What do you see at "the wall"

[elou]

Just wondering if "the wall" is large mountain-like formations (as in Grand Cayman) or just low coral formations with colorful fish. Anyone been there?

[alefr]

Mostly just a big dark drop off. There is some coral but when we were there in '10 it wasn't really that colorful. Lots of fish though.

[okgladmom]

We did the power snorkel, booked thru Carnival and went out to the drop off. It gets dark in a hurry. The snorkeling in the "light" is excellent.

[reno3]

We did the power snorkel, booked thru Carnival and went out to the drop off. It gets dark in a hurry. The snorkeling in the "light" is excellent.

Thinking of doing this next month.

Was it worth it?

Was there too many people?

Anything else you can tell me that may help me decide.

[CruiseTeacher7]

We went on the Valor last June and did the wall. I would say it was in one of my top 3 snorkeling excursions (1. Roatan 2. Wall 3. Grand Cayman near the tender pier). Basically you drop anchor in 10-15' of water, it gradually goes to about 25' and the BOOM its a very steep sudden drop off. Lots of coral and fish. In the span of about 30-40 you go from 25' to 1000+ feet where its nothing but deep blue ocean. Quite a contrast. I'm an excellent free diver so I was able to hold my breath and swim down to 75' or more (on par with the dive boat operators). I would highly recommend doing this excursion.

[reno3]

We went on the Valor last June and did the wall. I would say it was in one of my top 3 snorkeling excursions (1. Roatan 2. Wall 3. Grand Cayman near the tender pier). Basically you drop anchor in 10-15' of water, it gradually goes to about 25' and the BOOM its a very steep sudden drop off. Lots of coral and fish. In the span of about 30-40 you go from 25' to 1000+ feet where its nothing but deep blue ocean. Quite a contrast. I'm an excellent free diver so I was able to hold my breath and swim down to 75' or more (on par with the dive boat operators). I would highly recommend doing this excursion.

Thanks for posting. Did you do this excursion with the cruise ship?

[elcuchio24]

Not much to see on the Wall unless you are doing a two tank scuba. The real draw is the drop off itself. Highly recomended.

[elou]

If you are doing the semi-sub tour, do you go over the wall and see the drop?

[WillieD13]

For our anniversary the past 2 years, the wife and I have taken cruises to Grand Turk, and both times we took the "Ultimate Snorkel" excursion offered through Carnival. Reading the previous posts, some people apparently felt the wall was rather blah. I guess it depends a lot on how good a swimmer/snorkeler/diver you are, and what you use for comparison. At that wall, the water is 25'-35' deep, depending on just where along the wall you are, and the tide. If you stay on the surface, you will see a lot of fish, and the bottom down below you, suddenly disappearing as it goes over the wall into 7000' of water, not much else. If you can dive down 25'-40' or more, you can get up close with the coral and there is a lot more to see. On both cruises, it was the highlight of the trip (aside from getting away from dogs, dishes, and dependents :p), and I would definitely do it again. :D

[nina_930]

For our anniversary the past 2 years, the wife and I have taken cruises to Grand Turk, and both times we took the "Ultimate Snorkel" excursion offered through Carnival. Reading the previous posts, some people apparently felt the wall was rather blah. I guess it depends a lot on how good a swimmer/snorkeler/diver you are, and what you use for comparison. At that wall, the water is 25'-35' deep, depending on just where along the wall you are, and the tide. If you stay on the surface, you will see a lot of fish, and the bottom down below you, suddenly disappearing as it goes over the wall into 7000' of water, not much else. If you can dive down 25'-40' or more, you can get up close with the coral and there is a lot more to see. On both cruises, it was the highlight of the trip (aside from getting away from dogs, dishes, and dependents :p), and I would definitely do it again. :D

 

This may be a really really stupid question, but about how long do you have to be able to hold your breath for to go down 25'-40'? Please don't laugh, I just can't picture how far down that is. Thanks!

[WillieD13]

This may be a really really stupid question, but about how long do you have to be able to hold your breath for to go down 25'-40'? Please don't laugh, I just can't picture how far down that is. Thanks!

 

A lot of that depends on just how good a swimmer you are, how buoyant you are, and how powerfully you can drive yourself down that far. As a general rule though, I would say it takes me about 5-6 seconds to go down, and 3-4 to come up if I kick, or 5-6 if I float up. That is for about 30 feet. Obviously, if you go deeper ( which unless you are diving or a skilled snorkeler you probably won't) it takes a little longer, less if it is shallower. Then it is just a matter how long you can stay down there, which is a function of your lung capacity, and exertion level. Back when I was a teen and running track, and in good condition, I could stay down about 60-90 seconds, depending on how hard I was kicking. Now, being quite a bit older, less in shape, and a whole lot more buoyant, I can stay down 20-30 seconds.

[nina_930]

A lot of that depends on just how good a swimmer you are, how buoyant you are, and how powerfully you can drive yourself down that far. As a general rule though, I would say it takes me about 5-6 seconds to go down, and 3-4 to come up if I kick, or 5-6 if I float up. That is for about 30 feet. Obviously, if you go deeper ( which unless you are diving or a skilled snorkeler you probably won't) it takes a little longer, less if it is shallower. Then it is just a matter how long you can stay down there, which is a function of your lung capacity, and exertion level. Back when I was a teen and running track, and in good condition, I could stay down about 60-90 seconds, depending on how hard I was kicking. Now, being quite a bit older, less in shape, and a whole lot more buoyant, I can stay down 20-30 seconds.

 

Thanks so much for you serious answer. I was afraid I was going to get remarks on this question. I am looking foward to snorkeling so hoping I get some good views.