|
Come swim with the turtles in Barbados!
OK, so maybe we don't have any dolphins in Barbados, but you can
still have an experience of a lifetime as you swim with the turtles!
Barbados
is home to a healthy population of hawksbill and leatherback
turtles. Once endangered by over-fishing, these great creatures
are now protected and
monitored throughout the Island.
In some areas the local fishermen feed
and care for them, scraping barnacles of their backs and making sure that
their nesting area is safe.
Turtles are sociable and tend to stay in the
same area, following a steady routine.
So long as they do not leave a habitat, they can be seen playing and feeding
along the inshore reefs. In certain monitored areas they have become accustomed
to humans and are relatively tame. You can swim with them as they feed amongst
the coral. A good way to do this is with a sailboat
tour and snorkeling picnic.
Enjoy turtle walks and snorkel trips to turtles with Barbados Blue located at the Hilton Hotel Peninsular. Hilton beach is the densest Hawksbill Turtle nesting beach in the Eastern Caribbean, so you are almost guarenteed to see one while snorkeling, kayaking or diving with Barbados Blue! Adventureland 4x4 Off-Road Island Tours offers the new and exciting Wildcats Turtle & Shipwreck Adventure, where you can snorkel and swim with friendly Hawksbill and Green turtles. Join El Tigre Cruises to swim and snorkel with the friendly sea turtles and over a neighbouring coral reef. This is the perfect cruise for families with small children. Or, if you prefer, you can create your own personal sailing and snorkeling adventure An experience to remember! Swim with the turtles on Rubaiyat Catamaran Cruises. HeatWave Sailing Cruises offers you an intimate swim with our friendly sea turtles, an experience not to be missed. Snorkel in crystal clear waters over colorful reefs and exciting wrecks, or simply bask in the sun on our spacious desk while sipping on an exotic cocktail. Relax, enjoy and leave the world behind you as our attentive crew caters to your every need in paradise. Indulge yourself! Enjoy exciting snorkel and swim adventures with friendly sea turtles along the west coast, with Small Cats Cruises! Small Cats specializes in smaller, more personlised cruises with the emphasis on intimacy. Sail along the coast with Silver Moon Luxury Catamarans as they take you where you can admire Barbados' magnificent shoreline, dotted with exquisite homes, hotels and restaurants. Once they stop, dive into the calm waters and swim with sea turtles as the crew feeds these graceful creatures. Whether on land or off-road, above water or underwater, or... after hours ? Premier Attractions has the perfect tour for you! All tours are ZAGAT Rated and we offer combo packages when booking multiple tours. Swim with the turtles and
snorkel on coral reefs and ship wrecks with Kool Kat Catamaran Cruises.
All equipment is free (all drinks and transportation included) for this fun and exciting 3 hour cruise. Come along aboard Powerboats! Lets take a trip down the coast and
snorkel with the friendly sea turtles. Great experience for first time snorkelers and especially the kids. Let Outdoors Barbados arrange for you to swim with the turtles, either as a Glass Bottom Boat Snorkel Adventure or combined with horse riding in a Horse Tails & Turtles Shells package! Go sailing with Good Times Barbados for a chance to swim with the sea turtles in their natural enviroment and see hundreds of colourful tropical fish at two snorkel sites. Let Tall Ships Cruises take you swimming with the fascinating sea turtles. A different and guaranteed exciting experience is to be had on each of their diverse fleet of vessels. Sail along Barbados' crystal clear waters with Cool Runnings Catamaran Sailing Cruises to a secluded bay, where you can enjoy a fascinating visit with Sea Turtles and a refreshing swim.
Accommodation
 
Lunch
at the Lone Star Restaurant is an especially romantic way to enjoy a
day at the seaside, with special company. On weekends, get there about 11am
and depending on your mood, you can swim before or after a delicious brunch
is served. You can dine on the beach or on the deck. Besides the turtles,
the food and ambiance is excellent.
If you are in Barbados at the right time you may even take
a moonlight cruise to see turtles nesting. Pregnant turtles come out of the water to lay
their eggs in the soft sand along the shore. So if you are in a turtle nesting
area, walk gentle. When the eggs hatch the tiny new turtles emerge from
the sand and make their way to sea. If you are lucky you might see them
on a moonlight cruise.
There
is lovely story of the opening of the Turtle Beach Resort. The grand opening
was, by coincidence, planned for a turtle hatching night. The bright lights
of the hotel, and maybe the champagne, confused the baby turtles who waded
into the hotel cocktail party instead of into the sea. Delighted guest helped
them find their way to safety.
The Barbados Sea Turtle Project
(BSTP)
The Barbados Sea Turtle Project (BSTP) was started in 1987 to promote conservation
of sea turtles in Barbados. It is a joint activity of the Department of Biological
and Chemical Sciences at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus
and the Fisheries Division of the Government of Barbados. The BSTP relies upon
the co-operation of the general public, particularly hotel staff and guests,
and other persons living and working near the beach, to monitor nesting and hatching
activity during the turtle season (April – December).
Activities undertaken to conserve Barbados' Sea Turtle populations by BSTP
personnel include the following:
-
24
hour response to public reports of hawksbill and leatherback turtle nesting
and hatching;
-
Nightly surveillance of index beaches to closely monitor nesting and hatching
activities, and to deter potential poaching attempts of nesting females and
their eggs;
-
Tagging and monitoring of hawksbill and green sea turtles in near shore
waters through assistance from dive enthusiasts' dive shop operators and
commercial charter boats;
-
Satellites-tracking of post-nesting hawksbills from Barbados to their
foraging grounds elsewhere in the region;
-
Monitoring of the debilitating disease, (fibropapillomatosis), in green
turtles.
Project personnel are also actively involved in conducting extensive public
education programmes on sea turtles and promoting increased awareness about
sea turtle conservation in Barbados.
Turtle Sailing Cruises - Turtle
Conservation Project
Barbados Wildlife | Wildlife
Photogallery | Discover Barbados!
|