Snorkeling on Castaway Cay

[bthrsoon]

Next week, God willing, we will be snorkeling on Castaway Cay with our children DS9 and DD5. Neither child is an advanced swimmer or snorkeler. How far out is it to see the Mickey statue? With moderate swimming ability will the children be able to see anything out there?

 

[Favorite Auntie]

I don't think it is very deep. I did some snorkeling there, but never saw the mickey or submarine. I would ask directions as to where exactly this stuff is so the little ones don't get tired before you even find the neat stuff

 

[jrabbit]

I believe that the sub and Mickey are out in the "advanced" area. They are in the middle of the advanced area. The "beginner" and "advanced" areas connect because it's just one big snorkeling area. The maps show it kind of like a figure 8.

If you are renting equipment from DCL you get: mask, snorkel, fins - and EVERYONE who is snorkeling regardless of renting or bringing your own equipment gets a BC (Buoyancy Compensator). The BC is like a life jacket - you fill it with as much or little air as YOU want. It make floating on the water much easier (and DCL requires them because you are much easier to see).

Assuming you are renting the equipment, once you get in the water and are getting started, make sure your kids can actually snorkel without getting freaked out. This involves making sure the mask fits correctly and is not leaking. If the kids do ok here you can then start heading out to deeper water where more of the fish hang out. With the fins, the going is fairly easy. I have never seen CC with rough water in the bay. In reality plan on taking about an hour to get out there and back. Only you will know if your children are up to the task.

 

[joanb]

You can get a buoyancy compensator for free and just bring goggles if you don't feel comfortable snorkeling and it won't cost you any money so if your children aren't comfortable you lose nothing. The Mickey is between Red A & B markers. Do ask.

 

[dclwdwlover]

It is pretty far out from what I remember, but if you stay over toward the right side (in front of the lifeguards) there is a long sand bar that I always use to rest on & just enjoy the view.
I do swim - since I was a little kid - but my asthma gets me tired more quickly & so I don't consider myself an advanced swimmer by any means, but I always make it out there.

 

[abitjaded]

Our kids were small, O.K. swimmers, but the cruise was their first real snorkel adventure. They saw it all at CC. Get them comfortable with the mask and snorkel before you even leave town, it may be cheaper to buy your own stuff instead of renting, it will fit so much better. One thing we use is slap-straps. These are a soft velour band that holds the mask on, much more comfortable and easier to adjust. If you don't have a pool, they can even practice in the bath. I toss coins, shells, beads into the tub, then they try to find them. The hardest part for little kids is getting used to breathing, now my kids hate swimming without a mask and snorkel! We made it all the way out and back, taking about two hours. As the other reader suggests, inflate the BCD just a bit, or even more to rest upright in the water. Encourage them just to "hang" in the water to rest. Don't touch the bouys! They harbor stinging nematocysts. The best thing to do is stay relaxed, just flip the fins a bit, not swim hard and they should have lots of energy to make the whole trail. Even if you do not make it to the biggies, Disney has sunk all kinds of large jars into the sand. They are full of interesting fish that will show themselves if you just hover quietly above them.

Carla

 

[RKB]

I snorkeled at CC last summer with my son who was 9 at the time. He is a pretty good swimmer. We saw some sunken treasure and cool fish, but no Mickey. Here are my thoughts: I held his hand and we swam slowly kicking our feet with our fins gliding us along. We pointed out cool sights to each other. After awhile my son kept getting water in his snorkel and some in his mask. He wanted to go back to the shore. We popped our heads out of the water and looked back at the shore and couldn't believe how far out we were. It took alot of work to get back even with fins. We were pretty tired. We had to stop and rest a few times and he could never touch the ground so had to keep treading. I sometimes could touch with the toes of my fins. We are both in pretty good shape and were sorry that we went out so far! Hope this helps you....

 

[Laurajean1014]

Go early! If alot of people are there, alot of sand can kick up and visibility can get tough. Also, ask about the tides. If it is going out when you arrive, get there early. The lower the water, the more muck you will encounter. You want to see what you are snorkling for, so get there early.