can'twaitcruiser Posted March 21, 2005 #1 Share Posted March 21, 2005 First time cruiser, July, Conquest. My family all swim like fishes and they want to either snorkel or scuba dive. I am sure I would be more comfortable snorkeling but I am not a good swimmer at all and have a fear of deep water. I can float like crazy though. I have read about the stingray tours and understand that you are only in 4 ft. water? What about other snorkeling tours? Are most of them in deeper water? Does the tour provide the inflatable water vests or bring your own? We do have a pool at home so I would make it a priority to practice with snorkel equipment. Many thanks for the replies. can'twaitcruiser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wennfred Posted March 21, 2005 #2 Share Posted March 21, 2005 Yes there are some that you Jump off a small boat, Those you need to check and see the depths of the water, most around 15 feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellya Posted March 21, 2005 #3 Share Posted March 21, 2005 I am not a strong swimmer either, and I am a terrible floater! However, I do like to snorkle because you can wear a life jacket. The mask keeps all the water out of your nose and all you really do is float along the surface. The more daring folks dive down under the surface, but you don't have to do that to have a great time. I do recommend practicing with the mask and snorkle in your pool so you won't be nervous, but you will do fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted March 22, 2005 #4 Share Posted March 22, 2005 Hi Can'twait - We're sailing on Conquest July 3 and reserved with Captain Bryan's for the stingray swim/snorkel. I've only snorkeled once (20 years ago:eek: ), but I'm game to try again. From the reviews and pictures I've seen, it looks like the sandbar is a fairly easy snorkel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FRANCOIS Posted March 22, 2005 #5 Share Posted March 22, 2005 Do not miss the snorkling! I have done 2 cruise withing 3 months and saw Barbados, St Lucia , Antigua, St Marteen. St Thomas, Cozumel, Jamaica, St Juan and Grand Cayman and the clearest water we saw was at Grand Cayman. Go with the sting rays, they act as dogs! they touch you in order to get food, at first it is scarry but you get use to it, My wife was so scared and she also got used and my 2 kids (12 and 14). After you snorkle with the fishes, take the safety vest, it is much more easy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tankersbabe Posted March 23, 2005 #6 Share Posted March 23, 2005 I was terrified my first time snorkeling. I honestly thought I would be Ok, but got in the water and couldn't get the fins, snorkle, mask and all going in the right direction. I was going in to stay when the guide gave me the little blow up lifevest...showed me how to float, and away I went. I am definitely NOT a strong swimmer, and I just bobbed along, flipped the flippers a few times to steer, and had a blast! Hubby was diving and playing...no fair. I can't wait until Grand Cayman and the snorkeling there! I'll don on my life vest, and just bob around...you can't miss it. Once you put your face in the water and SEE what is under there, you won't even think about trying to swim around...it's wonderful! Stef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinsel57 Posted March 25, 2005 #7 Share Posted March 25, 2005 I hope you don't mind another positive push!! My first time snorkeling, I was a wreck. It was a small private group and eveyrone but me had snorkeled before. But I put on my vest, and the guide stayed right with me. He was WONDERFUL. My new best friend Louis couldn't have been kinder or more patient. He stayed right there and told me to relax and just steady myself and with the life vest on you can just 'stand' still and you'll be floating so not to worry. When I stop hyper ventilating, (just kidding) he told me to just float, which I was, with my head out of water. Next he told me to look down. And that lasted about two seconds because I yanked my head out of the water to scream It's Beautiful! I spent the first part of the dive getting acclimated and it took some time because my mask was not on tight enough and it was leaking a bit but once I figured that out and i was like a fish myself. No longer was the guide at my side, he was saying Miss Miss, come back here!! I was off like a shot. I had the very best time and the fish!! Oh, it's undescribable. I don't know how to tell you just how beautiful it is. I wanted it to last forever! If you can imagine Disney coming alive underwater! The colors, the clarity. Stunning. Don't miss it, really, changed my life. LOL! Husband shook his head and say oh no, I've created a snorkel monster! I am getting my own gear and we're already booked for our next cruise and two snorkel excursions AND I am bringing friends that have never snorkeled plus convinced my daugher, also afraid of the water, to go snorkeling on her first cruise, which will be this May. Don't miss it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterrats Posted March 25, 2005 #8 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Don't miss the snorkeling. In Voyager of the Seas we did a combo snorkel at the reef and then to stingray city. If you are uncomfortable at snorkeling you can go back to the boat and wait until you go to the sand bar. Since you can float like 'crazy' you will be able to float like 'SUPER Crazy' in Cayman. There is so much salt in the water that you become very bouyant. Put a blow up life vest on and you will have no problems. The water is about 15 feet deep near the reef and will drop to a few feet when you are real