H20 Sports Bermuda questions.

[Coachyo]

So saw a mention of this place and thought it looked like a great idea.  I am looking for people who have done this and what their experience was like.

Was it easy to navigate around to various places?

Can you find coves to pull in and snorkel and look for fish and turtles?

How was equipment?

Is there a store near by to get refreshments before heading out?

 

Anything else you could offer up would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks, YO

[Laszlo]

5 minutes ago, Coachyo said:

So saw a mention of this place and thought it looked like a great idea.  I am looking for people who have done this and what their experience was like.

Was it easy to navigate around to various places?

Can you find coves to pull in and snorkel and look for fish and turtles?

How was equipment?

Is there a store near by to get refreshments before heading out?

 

Anything else you could offer up would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks, YO

Yes to all the above.

Very easy to get around, they give you a map. I had printed a small map from google maps. Your in sight of land everywhere you go. Plenty of small islands and beaches to pull up on or drop the anchor. They gave us a cooler of ice and some water and sodas, I don't think we paid for them. Rented their boats twice, they are not new but they get the job done. The engine was a brand new Yamaha 4 stroke last time out.

 

 

Great snorkeling here.... https://www.google.com/maps/@32.3116731,-64.8634158,261m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

The Vixen......  https://www.google.com/maps/@32.3057473,-64.8859866,261m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

We went our for a total of 5-6 hours, ended up doing a large figure 8. Gas was $11 a gallon, used 3 gallons

 

[Coachyo]

Laszlo, thank you so much for the info.  Your post was my reason to post asking about this. It seems so fun.

Your response was great , I really appreciate all the info.  My lovely non-risk taking wife is even considering it!

Are the waters pretty calm in the morning and early afternoon?

 

Anything else is greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks, YO

[Pete's Girl]

We are seriously considering this in June.  Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!!

[Laszlo]

1 hour ago, Pete's Girl said:

We are seriously considering this in June.  Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!!

 

6 hours ago, Coachyo said:

Laszlo, thank you so much for the info.  Your post was my reason to post asking about this. It seems so fun.

Your response was great , I really appreciate all the info.  My lovely non-risk taking wife is even considering it!

Are the waters pretty calm in the morning and early afternoon?

 

Anything else is greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks, YO

The two times we went out it was glass in the morning, kicked up a little early afternoon. The boats are little cats, nice ride for a small boat.

1 hour ago, Pete's Girl said:

We are seriously considering this in June.  Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!!

I would book online long before your cruise, I forget how many boats they had 6-8? Both times we went all boats were rented out

Edited May 2, 2019 by Laszlo

[Tammyd549]

I have rented from H20 3 times and will be renting again from them a 4th time this July! They are super helpful and friendly so I would recommend emailing them in advance with any questions. A couple random pointers/suggestions:

 

-  they have a 5 hour special starting at 8:30, I always take this, I dont' recommend shorter and since we only bring snack on board , we find this is enough time to be on the water without having tons of provisions or mooring the boat to get lunch. 

 

- I am a VERY VERY inexperienced boater, in fact the only time I've been in a small boat are my 3 (soon to be 4) rentals with H20 and I've done fine, only got the boat stuck in sand once and ran out of gas once and didn't realize I had to prime the new tank but the beauty of Bermuda is that you have full cell phone coverage and I just called H20 , they walked me through it and all was well.

 

- there is NOTHING like dropping anchor whereever you want and jumping in the water to swim with turtles, nothing. Tours are great but once 20+ people jump in the ocean right around you, it's not the same.

 

- We have our taxi stop at the local grocery store on the way to H20 for supplies, works well for us.

 

- Gas runs out quickly when you are pedal to the metal so, if you like to go fast, plan a shorter route for the day.

 

- Defintely go to the ship wreck, super fun even if you dont' get out to snorkel.

 

- Deintely go to Kings Wharf and circle the cruise ships, that is very fun also.

 

- Bring some floats from home, I have some pop up round ones and we used them so many times, they were well worth the effort to bring. 

