faynce

Are those dark patches to the left of the arrow all coral?

Half Moon Cay - Snorkeling off the beaten path? Need advice!

Howdy, folks!

The wife and I are going to be taking a Carnival cruise and our first stop will be Half Moon Cay. The main reason we get off the ship during cruises is for snorkeling, but the beach at HMC is sandy and will be poor snorkeling. We don't want to pay for an excursion. We have our own equipment and will likely snorkel for at least four hours without a break.

Since the beach will be poor for in-depth snorkeling, I was looking at the island on Google Maps, and it appears the northern and northwest portions of the island are just *covered* in coral (from satellite).

What's the best way to get to the northern end by way of the thin part of the island? Can we walk the horse trail and then branch north and just walk through 500 feet of jungle to get to the northern shore (that would be fine with us)? Is there a tram to the horse trail? That would cut a large amount of time from the walk, both ways. Are there any other spots on the island that are more quickly and easily accessible that we could snorkel at? What about the lagoon? Is it fit for snorkeling? Is the water clear? Are there fish? Can we just walk into the lagoon or will we be chased off for not paying to snorkel the area?

Thank you for your help!

Erik

Admins, please delete. I am reposting this in a better place - the snorkeling forum.

Erik

Howdy, folks!

The wife and I are going to be taking a Carnival cruise and our first stop will be Half Moon Cay. The main reason we get off the ship during cruises is for snorkeling, but the beach at HMC is sandy and will be poor snorkeling. We don't want to pay for an excursion. We have our own equipment and will likely snorkel for at least four hours without a break.

Since the beach will be poor for in-depth snorkeling, I was looking at the island on Google Maps, and it appears the northern and northwest portions of the island are just *covered* in coral (from satellite).

What's the best way to get to the northern end by way of the thin part of the island? Can we walk the horse trail and then branch north and just walk through 500 feet of jungle to get to the northern shore (that would be fine with us)? Is there a tram to the horse trail? That would cut a large amount of time from the walk, both ways. Are there any other spots on the island that are more quickly and easily accessible that we could snorkel at? What about the lagoon? Is it fit for snorkeling? Is the water clear? Are there fish? Can we just walk into the lagoon or will we be chased off for not paying to snorkel the area?

Thank you for your help!

Erik