How to Swim with Turtles in Barbados

With so many things to do in Barbados, it can often be difficult to decide how to spend your time on the island, particularly if you’re on a short trip. One thing you absolutely MUST do however, is swim with turtles in Barbados. Barbados is one of the best spots in the Caribbean to do this, and the moment I heard about it, I was all in. The experience lived up to the hype, as it turned out being my favourite thing I did in Barbados! Although there are many ways to swim with turtles, I did so as part of an organised excursion with Tranquility Cruises. I can’t recommend them enough and I’m going to tell you all about my time with them in this post!

• While swimming with turtles was the best thing I did in Barbados, there’s so much more you can do during your stay. If you’re planning a trip, check out my Barbados guide HERE.

Swimming with Turtles in Barbados – The Basics

• Where? Turtle excursions with Tranquility Cruises depart from Pier Head Lane, Bridgetown, Saint Michael.
• When? Tours depart daily at 10.00am, 1.00pm and 3.00pm. Given the limited availability, bookings are essential.
• How much? The tour I booked cost $30.00 USD for adults ($60.00 BBD). Children aged 4 to 12 years cost $22.00 each ($44.00 BBD).
• How to get there: Tranquility Cruises operate out of Bridgetown Harbour, which is very easy to find. The actual dock can be a bit harder to locate though. Coming from the south, follow Bay Street until you reach Parfitt Alley. Continue past the carpark (or park here for a fee if you’re driving) and then turn left onto Pier Head Lane. Tranquility is one of the few boats docked here and you’ll see signage marking their check-in office.
• Website: https://www.tranquilitycruises.com/

How to Swim with Turtles in Barbados

There’s actually a multitude of ways to swim with turtles in Barbados. Regardless of how you do it, the best place to see them is in Carlisle Bay. You won’t be going far out of your way to get here, as its the most popular beach location in all of Barbados. If you’re a relatively strong swimmer, you can easily rent some snorkelling gear and swim on out to the turtles (follow the groups of people in the water). The route to the best snorkelling spot is marked by buoy lines, but if you do choose this option, please keep an eye out for the many boats that frequent these waters. You’ve got tons of tour operators running snorkelling cruises after all!

Maybe I’m biased since its what I did, but I think the best way to experience the underwater wonders of Carlisle Bay is to take part in an organised tour. Sure, its more expensive, but I was actually surprised at how affordable the experience was, especially in comparison to some other attractions in Barbados. I can only comment on the way Tranquility Cruises run the tour, but for the booking price, you’ll get over an hour out in the bay, complete with two snorkelling stops. You’ll also be given drinks on board to stay hydrated. The crew will answer any questions you have about anything you see, and your guides will get in the water with you to point out the diverse species of marine life. Its the best way to ensure you see what you could otherwise miss.

While there’s no guarantee you’ll see turtles on your tour, you’ve got the best odds with this kind of tour. You can book either on the official website or via Viator.

Boarding the Vessel

Tranquility Cruises ask that you arrive at the dock 20 minutes before your tour’s departure time. I was booked on the 10.00 tour as I wanted to have the rest of the day to explore Bridgetown and relax around Carlisle Bay. Departing my guesthouse in Worthing Beach at around 9.00am, I decided to walk, and it was a lovely stroll along Barbados’ coastal main road. I arrived at the dock with plenty of time to spare (even with a little difficulty finding the Tranquility office), and was all checked in by 9.45am. At that point I was directed onto the boat while we waited for the remainder of our tour group. Heading up to the top deck, I made friends with some American travellers.

Once we were ready to go, we were introduced to our three man crew and given the usual safety briefing that you expect on these kinds of activities. We were also told that we weren’t allowed to touch the turtles or do anything to startle them. As we set off, I was surprised to see that our tour group only had about 10 – 15 people in it. Considering the size of other groups we saw out in the Bay, this made for a more intimate experience. I’m not sure if it was just luck, or whether this is normally the size of Tranquility’s cruise groups.

Tranquility Cruise’s boat is a two levelled vessel. While you’ll probably want to be on the top deck taking in the surrounding turquoise waters of the bay, there is a glass bottomed section on the lower deck. There’s a number of charts on board showing the various fish and other species you might see on your snorkelling adventure, and our guide told us which ones we were most likely to see on our adventure. The top deck also has a waterslide, which is a great way to end your time in the water before heading back to the harbour. They also provide you with snorkelling gear, so you don’t have to worry about sourcing your own goggles. Just make sure you bring sunscreen. I got burnt quite a bit on this tour (the lifejackets don’t cover as much as you think!).

