Freeport Snorkeling from Shore?

[jc4me]

Is there any decent place to snorkel from shore in Freeport? We have our own gear and would like to find a beach that we could take a taxi to and spend some beach time and some snorkel time. Is that possible? If so, how do you get there and are there any facilities?

 

Thanks for any help!

[banditoo]

I am hoping someone with Free port experience will reply to you. We will be going in March and also hope to do some snorkeling. I have read that Deadman's Reef can be snorkeled from the shore. I have also read that it is about half hour drive from Free port. Paradise Cove Resort is there and offers snorkel or kayak tours or just entry to their beach. They also provide return transport from the ship if you book one of their packages. I don't know whether the beach and reef can be accessed without going to Paradise Cove resort and what the recommended transportation would be if not using the resort package. Hopefully someone who knows can respond.

[jc4me]

I am hoping someone with Free port experience will reply to you. We will be going in March and also hope to do some snorkeling. I have read that Deadman's Reef can be snorkeled from the shore. I have also read that it is about half hour drive from Free port. Paradise Cove Resort is there and offers snorkel or kayak tours or just entry to their beach. They also provide return transport from the ship if you book one of their packages. I don't know whether the beach and reef can be accessed without going to Paradise Cove resort and what the recommended transportation would be if not using the resort package. Hopefully someone who knows can respond.

 

I've read the same thing about Deadman's Reef, but am a little nervous with it being so far away. With us going in February and not being sure about the weather or the water temps we have been reluctant to book anything. I've done a snorkel tour in the pouring rain with the water being quite choppy and didn't particularly like it. The tour operator wasn't about to lose the money by cancelling, so it was either go or lose the money we paid. So, we prefer to do things on our own so we can make the call ourselves....but that can keep you from doing what you wanted to do. Guess we will play it by ear and hope for the best.

 

Good luck with your snorkeling!!

Edited January 11, 2012 by jc4me

[banditoo]

jc4me

not sure if we will get anyone else with experience or knowledge responding to this thread..hopefully. Please report back after you go in February as to where you ended up snorkeling if you did. I'll do the same to help others out in future. I too am inclined to not book ahead with Paradise Cove in case of inclement weather but would like to have a plan in mind for how to get there if the weather turns out great. Also trying to figure out whether we can combine Deadman's Reef with a visit to Lucaya; maybe morning to snorkel then Lucaya in the afternoon.

[jc4me]

jc4me

not sure if we will get anyone else with experience or knowledge responding to this thread..hopefully. Please report back after you go in February as to where you ended up snorkeling if you did. I'll do the same to help others out in future. I too am inclined to not book ahead with Paradise Cove in case of inclement weather but would like to have a plan in mind for how to get there if the weather turns out great. Also trying to figure out whether we can combine Deadman's Reef with a visit to Lucaya; maybe morning to snorkel then Lucaya in the afternoon.

 

We are only in port for 8 hours so I don't think we would want to chance doing more than 1 place. I did send an email to inquire about their Kayak tour and to find out the current water temps. My thought is that maybe we could book at the last minute after checking the weather before we leave port. We leave on February 12th and our day in Freeport is February 13th, so if we take a laptop and check the weather from our hotel before leaving we should have a pretty accurate idea of the forecast. Hopefully we could book that way. We have our own snorkel equipment so I figured that we might enjoy the kayak for a while and then snorkel on our own if they permit that. I'll let you know if/what they reply. Will also come back and let you know what we do.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!

[jc4me]

Got a reply from my email today and was told that it was fine to book at the last minute - they would be glad to have us. If we want to snorkel we would need to book the snorkel tour, even if we have our own gear. He did say we could then rent a kayak after we got there if we were interested. This is looking very promising....

[banditoo]

Got a reply from my email today and was told that it was fine to book at the last minute - they would be glad to have us. If we want to snorkel we would need to book the snorkel tour, even if we have our own gear. He did say we could then rent a kayak after we got there if we were interested. This is looking very promising....