close to the reef. DO NOT PASS THIS UP. IT IS WORTH IT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbieSu Posted March 25, 2005 #9 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Snorkeling is easy and fun. As Waterrats said, it is easy to forget that since ocean water is salty you are even more buoyant than you are in a pool. If you can float, you can snorkel. That's really all I did at our GC tour. Stetched out flat with my arms acting as outriggers and my fins acting as rudders I floated through the real live living aquarium of the underwater world. We went with Captn Bryans Buccaneer to Barrier Reef which was the most fantastic of the five snorkel sites we went to on our cruise. The water was so clear, the corals were great, the fish colorful, the eels amazing, the shark a heart attack deferred (I didn't know it was there until it was gone). I swear I saw Nemo swimming with me. But what I really wanted to say was that you really don't snorkel with the stingrays. You are on a sand bar. I guess the depth could change depending on the tide and where you are on the bar, but the water was only waist deep for us. We just walked around and petted the rays as they swam by. Astro (our guide) held a large ray and he helped everyone to hold it for awhile. I'm so glad we did this at Grand Cayman. Give it a shot, the worst that could happen was you couldn't do it and had to get back on the boat. Su Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooBooMonkey Posted March 27, 2005 #10 Share Posted March 27, 2005 Ditto about Stingray City and the Barrier reef with Cap't Bryans. The sandbar is very shallow...nice, soft sand and plenty of stingrays! LOTS of people there when we went 2 weeks ago. The reefs they take you to are fairly shallow...you just float on top and look down into something looking like an aquarium at a zoo. The vest helps you float, and the fins help you move MUCH faster than you would without fins. Relax and have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patti hunter Posted April 10, 2005 #11 Share Posted April 10, 2005 I'm overweight, over 50, and prone to seasickness, but I won't let that stop me. I snorkel in my backyard pool, and have snorkeled in Maui and Mexico, so I am really looking forward to the Caymans. What I WOULD suggest, though, if you're nervous, is to take it slow, and go for the shortest snorkel trip (2 hrs and no more than 2 stops) you can find. You'll be surprized how tired you will be when it's over. But what a wonderful experience! Hey, if an old, fat gal like me can do it...ANYONE can! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladycaveat Posted April 10, 2005 #12 Share Posted April 10, 2005 I hope you don't mind another positive push!! My first time snorkeling, I was a wreck. It was a small private group and eveyrone but me had snorkeled before. But I put on my vest, and the guide stayed right with me. He was WONDERFUL. My new best friend Louis couldn't have been kinder or more patient. He stayed right there and told me to relax and just steady myself and with the life vest on you can just 'stand' still and you'll be floating so not to worry. When I stop hyper ventilating, (just kidding) he told me to just float, which I was, with my head out of water. Next he told me to look down. And that lasted about two seconds because I yanked my head out of the water to scream It's Beautiful! I spent the first part of the dive getting acclimated and it took some time because my mask was not on tight enough and it was leaking a bit but once I figured that out and i was like a fish myself. No longer was the guide at my side, he was saying Miss Miss, come back here!! I was off like a shot. I had the very best time and the fish!! Oh, it's undescribable. I don't know how to tell you just how beautiful it is. I wanted it to last forever! If you can imagine Disney coming alive underwater! The colors, the clarity. Stunning. Don't miss it, really, changed my life. LOL! Husband shook his head and say oh no, I've created a snorkel monster! I am getting my own gear and we're already booked for our next cruise and two snorkel excursions AND I am bringing friends that have never snorkeled plus convinced my daugher, also afraid of the water, to go snorkeling on her first cruise, which will be this May. Don't miss it! Tinsel, if anyone that reads your post isn't ready to "dive in" . . . I'd find it very hard to believe. You have put what it's like for a novice to experience snorkling for the first time into a beautiful post. For those that feel that they can't do it or it's just not their thing . . . I think this post will change their minds. And I agree with your husband . . . he's created a snorkle monster! Tee hee . . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swom Posted April 10, 2005 #13 Share Posted April 10, 2005 Men.........(and/or women), LOL if you have a mustache, take some vaseline with you. Rub it on your mustache. That way you won't have a leak around the mask. Hubby found this out after he got water in his mask quite a few times. It really works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patti hunter Posted April 10, 2005 #14 Share Posted April 10, 2005 Okay, I'm bad, but I just can't resist... If we women have mustaches, do you REALLY think the vaseline will help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swom Posted April 10, 2005 #15 Share Posted April 10, 2005 LMAO, good point!