Let’s Get Wrecked!
Your journey begins the same way as my tips for Beginning & Moderate swimmers: you’ll be taking a taxi from the stand INSIDE the port all the way to the Prime Ministers Office at $5 USD per person one way, crossing the street to the beach, and walking towards the surf. Unlike the other ocean adventures though, your day involves an epic snorkel safari hunting down & exploring multiple shipwreck reefs offshore. Make sure to bring a snorkel, mask, and fins.
Two of the shipwrecks you can snorkel to are big enough for divers.
Diagonally on your left about 150-200 yards off shore, there are about 6 shipwrecks that are slowly being taken over by reef & sea life.
Excursion tours typically unload their snorkelers almost right on top of the ships if you want to find the wrecks fast. Do not touch the coral or sea fans—I don’t care what you might see some idiots doing, DON’T. The oils in your skin can damage them, & your touch can break them–causing damage that can take decades to fix since coral grows so slowly.
Also, quite a few corals can defend themselves with a nasty sting when touched—especially the notorious and aptly named fire coral (it’s the mustard-colored coral that everyone avoids) You can easily spend more than two hours exploring the shipwrecks & watching the dozens of different species of colorful tropical fish that call them home, but never lose sight of the fact you still have to swim several hundred yards back to the beach.
Battle for the Beach
The current will try to draw you OUT to sea. Don’t rely on having any help from the ocean in getting pushed into shore–you’ll be fighting the undertow all the way back to the beach. The further out you swim, the longer you explore, the harder the battle to get back. Swim at your own risk, and always keep in mind your level of fitness and fatigue.
Marathon swimmers: For those who have strength AND endurance to spare, see the turtles and the wrecks in one outing
—Just be aware you’ll be swimming for hours in occasionally treacherous cross currents, and you’ll need quite a bit of stamina for the swim back. James and I spent an hour with the sea turtles, 3 hours exploring the wrecks, and about 30min prowling the shallows before heading back to the ship—that’s 4 and a half HOURS of non-stop swimming. It was an awesome, but exhausting day 🙂
Take a Break for some retail therapy
Flag down a taxi to head back to the ship. At only $10 out of pocket per person roundtrip at the time of this writing, it’s hard to beat for a DIY Barbados experience where you can spend as much time exploring several different shipwreck reefs. It also leaves you with plenty of flex room in your vacation budget to support the local craftsmen, restaurateurs, and business if you’d like to grab some souvenirs, eats, or shopping during your visit.
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