Coral Breezes Shark/Ray alley with kids

[rjm11]

Has anyone done the Shark/Ray alley tour with young kids? Mine will be 7 and 5- the 7 year old is an excellent swimmer and experienced snorkeler.... the 5 year old is still learning, though very comfortable in the water. I'm thinking that they will really enjoy seeing the sharks and rays from the boat, even if they don't decide to get in the water... but the older one will definitely want to snorkel at the first stop. How is the snorkeling there? Is it self-led, or with a group? In other words, will she need to be able to keep up with the adults, or can she go at her own pace (with us of course)?

[Will in sunny FL]

Has anyone done the Shark/Ray alley tour with young kids? Mine will be 7 and 5- the 7 year old is an excellent swimmer and experienced snorkeler.... the 5 year old is still learning, though very comfortable in the water. I'm thinking that they will really enjoy seeing the sharks and rays from the boat, even if they don't decide to get in the water... but the older one will definitely want to snorkel at the first stop. How is the snorkeling there? Is it self-led, or with a group? In other words, will she need to be able to keep up with the adults, or can she go at her own pace (with us of course)?

 

We have been with Coral Breeze Tours as recently as this past 5/02 & about two times a year for the last ten years & never remember being on the tour with any small children there.

On the first stop Heni, the tour leader, leads the group thru parts of the reef & we all follow along behind her. At the second stop all of the activity takes place around the rear of the boat & in fairly shallow water which should be no problem for the kids.

The first stop does seem like a bit of a long swim for kids that age ? And if the wind is up & current running it would be a tougher swim.

The five year old could get off on Caye Caulker with one parent & walk & look see while the group snorkels.

Or the smaller child could stay on the boat at the snorkel stop & get in the water at the second stop where they could paddle around.

I'd ask Mark, where you book this tour for his thoughts ?

Good luck !

Bill in FL

[rjm11]

Thanks for the response Bill! I'll try to talk to Mark.... We went to Bannister Island last year (on a cruise ship tour) and thought it was very nice, but were hoping for better snorkeling. The other excursions I'm considering from Coral Breezes are:

- the trip to Goff's Caye.... have you done this one? How is the snorkeling? Can we do it on our own? Or will we have the same "keep up with the group" issues there? We are not concerned about lack of chairs or flush toilets.

- the Bannister Island/Manatee/snorkel combo. Have you done this one? How is the snorkeling on this tour? My kids were a little more excited about seeing sharks and rays than they were manatees, but I think they'd still like it.

thanks for you input!

[Will in sunny FL]

Thanks for the response Bill! I'll try to talk to Mark.... We went to Bannister Island last year (on a cruise ship tour) and thought it was very nice, but were hoping for better snorkeling. The other excursions I'm considering from Coral Breezes are:

- the trip to Goff's Caye.... have you done this one? How is the snorkeling? Can we do it on our own? Or will we have the same "keep up with the group" issues there? We are not concerned about lack of chairs or flush toilets.

- the Bannister Island/Manatee/snorkel combo. Have you done this one? How is the snorkeling on this tour? My kids were a little more excited about seeing sharks and rays than they were manatees, but I think they'd still like it.

thanks for you input!

 

You can rerach Mark here - info@coralbreezelimited.com - for any questions about their tours.

We have not done Goff's Caye but the pics we have seen look great ?

We have been to Banister Island & did not really like it, but we live one block from the beach here in FL & that beach is really hard to beat. The manatee watch tour sounds to me like you sit & watch paint dry, hoping to see a manatee, but have not been on this tour. Again manatee are not that of a big deal for us as there are enough to see here in our area.

Sorry that we could not offer more help here.

Bill in FL

[kcdancerkc]

We did a mellow yet exciting - Manatee Watch, Reef Snorkeling, and Beach Break

 

coral breeze tours goooood in 2010! Apparently still true :D:D

[mitsugirly]

Just a thought. We took our youngest daughter (3 years old at the time) on her first cruise back in September and we went snorkeling at every cruise port but 1 port. (We took a 4 port itinerary) We wasn't sure how much snorkeling we were going to get to do because of her. However, we bought her a life jacket of her own (actually a "puddle-jumper" because it was the ONLY thing that actually kept her from flipping on either her back or stomach and not being able to get back over) and she did great. (She LOVES water and is very comfortable in water and actually if she could spend every waking moment in the pool or on the beach she probably would) :D

 

Since then, she has been on another cruise with us and also snorkeled everywhere. This "puddle-jumper" was a life saver and allows her to paddle along right beside us with no problems while out in the ocean. If she ever got tired, she would hop on one of our backs and "hitch a ride" while we snorkeled. We never had a problem keeping up or snorkeling.

 

Now, she has just turned 4, and has learn to swim on her own. With her flippers, she does even better. However, on our next cruise, we will still continue to bring her puddle-jumper to snorkel. The ocean and waves/weather can be unpredictable and knowing that she is safe right beside us paddling away, we feel better.

 

So, if you want your 5 year old to snorkel with you, why not just buy them a life jacket or puddle jumper and they can still snorkel with you. :)