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atlasali Posted April 16, 2005 #16 Share Posted April 16, 2005 On March 28th, we snorkled off of the Nautilus Semi-submersible. It was a trip that was for both snorkelers and non-snorkelers. We cruised over 2 wrecks, looking out big windows. Then we anchored. A crew member dove in and fed fish all along the windows. Then we climbed up on deck and we could either snorkle, or sunbathe and watch the snorklers, or go back and watch the snorklers underwater. There was a step ladder to walk down into the water. You could...but did not have to jump. The huge fish that he fed stayed around and were very visible for viewing. We really enjoyed this. Splendour of the Seas, March 26, 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2cruise1 Posted April 26, 2005 #17 Share Posted April 26, 2005 When I was on the Big Island in hawaii - I was terrified also. But they also provided these inner tubes to help you float and these T boxes - do they have them in the Cayman Islands? Judy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patti hunter Posted April 26, 2005 #18 Share Posted April 26, 2005 don't know about inner tubes, but those new snorkel vests are supposed to be awesome. They keep you above water (plus I'll bet they'll hide some flab - lol!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balconyview Posted April 27, 2005 #19 Share Posted April 27, 2005 we went snorkeling our fist cruise and had a great time! the sting rays were cool and i thought it was as much fun to just swim around or even stand around with them as snorkel, so sting ray sand bar is a great experience even if you don't snorkel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coolcruise02 Posted April 28, 2005 #20 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Before our first cruise, I practiced in a swimming pool. I'm glad I did because the waves can be hard to deal with in the beginning. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sross6019 Posted April 28, 2005 #21 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Same as you, I'm a very poor swimmer, but can float, and deeply afraid of water (bathtub is enough!). But I like to snorkle. It took me over 2 months going 3x p/week to put my head under the water in the shallow end of the pool! We took the Buchaneer in G.C. and it was wonderful. It is a 50 foot cat and they limit the amount of people they take. You first have 2 snorkle stops before Stringray City. The cat has a ladder and the staff is helpful with those snorkling getting off and on the cat. Stringray was great, with the water being waist deep. Getting off the cat the water was about 6" deep, but calm and again, staff was there to help you if needed. Buchaneer did provide snorkling vests and good looking equipment. We have our own equipment. You may want to purchase your own mask and snorkle (esp. the snorkle) so you can get them ajusted for you. Get a snorkle with the 1 way valve so water does not come back in. Then hit the pool and practice. Go enjoy and marvel at God's creations under the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patti hunter Posted May 1, 2005 #22 Share Posted May 1, 2005 I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one who snorkels in the pool. I got some really strange looks the first time I tried this in Maui, but at least I didn't have to worry about my breathing. Looking forward to next week on the Caribbean Princess... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leilac Posted May 7, 2005 #23 Share Posted May 7, 2005 I too am overweight, over 50, and prone to sea sickness. In 2003, when I went on a cruise with my family, they all told me you can't do that, you are too out of condition. So, I didn't. In Feb 05, hubby and I went to Grand Cayman. I had been exercising and felt I was able to to it (even though I had not lost much weight), and I was. I did not find it hard at all. So, don't let your age or your size, or anyone else tell you that you can't. If you really want to, you can snorkel and have fun. Only problem, the vest was a little bit small, but I was able to manage to get it fastened around me. I did feel a bit ill on the boat, but once I got in the water, I was fine. My ear patch came off sometime near the beginning of the snorkel, so that probably didn't help. Leilac Dawn Princess 6/01 Golden Princess 12/03 Grand Princess 2/05 Grand Princess 12/05 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tymaboy1 Posted May 10, 2005 #24 Share Posted May 10, 2005 I have a question for eveyone that has done the stingray. DH, myself & parents will be doing this & none of us has snorkle before. My dad is not a swimmer, he can swim a little but not much. With the stingrays can he still be in the water with them if he chooses not to do the snorkle thing? Or will he have to wait on the boat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zydecocruiser Posted May 10, 2005 #25 Share Posted May 10, 2005 I have a question for eveyone that has done the stingray. DH, myself & parents will be doing this & none of us has snorkle before. My dad is not a swimmer, he can swim a little but not much. With the stingrays can he still be in the water with them if he chooses not to do the snorkle thing? Or will he have to wait on the boat? He can do what ever he wants. If he wants to try snorkeling he can do that also. If he doesn't like it, no need to stay in the water he can get right back on the boat. There are life jackets or life vests for anyone that wants. You don't really snorkle at the sandbar, you are mostly walking around, but spots could be over your head. But again, there are life jackets if you want, so you would just bob along. The snorkel stop(s) before or after the sandbar are usually in water around 10-15 ft deep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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