Turtle Farm + Barrier Reef Snorkel

[amy2313]

Are there any tour companies that offer tours to the Turtle Farm and then snorkeling to the barrier reef (or in the opposite order?)?

 

We were in Grand Cayman last year and wanted to do something different this time around and thought the turtle farm could be fun. OR if anyone has some other adventurous excursion suggestion, we would be thrilled to hear it.

 

Thanks.

[Ronn452]

My wife and I could not dive on our last cruise to the Caymans and opted for the Turtle Farm and Hell Tour. Fun does not describe the Turtle Farm. It was the most disgusting place I've been to in many years. It is a half acre of concrete pools about three feet deep packed full of sea turtles waiting to be harvested. They are so crowded that they have to swim over each other to surface and breath. It is totally disgusting. I am not a PETA person by any means but this place is about a entertaining as a tour through a chicken processing plant.

 

Spend your time snorkeling. Perhaps you can see a sea turtle in it's open environment; rather than struggling to breath in a concrete tank.

[bookbabe]

When was that trip to the Turtle Farm? Because they've completely redone it within the last couple of years...there is a ton more to the new Boatswain's Beach than the "half acre of concrete pools" you describe.

[Ronn452]

Bookbabe,

 

It was about two and a half years ago. At that time there were the concrete tanks and a gift shop across the road that sold sea turtle souvenirs that could not be brought back into the states. Glad to hear they've made improvements. Still, I would rather see the sea turtles in the open water than in a holding tank.

 

Captain Ronn

[bookbabe]

It was about two and a half years ago. At that time there were the concrete tanks and a gift shop across the road that sold sea turtle souvenirs that could not be brought back into the states. Glad to hear they've made improvements. Still, I would rather see the sea turtles in the open water than in a holding tank.

 

Yup...that's the old Turtle Farm. It's been totally redone and revamped since then. Check out their website to see the new version - http://www.boatswainsbeach.ky/

 

As for the "open water vs. holding tank" thoughts, I agree somewhat, but that's really in an ideal world. From what I understand, turtle populations were way down due to hunting, and the Turtle Farm has helped to reverse that trend. They've been bringing up turtle numbers in the wild with their conservation efforts (they release some of the turtles they raise) and by selling turtle meat commercially so that the turtles aren't hunted into extinction. Yes, I'd rather see a turtle out in the open sea on a snorkel trip, but without the conservation/commercial efforts of the Turtle Farm, there likely wouldn't be any turtles there to see...