Apart from all its other attractions, Carriacou has to be the world’s snorkelling paradise. The sheer unadulterated pleasure of lying face down in the crystal-clear, warm, turquoise water, with the sun on your back (don’t forget the cream!) and the currents gently moving you along is unbeatable. Let your whole body relax, legs and arms floating like seaweed on the surface, and look down into a world bursting with life and colour.
Carriacou’s long, white beaches, unoccupied apart from the odd turtle flapping its way to a nesting site, and the coral reefs ringing the island, make for ideal snorkelling conditions.
Just off the White and Saline Islands you’ll be treated to an astounding variety of brilliantly-coloured corals, amongst which dart the most beautiful fish you’ve ever seen, and anemones and polyps trailing their slender tentacles in the currents like glowing medusas.
It’s one thing watching this stuff on TV, but quite another to experience it for yourself. On Carriacou everything is geared towards keeping visitors happily occupied, and for the dedicated snorkeller there’s plenty of opportunity to indulge in what could easily become a favorite passion.
There are weekly trips from the island to prime snorkelling locations, and experts are on hand to offer help and advice to make the experience an unforgettable one. Of course you can just wander off on your own, but it’s better in the company of someone who knows the island and its reefs inside out and can advise you on the species you’re going to encounter in that underwater jungle. There’s advice for those new to snorkelling, too.
You’ll come across thick, rather-evil-looking moray eels that poke their heads threateningly out of fissures in the coral, and seahorses drifting in the currents like stately dragons, their equine heads contrasting strangely with their floating gills and grotesque latticework of appendages.
The varieties of brightly-coloured, flashing fish that dart about or simply swim leisurely past without deigning to even notice you will take your breath away and keep you completely hypnotised. You also have a good chance of encountering a turtle that might show a bit more interest, and that strange creature the stingray, like something out of a Sci-Fi movie, its vast lateral fins making it resemble a great, white bat.
The prime sites for snorkelling in Carriacou are located in sheltered bays and coves that are accessible only by boat apart from a few that you can wade out to closer from shore.
The boats that take you out are fully equipped with drying facilities, shower, shade and safety features.
Sandy Island is a popular spot for snorkellers who prefer to do their own thing rather than join a group. It’s a tiny island just off Carriacou that is so idyllic and beautiful that it has been used in commercials as the quintessential tropical paradise.
If you’ve never tried snorkelling before, come to Carriacou to literally open up a whole new world of interest and sheer amazement!