Has anyone just swam out to see the turtles?

Has anyone skipped the catamaran and just swam out to see the turtles. How big of a deal was this? Was it a HUGE swim? Which beach did you go to? We would like to do an island tour and then see the turtles. With the Southern Itinerary being so busy, we would like a more relaxing day here, as it is framed by Dominica and St Lucia and we have full days planned in both ports. We definitely want to see some of the islands beaches and take some pics but also want to see the turtles. Don't necessarily need the catamaran (unless of course, we will drown otherwise!)

Also, I have been on a ton of catamarans over the years. I keep seeing glowing reviews for the ones in this port. Are they different? Better? Is it the sites/snorkeling? What makes them different?

Any info or guidance that you can give me would be greatly apprecited. I do know there is a glass bottom boat that will take you out for $20....any other suggestions (I have read all the catamaran reviews....silver moon, sasha, calabaza, cool runnings, tiami, el tigre, small cats ) Any others?

Thanks so much

YOu guys are great!

Hi

Last year, late March we visited Barbados for the 1st time. We took a taxi from the pier heading for the beach, the taxi driver wanted to take us to what he called blue monkey beach recomending this was a great beach. We ended up at his brothers bar on the beach called the blue monkey beach bar !! OK I thought we had been had. The really great thing about this trip you could swim from the shore and yes swim with turtles, the turtle trip boats would come with the paying guest to see the same turtles Wow what a fantastic time. The blue monkey has a web site and is within walking distance of Sandy Lane Hotel, if you need to check it out. Highly recommend swimming with the turtles. Enjoy. Iam back in March 2010

The "Blue monkey'' beach is actually Paynes Bay, the Blue Monkey bar has now gone, & you were right it was a con, but if you had a good day who cares!! You can get a cab & swim yourself, you can also see them at the artificial reef at Accra/Rockley but it is further out.

Sure, you can just do it on your own. My only concern is that if the water is rough (like it was on the day we went), unless you are an oustanding and extremely strong swimmer, you will have a very hard time getting out to be far enough to where the turtles are.

Our catamarn tour made everyone wear a lifevest, but you didn't have to blow it up..so basically, you may as well wear nothing. I put it on, and had no intentions of adding air...after all I was a competitive swimmer for most of my life. Well, the water was so rough that after only 5 mins, I was adding air to my life vest to help me stay in the water and watch the turtles. Many people got back on the catamaran and just watched the turtles from there.

So...having said all of that...if the seas are calm, then you should have no trouble, but if they're rough, you're going to have wished that you were on a catamaran that just drops you off right at the spot instead of having to swim out quite a ways to see them.

Your decision! :D

We did this last Friday! Take a taxi to Payne's Beach....it will cost about 7.50 each way per person as long as there are 4 or more people: often they will wait at pier until the taxi has at least this many people before it leaves---so no need for you to neceassrily have a group of 4 on your own. Bring your own snorkle equipment if possible..not sure if they rent it there--they probably do as they rent everything else there. We left boat about 9---and got to the beach by 9:30---the catamarans from the tours were already there. Swim is very short:--not an issue at all. They feed the turtles so you can just blend in with the tour group and enjoy the turtles. Very easy and lots of fun. The beach is very nice--can rent chairs-feels very safe--there is a police presence so this probably keeps it nice. Any questions, please feel free to email me at ctwain@aol.com

here what we did at barbados last week,

Loacation...Payne bay ( turtles )

we start walking out of pier along the coast toward town.

10-15 mins walk to Bus station. Buy tokens ( 75 cent u.s each way )

catch the bus toward Payne bay, just ask the any bus driver.

blue bus...government run, yellow bus privately run. Both take our's tokens.

20 - 25 mins drive. driver drop us off at Payne bay infront of Esso station.

North side of Payne bay is where we stay, swimm about 100 yards out and Turtles.....lol

we recommmend you do this early 10-11 am, less crowd and you can have all the turtles to yourself.

total travelling cost for us....$3 u.s

Note. on the way back we took the Yellow bus, it was faster but it goto down town so we ask the driver if he can drop us infront of the pier and he did tips him $2 us. So if you want to tour downtown just get off when everyone getting off. Easy !!!

We did this a few weeks ago. Marvellous.If, like me you are not that strong a swimmer I recommend the glass bottomed boat you mention - run by Roddy who can be found off Tamarind Cove Hotel (opposite petrol station). Great bloke who will attract the turtles for you. He also does a trip to a nearby wreck and makes a mean rum punch for the return to shore.

Don't take a catamaran! We debated and debated about taking a catamaran or swimming out from the beach. After looking at cruisecritic and talking to people who had done catamarans, we decided it wasn't swimmable (too far, too many boats). If you are a decent swimmer, you will have NO problem swimming out to see them, and it will be cheaper and more relaxing.

We did Small Cats assuming that being with 12 people would be awesome. Well...we spent most our time being yelled at to stay with our guide and the 50-100 people from other bigger cats. If you do it on your own, you are going to have more freedom and still see the turtles!