 

- Morning is so quiet and peaceful, I do recommend starting out in the morning vs afternoon, Sun is also not as hot.

 

I'll try and think of more.... 

[Laszlo]

Have a Great time!

[PelicanBill]

15 hours ago, Pete's Girl said:

We are seriously considering this in June.  Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!!

When are you there?  We are on Anthem in Bermuda on June 22.

[Laszlo]

6 minutes ago, PelicanBill said:

When are you there?  We are on Anthem in Bermuda on June 22.

I'm there June 12,13,14 on the Escape...Book now

[Pete's Girl]

1 hour ago, PelicanBill said:

When are you there?  We are on Anthem in Bermuda on June 22.

We'll be on the June 2nd sailing on the Escape.  🙂 

[fourofakind]

Thanks guys for this post and all the great info in it! Lazlo and TammyD extra thanks!!!! I just reserved a boat for 5 hours on May 8th after reading your posts. Fingers crossed for a fun day!

Coachyo it looks awesome and a great deal go for it!

[Coachyo]

Wow, thank you all for the great responses.  This is a must do for us now.  We are on the Gem going into Bermuda June 9, 10, 11 so going to book today for the June 10th day .  Gonna do the morning as suggested.

 

Tammyd549 - thank you so much for all your input that was great and look forward to any other thoughts

 

Laszlo - thank you so much for sharing this place and your help and pictures.  

 

I can't wait to get out on the water!

 

One last question.  (maybe, until I think of another one or the wife asks me to ask  😉

 

How is it getting back into the boat from the water?  I have a special needs daughter who is a little clumsy sometimes and struggles with some physical upper body strenght activities?

 

Thanks again everyone, YO

 

 

[Laszlo]

2 hours ago, Coachyo said:

Wow, thank you all for the great responses.  This is a must do for us now.  We are on the Gem going into Bermuda June 9, 10, 11 so going to book today for the June 10th day .  Gonna do the morning as suggested.

 

Tammyd549 - thank you so much for all your input that was great and look forward to any other thoughts

 

Laszlo - thank you so much for sharing this place and your help and pictures.  

 

I can't wait to get out on the water!

 

One last question.  (maybe, until I think of another one or the wife asks me to ask  😉

 

How is it getting back into the boat from the water?  I have a special needs daughter who is a little clumsy sometimes and struggles with some physical upper body strenght activities?

 

Thanks again everyone, YO

 

 

The boat has a small boarding ladder in the stern. I've been a boat owner for 20 years, and most boarding ladders are a PITA especially if your bobbing around. You can do a few things, you get in first and then help her up, the boats have a small flat rear deck which sit maybe 12-14 inches above the water line. Or have your wife or another adult on deck and you in the water to help boost her up. If that doesn't work get her a PDF she can wear, the ski vest kind. You can be on the boat and just grab the collar and lift her up if thats an option. Thats what I used to do with my son our our 20ft Boston Whaler until he was about 6 or 7.

 

Last option.....Don't drop the hook, pull up a LITTLE up on a beach. That way everyone can easily get on an off. Just get the nose on the beach, turn the motor up and tilt it up as your landing.

 

One last thing.....And I say this with peace and love.....Jumping off a boat is fun for kids and adults. However, please, please remember not to wear any rings, wrist bands or watches. I've seen to many cases were someone jumped off and get something caught on a piece of boat hardware (cleats) etc.... and almost loose a finger. I almost had a finger ripped off as I was flipping backwards with my snorkeling gear on years ago. My wedding band hooked a piece of metal on the boarding ladder. My next door neighbor had the same thing happen to her, unfortunately she had her finger torn off😧

 

This goes for if you are renting a boat or are on an excursion. 

Edited May 2, 2019 by Laszlo

[Laszlo]

If your going to anchor raise the engine! Too many times someone will use the engine to help them get into the boat, often times their hand slips and hits the props, even dull props can cut.

[Tammyd549]

Getting back in can be challenging, I must say, Lazlo gave great info and I don’t have much to add other than with my kids , I would get in first and kind of pull them in (as Lazlo describes) or you can push the boat closer to shore to make it easier. The boats are not heavy and can be manipulated pretty easily. H20 is great with instructions and even for me being a very inexperienced boater, I did fine. 

