The Perfect Barbados Catamaran Excursion: Sunken Treasures and Incredible Sea Turtles

When we decided that we wanted to do a catamaran excursion during our visit to Barbados we were overwhelmed with the number of options. All the Barbados catamaran excursion companies seemed to offer the same activities: swim with sea turtles, visiting a coral reef or shipwreck and food of some sort. Some catamaran excursions are clearly party cruises, some are very small with few amenities on board and others, like Sail Calabaza, seemed just perfect for our family. And I was right!!

Why We Chose Sail Calabaza for our Barbados Catamaran Excursion

Sail Calabaza has two catamarans in Barbados: Calabaza I and Calabaza II. They offer two catamaran excursions per day, a morning departure and a sunset cruise. They also offer private cruises. For their regular excursions, they book a maximum of 12 guests per cruise.

We had considered booking a private cruise as there are so many great reasons to do private walking tours. In the end, we decided that for a catamaran excursion, a small group tour would be nice.  

The number of passengers booked on the Barbados catamaran with Sail Calabaza was perfect! It gave us plenty of space on the catamaran, allowed us to meet and talk with our fellow passengers and allowed us to get to know the crew.

Most importantly, we were with a nice small group when snorkeling so we were able to move at our own speed and the turtles weren’t disturbed by us being around.

Sail Calabaza also includes transfers from west coast hotels and villas as well as from the Barbados cruise port to the departure location near Bridgetown. The latter option is great if you happen to have a port day during a Caribbean cruise.

For us, and I expect many other passengers, especially Barbados cruise port passengers, this is a wonderful perk as passengers don’t need to concern themselves with directions, there is no additional cost for a taxi and with alcohol being offered on board, Sail Calabaza had no concerns about guest drinking and driving.

A Wonderful Start to an Amazing Day

We opted to do a five hour morning Barbados catamaran cruise with Bajan lunch so our pick-up time was 8:30am with a 9am cruise departure. Once on board our beautiful Barbados catamaran, we found out how huge it really is. There is plenty of seating at the front of the catamaran and in back. There is also an outside table so passengers can eat on deck. Inside the catamaran, there is a kitchen area, a dining area, where most passengers left their bags, and washrooms.

The Calabaza crew introduced themselves and we were offered delicious coffee and banana bread.  We had a chance to meet our fellow passengers en route to our first stop: snorkeling and swimming with sea turtles. It seems there are several possibilities for routes along the west coast, depending on sea conditions and other factors.

Our crew decided to head towards Carlisle Bay while we relaxed on the front of the catamaran. A perfect start! Just remember to always wear a high quality rash guard. The sun in Barbados is very strong even in early morning.

Swimming with Sea Turtles

In no time we arrived in Carlisle Bay. Shawn and Keiron set us up with snorkels, helped the kids with their goggles and set us on our way. (There was no need to bring our own snorkels but if you’d prefer to, there are some great options for snorkel gear for kids.) There were life jackets for those that needed them, as well as pool noodles for which I was really appreciative. Even though I can swim it was so much easier with pool noodles!

We swam a short distance from the boat and I couldn’t believe it… there were sea turtles! And they were beautiful! They came so close to us! I had my underwater camera and was able to take incredible photos all the while enjoying snorkeling and swimming with these beautiful creatures.

There were so few of us that the turtles weren’t bothered at all. We were taught not to follow them, let them come up to breathe and not to touch them and we all followed the instructions. They stayed around us for ages and we floated along with them.

One of the other passengers dove to the bottom and brought up a starfish for us to meet. After a short time, he returned to the sea bottom and gently placed it back.

On our way back to the boat we were amazed to see a majestic stingray swimming below us. Snorkeling in Barbados is like no experience we’ve ever had!

Once we were all back on board our wonderful Barbados catamaran, we settled in for a short ride to where the ship wrecks are located. The bar was open and we enjoyed delicious rum punch (pop for the kids) and tasty hors d’oeuvres.

