Snorkeling, Shipwrecks, and Sea Turtles!

On Monday afternoon we ventured down to the neighboring St. James Parish via a reggae bus for a 2 hour snorkeling excursion off the coast of Holetown Beach. In case you’re wondering what a reggae bus is, imagine this: a public transportation bus that rapidly pulls over wherever it pleases to pick up passengers and ensures a stifling hot, crowded, and noisy ride. Once you step foot on the bus you are guaranteed a ride to your destination featuring the hottest selection of island music for just $2 BDS! Reggae buses have also come to be known as a great way for college students who want an inexpensive ride and who don't mind mingling with the locals (as in being so close to them that chances are, your sweat is probably quite literally mingling with theirs) to get around the island.
Each bus ride is certainly an experience in itself but I digress…

Holetown Beach
Photo Credit: Malene Kjær

After we arrived at Holetown Beach we negotiated prices with a number of local boat owners until we got the best price for an afternoon of snorkeling (again, doing as we college students do best and going with the cheapest option!) Once we were satisfied with the price we hopped on board a glass bottom double-decker boat and went out a short distance from the coast to begin snorkeling. Our first stop was over a coral reef where six of us donned a mask and snorkel and took the plunge into the crystal clear Caribbean Ocean while the others looked on from the boat.

Snorkeling through a school of fish

At the reef we saw brain coral, fan coral, and a plethora of brightly colored fish including parrot fish and trumpet fish. Although some of us felt that the massive schools of fish were already swimming a little too close for comfort, our guides and fellow classmates who were watching from the comfort of the boat disagreed. So, in an effort to attract the fish closer to the surface of the water the guides and our classmates who chose to stay on the boat proceeded to throw slices of bread into the ocean. This caused an impromptu feeding frenzy in which we were involuntarily centered. At this point I think most of us felt we had gotten a little more than we had bargained for as the fish were jumping out of the water, splashing around us, and swimming up against us!

Our second and much less eventful stop was at a man-made shipwreck site. After a few minutes of snorkeling our guides explained to us that what we were seeing 30 meters below the surface was a previously functioning cargo ship that had been filled with concrete and purposefully sunken to become a tourist attraction. While we snorkeled over the shipwreck we enjoyed seeing and swimming alongside many types of fish!

One of the many sea turtles!

A short distance further down the coast was the grand finale on our snorkeling excursion. At the last stop we had the opportunity to swim with Sea Turtles. This was definitely the most highly anticipated part of the day and it certainly did not disappoint! As soon as we jumped off of the boat and into the water, we became fast friends with the turtles! We definitely got the up close and personal sea turtle experience we were guaranteed as we were actually shaking hands and receiving high-fives from our new ocean dwelling friends! This was truly an incredible and unique experience, something I would definitely recommend to anyone visiting the island of Barbados!

Overall we all had a great time out on the boat and in the water; it was definitely one of the most memorable days of the trip!