 

Youll love it, I’ve cruised all through the Caribbean and nothing beats renting a boat in Bermuda for me. This will be my 4th time and I plan to do it many times more!

 

enjoy!

Edited May 3, 2019 by Tammyd549

[Tammyd549]

One more thought (I may have more as time goes) , water can and will probably get in the boat , not a lot but enough that you will want some type of waterproof bag for your valuables. My first rental, I didn’t know this and was stressing the whole time about things getting wet.

 

also, don’t underestimate the sun! 5 hours out there is enough for a doozy of a sun burn , especially on your legs where you don’t always think of using sunscreen. Sunshirts worked great for us, there is only minimal shade provided by the awning on the boat. 

[Laszlo]

7 hours ago, Tammyd549 said:

One more thought (I may have more as time goes) , water can and will probably get in the boat , not a lot but enough that you will want some type of waterproof bag for your valuables. My first rental, I didn’t know this and was stressing the whole time about things getting wet.

 

also, don’t underestimate the sun! 5 hours out there is enough for a doozy of a sun burn , especially on your legs where you don’t always think of using sunscreen. Sunshirts worked great for us, there is only minimal shade provided by the awning on the boat. 

Great info on water in the boat. Do yourself a favor and pickup a dry bag. We always carry on or two with us on any boat. Being June you could easily have a pop up thunderstorm

 

https://www.amazon.com/Bag-Set-WEATHERPROOF-WATERPROOF-Guaranteed/dp/B01N4BTRZX/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=dry+bag&qid=1556886288&s=gateway&sr=8-6

 

 

.

[Lduane1815]

can you get to Horseshoe beach on the boat

 

[Laszlo]

7 minutes ago, Lduane1815 said:

can you get to Horseshoe beach on the boat

 

No, you are not allowed out into ocean near the south beaches. I don't have the exact map but its something like this.....

[Coachyo]

Thank you Laszlo & Tammyd549 for all your thougths. 

I am going to book today!

 

Have a great day!

YO

[Pete's Girl]

Has anyone heard anything about Somerset Watersports or rented from them?  I think that's where we're going to go, but would like some feedback if anyone has any experience with them.  Thanks in advance!!

 

Jay

[Laszlo]

16 minutes ago, Pete's Girl said:

Has anyone heard anything about Somerset Watersports or rented from them?  I think that's where we're going to go, but would like some feedback if anyone has any experience with them.  Thanks in advance!!

 

Jay

We rented from them once, their ok. The boats they have are not as large as H20, they use 13ft & 15ft Boston Whalers. The are not as wide, not as stable as the catamaran style of H20. However they are slightly less money. Either place will get the job done, I prefer H20

[fourofakind]

I just wanted to come back on here and give a quick review of my rental... it was AWESOME!!!!

 

We took a cab from the pier to H2O watersports it was about 10 ish minutes and around $15.00 dollars. Cabs are metered and the ride is pretty easy. Our rental time was for 11am but wound up getting there at 10:15 which was fine they let us move it up to 10:30 so we didn't have to wait. Quick little safety briefing and went over the equipment (anchor, switching fuel tanks if we run out etc,) and they went over the map drawing it out for us where we should go for the different things we wanted to do. They were very thorough and took plenty of time to give us great directions. They gave us a cooler full of ice and they lent us a knife with the half box of bait we purchased so we could do a little reef fishing.

