CocoCay all day snorkeling on your own excursion

[orkaren1]

RC is offering an all day snorkeling on your own excursion.  Does this excursion give you any special access to areas you cannot snorkel without the excursion or does anyone know what the advantage would be of purchasing this excursion as opposed to just swimming wherever you want to go?  We have our own masks and snorkels if that helps.

 

Thanks!

[Capt_BJ]

pretty sure this is just a fancy name for renting snok' gear all day and maybe a lil intro to snork' class.  

 

As far as I can tell the old Coco Cay snork' area has not changed and you can do it DIY so long as you wear a safety vest.  I've seen conflicting reports  as to they charge for a vest if you don't have one.......

[snowglobe]

From what I have gathered, this is a gear rental offering, which also includes the obligatory yellow snorkel vest. I’m very interested in the answer to your question.

 

I have some related questions, if I may expand on the OP’s original question:

 

1. There is apparently a guided snorkel tour that takes you out to the dive pontoon and the sunken airplane (off Chill Beach) - is this included in the “All Day Snorkel on your Own”? If not, what does this outing entail, do you only book it on arrival at the dive shack, and how much does it cost?

 

2. We have our own gear also (mask, snorkel, fins, skin). We never, ever wear snorkel vests, as we are both skilled snorkelers, with lots of open-water experience (ex-divers.)

How enforced is the obligatory vest rule? Is it because they think you are more visible to the inexperienced jet-skiers??

 

3. Are the jet-skis allowed in the three small bays of Chill Island, where the snorkelers are likely to be?

Thanks!

[snowglobe]

2 minutes ago, Capt_BJ said:

As far as I can tell the old Coco Cay snork' area has not changed and you can do it DIY so long as you wear a safety vest.  I've seen conflicting reports  as to they charge for a vest if you don't have one.......

 

I’ve seen $15/day for the vest-only rental...

[Jerseygirl2624]

47 minutes ago, orkaren1 said:

RC is offering an all day snorkeling on your own excursion.  Does this excursion give you any special access to areas you cannot snorkel without the excursion or does anyone know what the advantage would be of purchasing this excursion as opposed to just swimming wherever you want to go?  We have our own masks and snorkels if that helps.

 

Thanks!

I did this in May. All it is is renting a snorkeling set for the day-vest, mask, and fins. There was no special area for swimming-we were in the cabanas so we mainly stayed by that reef. If you have your own gear, just look to see if a vest is mandatory. I know no one asked us any questions during the entire time and the ‘teaching’ was a video played outside the snorkel hut. 

[LB_NJ]

I don't have my own gear so I signed up for the "all day excursion" rather than go out and buy equipment.

 

Will also probably have to rent a wet suit (going in February).

 

Is the quality of snorkeling at CocoCay worth the expense?

[LeeW]

5 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

I don't have my own gear so I signed up for the "all day excursion" rather than go out and buy equipment.

 

Will also probably have to rent a wet suit (going in February).

 

 

 

A decent set of gear costs less than the excursion but you do have to haul it on an airplane.  If you go snorkeling even once a year it is better to have your own.  And you can leave your fins at home to save weight.

 

Wetsuit?  Bahamas water temperature in February is 72-77.  Depends on what you are used to.  A T shirt or water shirt may give you all the warmth you need  and is a lot more comfortable.  Not sure if they rent wetsuits for the whole day - might just be for scuba excursions.

[Capt_BJ]

taken at the Coco Cay/Beach snorkel area

 

 

 

IF the conditions are right the snorkeling is quite good . . . 

Edited December 28, 2019 by Capt_BJ

[Capt_BJ]

Wetsuit?  Bahamas water temperature in February is 72-77.  Depends on what you are used to.  A T shirt or water shirt may give you all the warmth you need  and is a lot more comfortable.  Not sure if they rent wetsuits for the whole day - might just be for scuba excursions.

 

I don't even dip my toes in the pool with water temp below 80!!!!! Much less actually get IN the water . . . . as mentioned it depends on what you are familiar with ..... when my Wisconsin family visits in March I find the pool COLD .... and they find it warmer than a local lake mid summer . . . .

 

Edited December 28, 2019 by Capt_BJ

[CP3o]

I snorkeled DIY with my own gear wo issues. However, when there was rain off in the distance, and some unseen, but likely when I wasn't looking, a bit of lightening, they were backing you out of the ocean as if it was a community pool.  I like life guards being around, very smart of RCCL, but when they make adults get out of the water with a little drizzel (or oddly, let you in the water but not out past the nearby rocks, it feels a little too controlled).  

[Scotty G]

On 9/10/2019 at 6:52 PM, snowglobe said:

 Are the jet-skis allowed in the three small bays of Chill Island, where the snorkelers are likely to be?

Thanks!

 

The jet skis use a follow-me style during their use with staff direction. They do not go off on their own.

[tvlworm]

On 9/10/2019 at 5:52 PM, snowglobe said:

From what I have gathered, this is a gear rental offering, which also includes the obligatory yellow snorkel vest. I’m very interested in the answer to your question.

 

I have some related questions, if I may expand on the OP’s original question:

 

1. There is apparently a guided snorkel tour that takes you out to the dive pontoon and the sunken airplane (off Chill Beach) - is this included in the “All Day Snorkel on your Own”? If not, what does this outing entail, do you only book it on arrival at the dive shack, and how much does it cost?

 

2. We have our own gear also (mask, snorkel, fins, skin). We never, ever wear snorkel vests, as we are both skilled snorkelers, with lots of open-water experience (ex-divers.)

How enforced is the obligatory vest rule? Is it because they think you are more visible to the inexperienced jet-skiers??

 

3. Are the jet-skis allowed in the three small bays of Chill Island, where the snorkelers are likely to be?

Thanks!

I too am debating about the snorkel gear rental and just seeing what is around in the bay areas or doing #1 which is offered as the reef/sandbar snorkeling excursion. I haven’t seen any reviews on it yet to learn where the excursion actually goes. If it just goes right off shore, I’d be a bit disappointed as it sounds like getting to the sunken plane is easy to do on your own from other posts I’ve read. 
 

Edited December 29, 2019 by tvlworm

[LB_NJ]

6 hours ago, LeeW said:

 

A decent set of gear costs less than the excursion but you do have to haul it on an airplane.  If you go snorkeling even once a year it is better to have your own.  And you can leave your fins at home to save weight.

 

Wetsuit?  Bahamas water temperature in February is 72-77.  Depends on what you are used to.  A T shirt or water shirt may give you all the warmth you need  and is a lot more comfortable.  Not sure if they rent wetsuits for the whole day - might just be for scuba excursions.

 

I snorkel maybe once every few years and I thought about buying a mask however adding a decent buoyancy vest makes the costs a wash since I don't go that often.  I am also a wimp when it comes to water temperature.  I might be able to tolerate 77 but not anything below that even with a water shirt.

 

Just wondering if there is enough to see to make it worth the effort.

[smplybcause]

12 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

I don't have my own gear so I signed up for the "all day excursion" rather than go out and buy equipment.

 

Will also probably have to rent a wet suit (going in February).

 

Is the quality of snorkeling at CocoCay worth the expense?

 

I'm a Florida native and absolutely stay out of the ocean up here once the temp dips. And will even stay out of the lakes and pools when they get chillier.

 

That said I've swam in the Bahamas in Feb several times and had 0 problems. In fact, when the sun is out I was running towards the water to stay cool. It might be a little chilly if it was a full blown overcast day without any sun, depending on the temperature. And if it rains being in the water is often cooler than being topside in the rain.