Were just here on 3/26/10. Funny enough, our friends paid $60 each to take the catamaran out to the turtles. We wanted to go surfing but time didn't allow for that, so we opted to take a taxi to a beach (paid $50 for the two of us...yikes) and ended up at the SAME beach (Blue Monkey) as our friends. We were able to swim out to the turtles and even saw a bunch of stingrays too! It was AMAZING. The swim is easy in calm water. Felt good saving some money (finally)! The weird thing was how the vendors all seemed to work for some slick guy in nice clothes and jewelery patrolling the beach. He had his family out there (wife and 2 kids) while he mingled with his "employees", while the vendors were busting a sweat getting as many people to ride the jet skis as possible. We liked Barbados (the beauty of it) and felt safe on the beach even though we had to ward off the same vendors the entire afternoon. That was pretty annoying, especially when one asked me to go party with him later...no, thanks! It was still a fun day. :)

We went to Paynes bay back in November, we didn't go untill the afternoon which couldn't be helped but wasn't the best thing to do! the beach had nobody on it apart from 2 guys trying to get us to pay for our kids to go on a jet ski! the swim out was fine, our 3 children managed it to. The only thing was as the turtles had all been fed in the morning there was only 2 around and they stayed quite deep so we were a bit dissappointed. We go again in February and this time we will definatly go in the morning!!!

This is how far the turtles are from the beach. The boats/cats are right at the area where you'll find them.

If you rent chairs from the vendor, (2 chairs & umbrella is $15us - no charge to use fins) he'll let you use a pair of the fins he has. Just bring your snorkel/mask.

What a great visual. Thanks!

How does that work with the cats there? Are they drifting or anchored? Do you have to swim right up to the boats?:confused:

Yes, you have to swim/snorkel up to the boats. They are there for the same reason - people jump in to see the turtles. They are anchored. There is a guide from each boat feeding the fish, etc. Just swim out and join their tour. El Tigre, Cool Runnings, Tiami, etc... They're all there a couple of times a day. This picture was taken on Friday (4/23/10). I don't think I've ever NOT seen a catamaran boat there during the day. I think the fish are very well fed.

that picture was great. it looks like the cats are pretty close. We are traveling with our 8 year old. Is the water deep? Would we be able to walk out ?

You can't walk out. I wouldn't take an 8 year old that distance unless he/she can swim and has a floatation device. Also, there is traffic in the water. The jet ski guy is there every day selling rides (that's one way to get there without swimming.) and the glass-bottom boats, which come up to the beach. Both seem very aware of the people in the water, but a bright colored snorkel stands out better. I'll see if I can find more pictures of the beach to give you a better idea...

Access to Paynes Bay beach, on the right side of "The Sands"

(there is an outdoor shower at the beach end of this walkway)

View of the beach ahead, looking from the end of the access walkway..

I think this one shows the distance better from a side view. You can see the yellow boat on the right. That's about how far you have to swim/snorkel..

Water traffic..

This red catamaran is not over the turtles.

I think they just brought the passengers into the beach? They usually don't come in this close.

Also, there is traffic on the water.

The jet ski guy is there every day selling rides and the glass-bottom boats, which come up to the beach.

Both seem very aware of the people in the water, but a bright colored snorkel stands out better.

Barbados Law now requires all snorkellers to be equipped with a marker buoy (with flag?)

to let boaters know where they are, particularly when they dive down to something on the bottom.

Any outfit supplying snorkel gear should also supply such markers

but you know how it goes....

.

Is sounds like a good law, but how could people be aware of the it? I didn't see any signage. I saw several snorkellers - none had marker buoys.

Most of the people at the beach were from the cruise ships for the day.

Does anyone know how much it is to rent the jet skis out in the Payne Bay? It seems like it would be a better alternative to having to go buy markers for snorkeling.

I've been to the turtles numerous times and the most fun I've had has been patronizing a good catamaran operator. Yes - its reasonably expensive. Emphasize 'reasonably' - as in: its a yatch tour up the gold coast, includes a separate snorkle excusion also - with gear included, a nice lunch, open bar... In other words, going on your own is a different thing altogether. I've also swam from shore. The 'visuals' are deceiving. It is a 'good' open water swim for a moderately conditioned adult swimmer. Once you're out amongst the excursioners, you'll be aware of monitoring energy reserves for the swim back, particularly if conditions aren't absolutely flat. Strickly as an expense cutter, making a deal with a local boatman in the vacinity of Paynes beach would be a potentially satisfying compromise (haven't done that personally).

If you are a dedicated DYI budget hound that's reasonably fit; absolutely, one can swim out to the turtles and enjoy it a lot. But - it isn't 'a cinch' so if you're looking for a relaxed 'highly satisfying' experience doing the turtles, I'd recommend doing it otherwise.

We were just there and the flags are definitely not being used.

Not even by the excursion operators.

They ask you not to wear fins if you're going by the Turtles. I'm a good swimmer and I found the current to be strong when we were there. Fins would have made it much easier.

Me, my fiance Silvia, and our two kids Franco (13) and Virginia (11) will be on the same Carnival Victory cruise, sailing on July 4, 2010. We are stilld debating which tours to take on Barbados, but the snorkel with the turtles looks and sounds amazing. The Carnival line has several thru their website, but I've also heard that the "El Tigre" catamaran booked thru http://www.FunBarbardos.com is also very good. .....Still trying to decide.

I was there a couple of weeks ago and spent a lot of money on a tour to swim the turtles. It was awful, way too many people on the cats, and several other ones right beside us. I could see the beach from the water and was mad at myself for not just taking a cab to the beach and swimming out!

I was there a couple of weeks ago and spent a lot of money on a tour to swim the turtles. It was awful, way too many people on the cats, and several other ones right beside us. I could see the beach from the water and was mad at myself for not just taking a cab to the beach and swimming out!

Thanks it is good to know that this can be done from the beach. I love the beaches in Barbados and was really hoping to swim with the turtles and have a beach day so it is great to know that I can accomplish both.