Exploring Sunken Ship Wrecks on a Barbados Catamaran Excursion

We were all prepared for our next stop with our snorkels ready to go. We hopped in and were guided to the ship wrecks.

The sunken ships were incredible, large ships with beautiful fish swimming around.

I think there were three shipwrecks but the kids and I only floated above the first two. Sydney was a bit uneasy so she didn’t want to get too close. She did get braver as we spent more time there though

We had plenty of time to snorkel, explore and actually, the kids and I headed back to the boat a bit early. Lucas wasn’t feeling well: partly the side effects of an ear infection that had been diagnosed a few days before our departure from Ottawa and partly because even though the ride wasn’t rough at all, he just doesn’t handle boats well. (A roller coaster yes, a small boat no)

A Delicious Bajan Lunch

Once all were on board, we returned our snorkel gear to the crew, dried off and settled in for the rest of our day. We relaxed on the lounge areas at the front of our Barbados catamaran and enjoyed the breeze as we headed to a small cove further north along the island’s west coast for our lunch stop.

Our little cove was near the beach at Colony Cove resort. It was calm and so beautiful.

Shawn had cooked an amazing meal that was beyond anything that I had expected. We tried a little of everything and it was all delicious. The macaroni pie and salad were especially enjoyed by me and the kids.

Even if you’re visiting from the Barbados Cruise port and you’ve had an array of food during your cruise, you have to try some delicious local Bajan food during your stop in Barbados and this is a great opportunity! Sail Calabaza even emailed us wonderful Bajan recipes after we returned home!

After lunch, several guests swam to shore to enjoy the beach and others snorkeled nearby in the beautiful Barbados waters. The kids and I relaxed on board, had a few drinks and chatted with other passengers. Caiden enjoyed swimming around the catamaran.

An Unexpected Detour

Lucas really was not feeling well and considered swimming to shore to walk back to our villa which was a short distance away by beach. I was hesitant to say the least.

Incredibly Captain Sean offered to drop the life boat and bring him back to our villa.

It was only a short trip but I was amazed but ever so grateful. It shows his and Sail Calabaza’s personalities to take so much care for their passengers. They could have insisted that he had to walk or wait but they didn’t. I will forever be thankful that they were our crew.

Our Final Hour on our Beautiful Barbados Catamaran

Once I knew Lucas was settled back at the resort with John (he couldn’t enjoy the catamaran excursion due to work commitments that required internet access), the kids and I relaxed for the rest of the voyage.

We hung out at the front of the catamaran, enjoyed the splashing water and the waves as we returned to dock near Bridgetown. It was a relaxing ride that was the perfect end to a wonderful day.

If you’re looking to do a Barbados catamaran excursion, we can definitely recommend Sail Calabaza.

Included on our wonderful Barbados catamaran excursion booking:

• Transportation to and from our accommodation along the west coast (or from the Barbados cruise port)
• Five-hour catamaran cruise with a maximum of 12 passengers
• Snorkel gear, life vests and pool noodles
• Full buffet lunch with salads, macaroni pie, chicken and fish
• Unlimited drinks including coffee, alcoholic drinks (including delicious home made rum punch) and soft drinks
• Photos! The crew took photos during the day and a few days later all were sent to the passengers. They were amazing family photos and photos of the wildlife we saw and ship wrecks we visited during our excursion.

Best of all, we had the most amazing crew we ever could have wished for!

A big thank you to Captain Sean, Shawn and Keiron for a fantastic day on the Caribbean Sea!

Do you have a few more days in Barbados? We have a series of amazing one day Barbados itineraries that are filled with adventure and relaxation. They’ll help you plan your visit! Another option is to spend the entire day exploring the beautiful island of Barbados.

If you’re looking for a little more inspiration, check out our 50 pictures of Barbados to inspire you and help you plan your amazing island vacation!

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