BARBADOS - DIVE'N'WED

By Scott Laddiman

Thank god for the internet! After a year in the planning, via e-mail, my fiancée, 22-month-old son and I headed off to Barbados in September to get married and try and squeeze in some diving.

For the basic holiday package we used a travel agent called 'Travel Care', who did a wonderful job, but didn't know much about the requirements of a diver, so over the last year I was organising the wedding and booking our diving. The holiday was a British Airways package and I was relieved to find out we could take all our diving gear plus wedding dress and Kilts plus all the gear for a child and wouldn't be over the baggage allowance!

I knew from previous trips to Barbados that there were numerous diving shops on the Island, but I discovered that BSAC had a club there. To try and give an overall picture of the diving I decided to book with different people. My first dive was with a PADI resort centre, who charged 90 Barbados dollars per dive, but I soon discovered they didn't cater for my type of diving, so I contacted a BSAC dive shop called 'Dive Barbados'. www.divebarbados.net
An English couple who moved out to Barbados several years ago run the shop. John Moore and his wife have a small and personnel business situated on the popular West Side of the Island. I booked 6 dives with him, and every one was relaxed and interesting. The 6 dive package cost 480 Barbados dollars. I did several reefs and one wreck. Unfortunately my wife had got burnt shoulders and had to cancel her first two dives but thanks to John's wife, who supplied a local remedy, Nina managed to come with us on the next 4 dives. The sun may not feel that strong but it is easy to become burnt if you're not careful.

The BSAC Club who invited me on a shore dive then contacted me.
I was amused to see that their equipment was stored in a locker in one of the popular nightclubs! After a quick soft drink at the club we loaded the car with gear and headed off. I was told the club had just been out on a dive to place a memorial statue of a Dolphin for a previous member who had died under unfortunate circumstances (not related to diving). The Club is quite small and often meets up with a group called BADASS, which is an American diving group. They regularly dive at weekends and have social meetings, which are normally on the beach with a BBQ. Some of the members go hunting for old bottles in the 45m to 50m depth on Sundays. The clubs contact can be found through the BSAC web site. The cost of this dive was an air fill and a beer!

The diving in Barbados is not like your Red Sea but you will find clear water and reefs that are alive and full of life. The reefs generally run parallel to the island and start shallow and drop down to any depth you wish.
Coral, Moray eels, anemones and even Puffer fish are abundant although I was rather concerned when John our dive guide handed a Puffer fish to Nina and she turned round with the bloated puffer in her cupped hands. I always thought they were poisonous? Turtles are not uncommon to see but unfortunately sharks are very rare. Reefs around Barbados are generally fringing reefs. They have a humped cross section with no walls, just a slope on both sides. Coral and sponges are generally healthy - although you will find patches where the reef is damaged, these are isolated spots rather than whole areas of destruction. Fish life is generally of the small variety. Barracuda are generally the largest fish one will encounter on a dive.
Barbados reefs are a photographer's paradise but if you're like me and prefer wrecks then with order of preference I recommend -
1) The Stavronikita
The 'Stav' is the No1 wreck on the island. She sits upright in 37M with her deck at 20M. There is a hole in her starboard side that lets access to her holds where you can then ascend and emerge onto the deck level. The entry is at about 35M where Nina had her first taste of Nitrogen Narcosis!
She tells me she has to go back to Barbados, as she can't remember the stern section. What an excuse!
There is access to the bridge section but it's best to go with a guide here as it has started to collapse.
2) Carlisle Bay
Carlisle Bay is often tackled as a second dive by the southern operators, it is also a good shore/night dive site if you rent some tanks. The basic details are 4 recognisable shipwrecks, lots of interesting encrusted 'rubbish' (old barges and so on) Maximum depth about 15m and with a few tight swim-throughs. Make sure you're gear is streamlined and don't do what I did and get stuck in the wreck, while your buddy is busy playing with a turtle outside the wreck! All the 'wrecks' are linked by a "trail" of concrete pillars laid flat on the sea bed, so it's hard to get lost. There is also a patch of scrubby reef that is home to all sorts of critters (eels, crabs, the odd sea-horse if you can find it)... Probably best tackled with someone who knows the site as a shore dive, but not essential.
2) Pamir
The Pamir is quite small but it is good for a first 'checkout dive' and has some nice swim-throughs but this wreck is quite far up north on the island so only the operators who service that area tend to go to the Pamir.
If you wish to explore the north side then I can recommend 'Reefers and Wreckers' who are a PADI dive shop near the site of the Pamir.

A 3mm wetsuit is ample for diving anytime of the year. Barbados has a rainy season and September is one of the 'rainy' times but although we had several showers it only ever lasted for about 10 minutes and everything soon dried up afterwards. The rain is warm compared to the UK anyway!
One reason we decided to go in September is the cost! The price for Barbados drops considerably during the rainy season and although Barbados is near the hurricane paths it hasn't been hit by a hurricane since the 1950s. If you are worried you can track any hurricanes at www.weathermatrix.net , this is run by storm chasers around the globe.

