How is Abaco Rigid Hull Snorkeling Excursion at Castaway Cay?

[laurawdw]

We have purchased the Abaco Rigid Hull Snorkeling Adventure (C51) excursion at Castaway Cay but unlike many other excursions we can find very little information on whether people enjoyed it and thought it was worth the cost. It is me, my DH, and two DDs (16, 12). My basic questions are:
1) It is a 2.5-3hr tour with 90 mins of snorkeling. Is the 90 mins too long for what there is to see?
2) Did you think it was worth the money?
3) Can you tell me a little about the sandbar that you visit?
4) Did you feel like you missed out by not being at Castaway Cay for 3 hours?

Any other information or advice would be welcome. Thanks!!

 

[Marc D]

1) It is a 2.5-3hr tour with 90 mins of snorkeling. Is the 90 mins too long for what there is to see?
2) Did you think it was worth the money?
3) Can you tell me a little about the sandbar that you visit?
4) Did you feel like you missed out by not being at Castaway Cay for 3 hours?

We did the excursion during our recent NYE cruise on Wonder. We truly enjoyed our half-day even if the weather conditions were not optimal. It was very windy and most other excursions were cancelled, but ours went ahead before they called everything off.

The ride in the boat is quite long and you get to see CC and the ship from points of view you do not usually get, which was interesting. If the waves at the snorkeling spot hadn't been so high, we would have enjoyed the 90 minutes there. They cut that part short on our excursion because most people were getting tired and getting back to the boats, some even needing the help of the guides to do so. That gave us more time at the sandbar.

That place is quite extraordinary. When you go there, you have the feeling that you are going out to open sea in that little boat and that there's nothing for miles. In what seems to be the middle of the ocean, you find yourself on a little dune of sand where waves come crashing. You have water up to your ankles. Our son LOVED that place. We stayed there maybe 30 minutes before going back to CC in time for lunch at Cookies.

We are not really beach people and we have been to CC multiple times, so we didn't feel like we missed something. On the contrary, the sandbar and the views of the ship were a nice change. If not for the massive waves, the snorkeling would also have been a highlight and different than what we are used to at CC. For the rest of the day, our son went to the kid's club while we took a walk to Serenity bay and did some shopping. We could have opted to go to the beach and would have had enough time there.

In conclusion, if you enjoy boat rides, snorkeling, have already been to CC and have done most of the things offered there, like biking, Pelican Plunge or hanging on the beach, it is a fun excursion to do.

 

[laurawdw]

Thank you for the detailed response. This is exactly what we needed to know. The reason we were looking at this was because we have been to CC a few times and wanted to try something new.

A couple of remaining questions:
1) How deep was the water at the snorkel site and;
2) What type of sea life did you see (i.e. was it abundant)?

Thanks you!

 

[Marc D]

1) How deep was the water at the snorkel site and;
2) What type of sea life did you see (i.e. was it abundant)?

1) I'm not very good at evaluating depths but I would say maybe 20 feet. The guide was able to touch the bottom of the ocean when diving, but it was about three times his height.
2) We only saw fishes and there were plenty of those. They were small and colorful. They said we were near a coral reef but I didn't see it. Maybe, usually, guests swim farther from the boats, but the waves and currents prevented us going too far. We feared having difficulty coming back so we stayed in a small area.

Btw, they provide masks, fins and the obligatory flotation vests. We had our own full-face masks so we only borrowed the fins and vests.

 

[My2Qtz0205]

Loved it!

My avatar pic was taken at the sandbar. Absolutely gorgeous! Here is another pic of the sandbar itself. ^

 

[laurawdw]

View attachment 218967 Loved it!

My avatar pic was taken at the sandbar. Absolutely gorgeous! Here is another pic of the sandbar itself. ^

Wow!! That picture is stunning. Thank you!

 

[laurawdw]

1) I'm not very good at evaluating depths but I would say maybe 20 feet. The guide was able to touch the bottom of the ocean when diving, but it was about three times his height.
2) We only saw fishes and there were plenty of those. They were small and colorful. They said we were near a coral reef but I didn't see it. Maybe, usually, guests swim farther from the boats, but the waves and currents prevented us going too far. We feared having difficulty coming back so we stayed in a small area.

Btw, they provide masks, fins and the obligatory flotation vests. We had our own full-face masks so we only borrowed the fins and vests.

This is VERY helpful. Thank you for taking the time to respond and for providing all of these details.

 

[My2Qtz0205]

I saw a nurse shark. I didn't know that's what it was at the time. Freaked me out!

 

[laurawdw]

Thank you all for the photos and the information. If anyone else has photos or information from this excursion and can offer their feedback we would welcome it. We have reserved it for our cruise but are still undecided.

Thank you.

 

[imahistorygeek]

We were considering doing this excursion, but decided to just do the snorkeling at CC instead. We saw rays, a ton of fish, and a sea turtle. It was a great time!

 

[tigerchic89]

I read something recently... is it hard to get in and out of this boat?

 

[Marc D]

I read something recently... is it hard to get in and out of this boat?

If you have difficulty walking or you are overweight, it might be a challenge when you are in open sea or at the sandbar. You must plunge to get off the boat and climb a small ladder while it is rocking to get back in. At the dock, there are guides to help you, so it's easier.

 

[laurawdw]

We are a family of 4. How many others will be on the snorkel excursion with us? - Thanks.

 

[Marc D]

We are a family of 4. How many others will be on the snorkel excursion with us? - Thanks.

If I remember correctly, it's ten guests to a boat. There were two boats during our excursion.

 

[bobbiwoz]

It was very difficult for me to get in the soft sided boat from the water. We always used to book the snorkeling experience at CC, but no longer. I guess they did not get enough people to book the larger boat.

 

[nursehuval]

So would you not recommend it if you are overweight? I float really well. lol