Castaway Cay snorkeling questions

[Ariel Lover]

First, do you have to reserve your snorkeling equipment ahead of time or can you decide that day and rent on the island? I would like to check on the water temp before I commit to snorkeling. Also, my DS 7yo wants to bring his own fins, mask, and snorkel. Is that allowed? Would it be possible just to rent him a life jacket to make the snorkeling easier? I assume they issue those as part of the standard rental equipment. Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[Ariel Lover]

Thanks for such a quick reply 999ghsts!

 

[Cruisin Pooh]

We are leaving on the Wonder in 7 days with a 6 year old. He's not a great swimmer and prefers not to submerge his head however, his face isn't a problem. He said he would enjoy snorkeling but I'm not sure. Any suggestions?

 

[inkkognito]

There is a shallow area where he will be able to practice and see how he feels about the snorkeling. Also, even if he tries it and decides not to venture out into the official snorkeling area, you can let him wear the equipment while swimming at the regular beach. That might give him a chance to get used to it in non-threatening circumstances. I stayed on the family beach on our cruise last weekend and saw lots of kids swimming around in snorkel masks.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[disboo]

I snorkeled off the adult beach. There was plenty to see - the fish were smaller but seemed to be a different variety than at the family beach snorkeling area. The wave action was mild the day Iw as there, and I didn not use a vest or fins- no problems. I aslo saw a few anemone and two very large starfish/=.

After lunch I snorkeled at the snorkeling area off the family beach. The swim vest was required, and free. The fish there are larger, and there are the "shipwreck" items to see. The view of the ship is terrific there, too. I took along an underwater disposable camera (comes with a big rubber band so it can hang off your wrist) and got some noce snaps of fish, the ship and me.

Altogether I probably spent an hour at the adult beach and well over an hour at the family beach. I had only snorkeled once before, and I loved it.

Have fun!

 

[CMvicki]

My sister snorkelled on our 4 night cruise. She was rather disappointed in the late afternoon that she had to swim pretty far out to see anything. The water gets stirred up with all the people. So she said she is definitely doing all of hers earlier in the day the next time.

Vicki

 

[Cruisin Pooh]

Thanks so much for your input. This was my first post. Its nice to have somewhere to go where people will actually respond!!

My sister-in-law was right-this is a GREAT board!!!

 

[SC Minnie]

You are allowed to use your own equipment at Castaway but not you own life jacket so don't bother bringing it. They will issue one to you at no charge.

 

[Lavne]

Cruisin Pooh -

My DS was 8 when we cruised and he tried snorkelling. He is an okay swimmer and will go under water. The equipment is kind of challenging - especially for first timers. You have to walk in to the water a fair distance, which can be difficult in flippers, and grasp the concept of breathing through the snorkel while keeping it far enough out of the water to not get a mouthful of salt water. DS got out past the area where his feet touched okay, but I think he took in a little too much sea water trying to get the hang of the snorkel. As a result, he and DH didn't get very far or stay out very long. DS10, also a newbie to snorkelling, and I did manage to go through the whole course!

I am glad that my DS8 had the experience, but in retrospect I wish we had gotten a snorkelling set for him to practice with in the pool. He loves underwater stuff, and probably would have really enjoyed seeing the things we saw farther out. I would definitely suggest getting a cheap snorkel set to practice with in the pool (or even bathtub), or even a decent one of his own you could bring along. I think DS8 had a problem with his first mask not fitting correctly, too, which didn't help.

I think if he's comfortable with the equipment, it will greatly improve the chances of your DS enjoying snorkelling.

Enjoy!