By last minute do they mean the day of when arriving in port or do they mean a few days ahead? I wonder if they have a booth or stand at the port to sign up passengers on the day? Interesting that you mention that you still have to book the snorkel tour ($35 on their website; $20 for children under 12) even if using your own equipment. I had read that there was an access fee of $3.00 to enter and $15 to rent snorkel gear, so I do not understand why we would have to book the snorkel tour unless using them for transportation or to guide the snorkeling.

[jc4me]

By last minute do they mean the day of when arriving in port or do they mean a few days ahead? I wonder if they have a booth or stand at the port to sign up passengers on the day? Interesting that you mention that you still have to book the snorkel tour ($35 on their website; $20 for children under 12) even if using your own equipment. I had read that there was an access fee of $3.00 to enter and $15 to rent snorkel gear, so I do not understand why we would have to book the snorkel tour unless using them for transportation or to guide the snorkeling.

 

I specifically asked about booking right before we leave port, which would be 1 day prior to arriving in Freeport. I am not sure about a stand at the port because I didn't ask about that. I THINK that the reasoning behind the booking the snorkel tour is that they have people overseeing the snorkeling (based upon some reviews I saw, but I did not see that on their site). Our thought was booking with them to include the transportation, so I did not ask about access without booking. It looks like your needs for information differ from mine since your plans are different.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!

[drsmith]

I'm also looking for a place to snorkel in Freeport without booking an excursion. I have my own equipment. Any ideas???

 

Also, does anyone have info on water temps?

 

Thanks! :D

[mamawsnest]

We were in Freeport during the first week of Dec. Our roll call got a group together and went to Deadmans Reef. We told them ahead of time we were coming and they met us at the ship. They provided transportation to and from (guaranteed to get you back to the ship on time), provided gear if needed, had food and restrooms, gift shop, lounge chairs and umbrellas. We did not have to pay until we got there and had a discounted rate because of our group. They shared information about the reef and were a very friendly group. It wasn't crowded and they had us back at the ship 45 min. before departure. Go and have a great time!:)

[banditoo]

Does anyone know if snorkeling tours can be booked on the spot from the beach in Lucaya or from the cruise ship port in Freeport?

[RYPERO]

Does anyone know if snorkeling tours can be booked on the spot from the beach in Lucaya or from the cruise ship port in Freeport?

 

There were lots of vendors selling tours on the beach in Lucaya

[truchattycathy]

When I took this cruise in Feb. the water was very cold. We rented wetsuits to snorkel and most people still could not stand the water temperature. The Bahamas and Freeport are actually farther north than Key West. Please come back and let us know what you found. We are going back in September.

 

J:)Y

[jc4me]

When I took this cruise in Feb. the water was very cold. We rented wetsuits to snorkel and most people still could not stand the water temperature. The Bahamas and Freeport are actually farther north than Key West. Please come back and let us know what you found. We are going back in September.

 

J:)Y

 

We may end up just going to the beach without snorkeling. :( Have also looked at Blue Lagoon in Nassau as a possibility. Guess we will see. Still have 2 weeks before we leave and we want to check the weather forecast before we make any final plans. Might end just just walking to a beach if we can't get into the water anyhow.

 

From my understanding, Nassau is about 130 miles south of Freeport, so hopefully the water will be a little warmer there. Will post when we get back on what we decide to do.

[rockbock]

We may end up just going to the beach without snorkeling. :( Have also looked at Blue Lagoon in Nassau as a possibility. Guess we will see. Still have 2 weeks before we leave and we want to check the weather forecast before we make any final plans. Might end just just walking to a beach if we can't get into the water anyhow.

 

From my understanding, Nassau is about 130 miles south of Freeport, so hopefully the water will be a little warmer there. Will post when we get back on what we decide to do.

 

 

Update please??? We'll be in Freeport in about 3 weeks and we're still undecided about about plans.

[BeckyMax]

Deleted, duplicate info.

Edited February 26, 2012 by BeckyMax

[jc4me]

Update please??? We'll be in Freeport in about 3 weeks and we're still undecided about about plans.