 

Off we went and headed over to the shipwreck to check that out first. There we fed the fish which was a lot of fun as they come right up to the boat and even jump right out of the water if you feed them, we had tons of fish around our boat and they followed us as we drove away it was so much fun! We hit this spot a second time at the end of the day because it was just too cool. We then went and drifted over some reefs and did a little fishing, we caught a blue striped grunt which wowed us as it's such a beautiful fish. Took a few pics and sent him back home to the reefs. Then we drove around admiring all the beautiful sites and little coves everywhere, so many things you can only see from the water. Next we went into the bay and drifted for a bit so we could turtle watch, we saw tons of turtles in there it was amazing! If you shut the motor down and just drift they will come right up to the boat it's pretty cool. From there we headed to the worlds smallest drawbridge this bridge was TINY and a lot of fun to go through. First we had to wait for the traffic light to turn green and then we could safely go under the bridge. We intended to go around and do a loop but the waters were getting really rough on the other side of the island so we turned around back under the tiny bridge and headed home the way we came. Lots of sightseeing from the water and then headed back to H20.

 

As soon as they saw us nearing the dock they were great came running over to grab a line and help us in. Easy peasy. In total we only used 3 gallons of gas which I was surprised about I thought for sure it would have been a little more. They give you 2 tanks and we only used half of 1 tank and didn't need to touch the second tank and we were out on the water for the full 5 hours we rented the boat for. We did drift a fair amount of time while fishing and turtle watching but we drove around quite a bit as well.

 

All in all a GREAT day on the water and we will definitely do this again and use H20 as they were fantastic. We were 3 women with boating experience but really they make it so easy most people can do this. Just pay attention to the safety stuff and you'll do fine.

 

I would highly recommend this to anyone considering it!!!!

 

 

[Coachyo]

fourofakind,  great review and info.  So glad to hear you had such a good time.  We are booked for the 5 hr special at 8:00am, as I read how in the morning the water is much calmer and less people out.  Thanks everyone for your great information and advice. I’ll post once we get back.

YO

[Laszlo]

30 minutes ago, fourofakind said:

I just wanted to come back on here and give a quick review of my rental... it was AWESOME!!!!

 

We took a cab from the pier to H2O watersports it was about 10 ish minutes and around $15.00 dollars. Cabs are metered and the ride is pretty easy. Our rental time was for 11am but wound up getting there at 10:15 which was fine they let us move it up to 10:30 so we didn't have to wait. Quick little safety briefing and went over the equipment (anchor, switching fuel tanks if we run out etc,) and they went over the map drawing it out for us where we should go for the different things we wanted to do. They were very thorough and took plenty of time to give us great directions. They gave us a cooler full of ice and they lent us a knife with the half box of bait we purchased so we could do a little reef fishing.

 

Off we went and headed over to the shipwreck to check that out first. There we fed the fish which was a lot of fun as they come right up to the boat and even jump right out of the water if you feed them, we had tons of fish around our boat and they followed us as we drove away it was so much fun! We hit this spot a second time at the end of the day because it was just too cool. We then went and drifted over some reefs and did a little fishing, we caught a blue striped grunt which wowed us as it's such a beautiful fish. Took a few pics and sent him back home to the reefs. Then we drove around admiring all the beautiful sites and little coves everywhere, so many things you can only see from the water. Next we went into the bay and drifted for a bit so we could turtle watch, we saw tons of turtles in there it was amazing! If you shut the motor down and just drift they will come right up to the boat it's pretty cool. From there we headed to the worlds smallest drawbridge this bridge was TINY and a lot of fun to go through. First we had to wait for the traffic light to turn green and then we could safely go under the bridge. We intended to go around and do a loop but the waters were getting really rough on the other side of the island so we turned around back under the tiny bridge and headed home the way we came. Lots of sightseeing from the water and then headed back to H20.

 

As soon as they saw us nearing the dock they were great came running over to grab a line and help us in. Easy peasy. In total we only used 3 gallons of gas which I was surprised about I thought for sure it would have been a little more. They give you 2 tanks and we only used half of 1 tank and didn't need to touch the second tank and we were out on the water for the full 5 hours we rented the boat for. We did drift a fair amount of time while fishing and turtle watching but we drove around quite a bit as well.

 

All in all a GREAT day on the water and we will definitely do this again and use H20 as they were fantastic. We were 3 women with boating experience but really they make it so easy most people can do this. Just pay attention to the safety stuff and you'll do fine.

 

I would highly recommend this to anyone considering it!!!!

 

 

Excellent! Glad you had a Great Time!