Shipwreck Stop

When booking this tour, I didn’t even realise that Barbados is often referred to as the Shipwreck Capital of the Caribbean! Our first stop in the Carlisle Bay Marine Reserve would show us why it received that name, as Carlisle Bay actually contains six shipwrecks. The oldest dates back to World War 1, while the most recent wreck, the Bajan Queen tug boat, sank in 2002. From shallowest to deepest, you’ve got the Barge, Cornwallis, Berwyn, Bajan Queen, C-Trek and Eilon wrecks. The Bajan Queen is the largest, and was actually an old party boat before it was donated to the Barbados government. Experienced scuba divers have been known to swim through the ship’s submerged bridge.

On our tour, we stopped at the Berwyn. At only 7 to 10 metres below the surface (tide dependent) its a natural choice for snorkelling. I was surprised to learn that this tugboat was actually sunk by its own crew following the conclusion of the First World War. According to legend, the French vessel was ordered to leave by a military ship after completing its assignment. The crew had supposedly fallen in love with Barbados so much that the captain famously cried out “over my dead body and sunken ship”, unleashing his crew on their own vessel. They subsequently sunk it before they headed back to the island.

The Berwyn (along with the other wrecks) now offer shelter to tons of marine life. Numerous fish, eels, rays, octopuses and more can be found in the surrounding calm waters. Owing to the age of the wrecks, coral reefs have formed over their remains. While you’ll see plenty of marine life around the outside of the vessels, I was told that swimming inside is the real treat. Our guide actually took one braver member of our group for a quick 60 second dive through the wreckage! While I didn’t dive through the wreck, the snorkelling experience was so much fun (and we hadn’t even seen had the chance to swim with turtles in Barbados yet!). We spent about 20 minutes in the water at this stop.

Snorkelling with Turtles

Heading to our next stop (just 5 or 10 minutes away), it was time for the tour highlight. At last we were going to swim with turtles in Barbados! While the crew warned us there was a chance we wouldn’t see any, the tourists already in the water suggested otherwise. I think I saw about 7 turtles while snorkelling here. The advantage of coming with a group tour is that your guides (both on the boat and in the water) will keep watch to find out where the turtles are swimming.

Apparently the season also influences how likely you are to see turtles. I was in Barbados in July, which I was told is right in the middle of the nesting season. Perfectly planned by fluke!

There’s actually three species of sea turtles that can be found in Barbados. The most common is the Hawksbill Turtle. It generally has a shell size of less than a metre, though they do grow as the turtle ages. They’re named for their mouths, which resemble the beak of a bird. Most of the turtles we saw during this tour were Hawksbill turtles. We did manage to see a larger Green Sea Turtle however. This species of turtle can reach up to 2 metres in shell size and can actually hold their breath for up to 5 hours! In addition to their size, you can recognise them due to their red and orange hued shells.

While swimming with turtles in Barbados, there is a chance you might also come across the Leatherback Turtle. They look nothing like the other two species. Unlike most turtles, the Leatherbacks don’t have a hard shell – instead they have layers of oily skin. They’re also the largest of the bunch, often being bigger than 2 metres in length.

Rules For Swimming with Turtles in Barbados

There’s a few basic rules to keep in mind when swimming with turtles. First of all, know that sea turtles are highly protected in Barbados and anyone caught in possession of turtle products will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. While you’re in the water, be respectful to these beautiful creatures. Never try to touch a turtle, and give them space (stay at least 1.5 metres away from them if possible). You also shouldn’t feed the turtles. I saw a few other groups doing this (although Tranquility Cruises didn’t). Not only does feeding turtles put you at risk of being bitten, it also puts them at risk as they become dependent on humans for survival.

Basically chill out in the water and observe the turtles in their natural environment. Its an experience you’ll hold dear into the future.

• If you’re looking for another way to swim with turtles in Barbados, the Boatyard club in Carlisle Bay offers a short tour as part of your admission. While I didn’t participate in this experience, I’ve written about the Boatyard HERE.

After about 20 to 25 minutes in the water with the turtles, it was time to head back to shore. After saying goodbye to our crew, I was ready to see more of Barbados, but first spent some time relaxing along Carlisle Bay. While there were many more wonderful experiences I had on this rock of paradise, getting the chance to swim with turtles and see the wrecks of Carlisle Bay was something I won’t forget any time soon. You definitely won’t regret it if you do the same thing on your trip to Barbados. Have you had the chance to swim with turtles in Barbados? How many did you see? What did you think of the shipwrecks in Carlisle Bay?