 

We simply got off of the ship and walked around. The water was too cold for us to spend any time in it.

[banditoo]

We have booked our family group with Pat and Diane's 2 hour snorkeling tour for the morning when we are in Freeport in a few weeks time. The other day, they were reporting the water temp as being 80F.

[Armedaneian]

We have booked our family group with Pat and Diane's 2 hour snorkeling tour for the morning when we are in Freeport in a few weeks time. The other day, they were reporting the water temp as being 80F.

 

So... how was the trip? :confused:

[banditoo]

Just back. We had booked with Pat and Diane's Tour to go by boat for reef snorkeling, however upon arrival in Freeport and checking in with their driver, we were informed that the reef snorkeling was canceled due to unfavorable water conditions. I actually wasn't surprised as I had already heard from other ship passengers that similar ship excursions had been canceled that morning by our ship. The weather was gorgeous but I guess the waters out by the reefs were choppy. Anyway, the driver offered an alternative to go to Paradise Cove/Deadman's Reef which had actually been my other previous consideration. The price offered was the same as offered online by Paradise Cove ($35pp which includes the transport there and back as well as snorkel gear). We agreed to this as an alternative since Paradise Cove is apparently the only location on the island with reef snorkeling accessible from the shore and the cove is sheltered from the elements. The driver also agreed to drive us to spend the remainder of the afternoon in Lucaya (which I wanted to see) and then back to the ship for only an additional $5 pp. Paradise Cove has a lovely beach and the reef snorkeling was decent. Saw a good variety of fish, and a couple varieties of rays. Also had a chance to see and hear about the island as the driver took different routes from ship to Paradise Cove, Paradise Cove to Lucaya and then back to the ship. Glad I had done the research on these forums before the trip so knew exactly what would be offered at Paradise Cove and thus wasn't caught unaware trying to decide on the spot whether it would be a suitable alternative!

[Armedaneian]

That's a bummer about Pat and Diane's Tour. Good thing you had a backup in mind. Our backup was going to be Junkanoo Beach, but maybe Paradise Cove is a better option? It would be nice to have a first hand comparison of the two.

 

Can you tell me a little more about Deadman's Reef... is it a patch reef made up of live coral heads, or is it just a collection of rocks that attract the fish? Thanks for your help! :)

[banditoo]

That's a bummer about Pat and Diane's Tour. Good thing you had a backup in mind. Our backup was going to be Junkanoo Beach, but maybe Paradise Cove is a better option? It would be nice to have a first hand comparison of the two.

 

Can you tell me a little more about Deadman's Reef... is it a patch reef made up of live coral heads, or is it just a collection of rocks that attract the fish? Thanks for your help! :)

It was a mix of reef and rock islands. Not the most spectacular snorkeling I have done. I would say medium quality but I have had some very awesome snorkeling in other parts of the world (French Polynesian and Bali are my benchmarks).

[flamingolover]

Hubby and I booked the snorkeling trip to Deadman's Reef in October directly thru Paradise Resort online. They were excellent! and I would highly recommend them. The driver shared information about Freeport and areas we were passing on the way to the reef. Very interesting. The resort was small, but very clean and nice. Staff was awesome and very friendly. Snorkeling was okay, not the best, not the worst. Saw quite a few sea turtles, lots on conch, sea bisquits and out further, a variety of fish. Nice tour, and worth the money for the short time you are in Freeport. Staff made sure we were back at the ship in plenty of time.

[crazyfishinnut]

We were in Freeport during the first week of Dec. Our roll call got a group together and went to Deadmans Reef. We told them ahead of time we were coming and they met us at the ship. They provided transportation to and from (guaranteed to get you back to the ship on time), provided gear if needed, had food and restrooms, gift shop, lounge chairs and umbrellas. We did not have to pay until we got there and had a discounted rate because of our group. They shared information about the reef and were a very friendly group. It wasn't crowded and they had us back at the ship 45 min. before departure. Go and have a great time!:)

who did you call?