaker leading a snorkeler out there by holding rope attached to the kayak. I was a big nervous doing that because it was just my 11yr old and me (and I was worried about going out too far and not having energy to get back). The great thing is, going out on the boat, my wife joined us for the snorkeling. Out at Blue Channel, the guide took us out for a long swim away from the boat pushing my limits.... but I did it!

 

At the Blue Channel area, the coral could be very near the surface of the water too but at other times the water was very deep, maybe 50 to 100 feet. It was beautiful and I was less worried about getting too close to the coral and getting cut/hurt. The guide was very helpful to point out things I would have missed like a sea urchin that was kind of hidden. We saw many more fish in schools like in the linked video.

 

I have never found the inside of the kidney anything to talk about, it is just a way to get out to the good stuff. If one's comfort level is not up to the task then by all means take a boat with a guide. Good on you for sorting out what would work best for you and your family.