Amber Cove, Grand Turk or Nassau - where would you snorkel?

[ladyjade3]

Our next cruise makes these 3 stops and we want one really great snorkel experience for our sons, 12 and 13. They are good swimmers, my husband not so much. We want to know where has the best fish, most colorful reefs, best tours, etc. And would you go through the cruise line (Carnival) or would you do an independent thing?  What's your advice? The cruise is in September.

[ladyjade3]

Any advice?

[ROUS]

I'm not going to be much help on this, as I only know those islands as a diver.  Of the three, Grand Turk should have the most impressive underwater environment.  I just don't have direct experience from a snorkeling perspective.  However, all three of those islands should have a popular snorkeling reef or two that snorkel boats frequent.  

 

All three locations will provide organized snorkeling excursions and your cruise line will most likely offer them as a ship excursion.  Snorkeling operators seem to make these trips look fun and high energy.  These operators take thousands of cruisers out each year and your family should have a safe, fun experience.  Note:  boat music might be loud and, depending on the type of excursion, the booze could be flowing.  Look for info about 'free drinks' or a boat bar if you're concerned about the environment for the kids.

 

Cruise ship organized vs. independent.  In diving, this can be a big issue and a highly-ranked independent operator will almost always provide a better experience.  But with snorkeling, I'm guessing that the experience would be similar with all operators.  T'were I doing it, I'd go with the ship organized trip.  Those outfits should be working hard to keep their biggest customer (Carnival) happy.

 

Hopefully someone with more snorkeling experience will weigh in.  Best of luck.  Give us a report here about your experience.  Future snorkelers will like to hear of your experience.

Edited November 29, 2023 by ROUS

[Tapi]

We snorkeled independently (not through the cruise line) in Nassau. We were taken by private boat, just for our family, to a spot north of Balmoral Island to swim surrounded by turtles (it was wonderful and a bit surreal). From there, we headed to a secluded spot on Rose Island where we spent a few hours at a stretch of pristine beach with no other human being in sight. After that, we stopped at a coral reef off the coast of Rose Island where we snorkeled for a while until we were ready to head back to the ship. It was a great spot with tons of corals and colorful sea life. 
 

The advantages of going snorkeling independently were many. First, we had the boat all to ourselves. The boat captain tailored the day to our needs, including where to go, what food and drinks we brought, down to the music that was played on the boat’s music system. We also avoided the crowds since we were taken to snorkeling and swimming spots which we had all to ourselves. We passed several boats gathered in one spot with hundreds and hundreds of people trying to snorkel all at once and we were grateful that we had bypassed the ship sponsored excursion. 
 

It was a bit pricey since it was a private tour operator, but it was well worth the price. I’ve been stopping in Nassau for over 30 years, and this activity was, by far, the best thing I’ve ever done at this port of call. 

Edited November 29, 2023 by Tapi

[dgosho]

On 11/29/2023 at 7:05 AM, Tapi said:

We snorkeled independently (not through the cruise line) in Nassau. We were taken by private boat... 

It was a bit pricey since it was a private tour operator, but it was well worth the price. I’ve been stopping in Nassau for over 30 years, and this activity was, by far, the best thing I’ve ever done at this port of call. 

Will you share the contact info of this tour operator? We'd enjoy an experience like this. 

[Tapi]

7 hours ago, dgosho said:

Will you share the contact info of this tour operator? We'd enjoy an experience like this. 

Certainly. The tour operator is called Bay West Adventures. Don’t know if I can share their info on this forum, but Google them and you’ll find their website. You can book online. 

 

We had 14 family members in our group and split the cost accordingly which made the per person cost cheaper than a ship excursion. I just visited their website and they have increased prices and changed their pricing structure, but it may still be worth your while. Enjoy!