Pictured left to right outside the new store are: Paul Hardwick, Fred. Olsen Travel Agents Director of Retail; Emma Bailey, Fred. Olsen Travel Agents; Tutti Taylor, Fred. Olsen Travel Agents; Councillor Candy Vaughan, Mayor of Eastbourne; Trevor Ridler, Fred. Olsen Travel Agents Business Development Manager; and Shirley Waters, Fred. Olsen Travel Agents..
Picture yourself in the Caribbean – are you seeing a sweeping white sandy beach fringed with lush palms, being gently lulled by the turquoise seas lapping on the shore? These idyllic beaches are the epitome of the word ‘Caribbean,’ and the region comprises over 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cays that were once united land masses that submerged as the sea level rose following the last Ice Age, forming the amazing archipelago that we see today. Relaxing by, in or on these tropical waters, teeming with life, that swathe the Caribbean is one of the biggest attractions to the region, and as well as world class scuba and snorkelling we’ve found some alternative Caribbean water-based activities to tempt you off the sun-lounger and into the surf.
Swim with Pigs!
Find some rather unexpected marine life at Exuma Island in The Bahamas – swimming wild pigs! These cheeky brown and pink island dwellers live freely on the white sandy beach, known locally as ‘pig beach,’ and regularly take to the water for a cooling dip. There are various rumours as to how the pigs came to live on the island – did they swim to shore from a shipwreck, or were they dropped off by sailors who intended to come back and cook them? No matter how they came to be there, feeding and swimming with them would be a Caribbean experience to remember!
Visit an Underwater Sculpture Park
In 2006 the world’s first public underwater sculpture park opened inside Molinere Beauséjour Marine Protected Area in Grenada. There are over 75 sculptures, at depths from six to 15 feet, so easily accessed by snorkellers and novice divers. The pH-neutral cement used encourages marine life to colonize their surfaces and the sculptures become living reefs of their own. Each is based on local people or traditions of Grenada, the most famous being “Vicissitudes,” a life-size cast of 26 children holding hands.
More beautiful underwater artworks lie in Museo Subacuático de Arte (MUSA), Cancún, México. In total, there are more than 500 life-size statues in this Underwater Museum, making it one of the most extraordinary dive sites in the world. Works include a concrete VW Beetle, an elephant and a set of giant hands, all designed to create an artificial reef and help protect the existing ones. You can experience MUSA by snorkelling, diving or glass bottom boat tours.
Watch the Whales
Samaná Peninsula in the Dominican Republic has been a whale breeding ground for centuries. Every year thousands of humpbacks start returning in December after nine months of feeding in the Atlantic, and from mid-January to late March you are virtually guaranteed to be able to spot these majestic creatures. Here they overwinter in the warm sanctuary of Samaná Bay before they begin their long migration to their summer grounds, as far away as Greenland and Iceland. Males vie for the attention of the females, blowing water, head lunging, slamming each other, and breaching, as well as singing their plaintive songs, so with a little patience and luck, you’ll see them give an incredible display of acrobatic grace.
‘Hike’ an Underwater Trail
Follow the Buck Island Reef Underwater Trail through the Caribbean coral reef in St. Croix, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Branches of elkhorn coral create fortress-like walls that form a lagoon between Buck Island and the surrounding seas and within the lagoon lies the snorkel trail. Underwater plaques share information about the wondrous underwater world, teeming with coral and marine life in a vast array of colours, shapes and textures. Buck Island Reef is home to over 250 fish species and a variety of other marine life including green sea turtles, hawksbill sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, lemon sharks, and juvenile reef sharks.
Pay a visit to Stingray City
This shallow sandbar in the North Sound of Grand Cayman is home to a large population of friendly southern stingrays, well used to interactions with humans. Its thought that stingrays began gathering in the area decades ago when fisherman cleaned their fish in the calm water of the shallows and sandbar area. The fish guts and discarded squid thrown overboard led the stingrays to congregate there to feast on the leftovers and soon the stingrays associated the sound of a boat engine with food. This practice has led to being able to now feed these gentle giants by hand, and here you interact with them in the open seas of their natural habitat, where they choose to engage as much as they wish as you stand in the water, snorkel or even dive to feed, touch and play with them.
Tube down a River
Water-based fun isn’t just for the coast - hop in a giant inflatable ring to float through some of the most incredible scenery in Dominica, on a river-tubing journey down the Layou River. As you bob down the gorge, experience light rapids for a burst of excitement, followed by peaceful glides past lush flora where you can spot frogs and exotic birds, such as Sun Pipers and King Fishers in this tropical paradise.
Feeling hot hot hot in a Sulphur Spring
If the turquoise seas of the Caribbean are not quite warm enough for you then several active volcanoes of this region have created some bubbling hot springs to visit. In St Lucia the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Soufrière is home to Les Pitons, majestic volcanic plugs which are the source of rejuvenating hot sulphur springs. Slathering the black volcanic mud on your skin is said to detoxify the body and help heal eczema, arthritis, sore joints, and more. Once you’ve washed off the mud, take a final rinse off under a bracing rainforest waterfall.
Explore a shipwreck
Across the Caribbean you can find amazing scuba diving opportunities, and the region’s coral reefs, underwater caves, and marine life make it a popular destination for diving. In Saint Lucia you can explore the Lesleen M – a cargo ship deliberately sunk in 1986 to create an artificial reef. Lying upright on the sea bed, at a depth of 18m/60ft, it is a spectacular dive for all abilities, where you can really experience being truly inside a wreck, instead of just looking from the outside. Venturing into the cargo hold, divers can explore further into the depths of the ship, peering out through coral-encrusted cabin portholes and spotting turtles, lobsters, eels, spider crabs, and schools of flamboyant tropical fish, who have appropriated this sunken treasure as their home.
Surf the Soup Bowl
Bathesheba, on the rugged Eastern Coast of Barbados, is home to one of the top surfing beaches in the Caribbean. Here the Atlantic offers fantastic surfing for almost 360 days of the year, and there are waves for every level. Some months the waves can be as low as 2-3 feet but at other times the Soup Bowl’s shores generate swells over 15ft. Even if you don’t want to get on a board yourself, watching the action with the stunning backdrop of the dramatic East Coast is a fantastic way to spend a day at the beach.
Take an adventurous Bath
On the island of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands you’ll find the unique geological attraction of The Baths. Massive granite boulders are scattered along the beach forming tidal rock pools and secret grottos for visitors to explore. These formations are the result of molten volcanic rock seeping up into the existing rock layers. Cooling slowly it formed a hard crystalline granite layer, cracking and shrinking to formed blocks that were exposed when the softer volcanic rock above eroded away. Weathering from the sea smoothed the surfaces to the impressive boulders seen today – some up to 40ft diameter. Swim, snorkel or walk around the stunning formations for a Bath-time like no other!
And finally there is the world class Caribbean snorkelling, available all across the region, where you can spot majestic turtles, shimmering shoals of fish, juvenile sharks and fanciful coral just below the surface of the tropical waters. From novice first timers to experienced divers there is a location for you teeming with underwater wonders to discover. The Caribbean truly is a dream destination, offering a perfect blend of activities and relaxation to suit all, set against a backdrop of rugged natural beauty and unparallelled aquatic life. Each island has its own unique charms so you’ll be sure to find you own version of paradise in this beautiful region.
If you would like to plan a Caribbean holiday, why not get in touch with one of our branches.