Our trip cost us about £4100, which included flights from Aberdeen and a two-week, all-inclusive package on the popular West Side of the Island, for the 3 of us. This included all flights, transfers, meals, drinks and water sports and even water skiing was free, although you had to book early as most people took advantage of this free service. If you wish to get married in Barbados and you are happy to have the ceremony within the hotel complex, then if you go during the low season you can do it for free as most of the hotels offer this service during low season periods. We elected to spend a little extra and have our ceremony in the oldest church on the island as a lot of people take advantage of the free wedding and the hotels become very busy with weddings. The West Side of the island has calm seas where the East side faces the Atlantic and is a surfer's dream.

We decided on a hotel called 'Crystal Cove' on the West side because it advertises to be child friendly and offers a kids club and child-minding facilities. We also took a look at the reviews at www.wheretostay.com
For a family who wanted to combine a Caribbean holiday with children and diving this was certainly a good choice. The kids' club is free and is open for 3 years and up to about 10 years. They have a big room full of toys and games to keep any hyperactive child quiet for hours. A child minder can be organised through the hotel for younger kids for a price.
Nina and I were worried about the qualification and experience the childminders would have. We discovered that they do not have any formal qualification but after meeting them and seeing how they are with kids we had no worries. Nina is a registered childminder here in the UK so has very high standards. One thing to mention is any child under two is not entitled to a meal on the British Airways flight, so for an eight-hour journey remember to pack a snack! Barbados people love children and our son spent most of his time chilling out with the locals while we watched from the sea. He became know as 'The man on the beach'.

Barbados is also excellent for the non-diving partner. There is plenty to do and we managed to fit in a trip on a tall ship called 'The Jolly Roger' which is a cruise with the pirates and their free rum punch on board.
The cruise lasts for about 4 hours and includes a superb BBQ. for lunch. There is also a pirate wedding onboard and if you misbehave you may be forced to walk the plank by the crew! www.tallshipscruises.com/jollyroger.
Children can go on this trip but the parents may not be in a fit state to look after them. Be warned the Rum Punch onboard is famous!
Harrison's cave is good for the family and a small train takes you round the cave system. This is a slightly shorter tour and you will get to see waterfalls and pools within the cave system. A guide will explain how the cave and formations have been formed over the hundreds of years. I have been told you use to be able to dive the cave system until recently.
Damn! Missed that one!!

A night not to be missed is the 'Roots and Rhythms' night. This is a dance show, which takes you though Barbados history and culture. After a lovely evening meal you will be dancing with the stilt walkers and grooving to the steel drums. This is not too expensive and transport to and from the night is provided and included in the ticket. The night ends about 11pm but by that time you will be full of the local 'Flying Fish' and your legs will be tired from all the dancing.

Snorkelling trips can be fun for all the family and several local guys on the beach can take you to popular sites. We snorkelled the 'Jolly Barge' the day after our wedding. We were still getting over the effects of our Champagne breakfast so could not dive and Nina decided to feed the fish with a whole loaf of bread and caused a riot when hundreds of fish fought for the same loaf. Our guide only meant for her to use one slice!!

With all this to do you must not forget what the Caribbean is all about and that is to switch off and relax. The people are some of the most friendly I have ever come across but none of them are in a hurry and you will often hear 'yeah man' , 'No problem'. If you are the sort of person who is keen on things being on time or in a hurry, then don't go to Barbados!
Barbados is a safe Island and as long as you keep your common sense you will have a trouble free holiday. One experience Nina and I will not forget is the local buses! Certainly different to the local buses in the UK!!! For 3 Barbados dollars you can go a long way but bring your ear plugs as they like their music loud and Barbados people like to sing!
They also have only two speeds, stop and full thottle!

Car hire is easy to organise but beware. The road system is not the best and a local map may not have been updated for a while but since the Island is about 30 miles long and 7 miles wide, you will never be far from your hotel if you get lost. If you hire a car and are up for some fun then try the 'Mini Moke'. It looks like a Mini with it's roof cut off and drives like a go-kart!

A tip I would have would be don't get caught into all the tourist traps. Some of the best nights can be had at a local bar and if you speak to one of the Jet Ski guys they will put you in the right direction. These guys tend to know everyone and everything.

Barbados is not the cheapest of the Caribbean islands but I know several people who, once they have been, go back year after year.

You can visit Barbados much more cheaply than we did if you are prepared to shop around and live in an apartment rather than a hotel. Several apartments are available to rent for week periods and most are near the beach, but make sure you get all the details as some don't have air conditioning and can be small.
However you decide to visit Barbados you will be sure to leave happy and relaxed and planning your return trip and once you land back in grey London and meet the grumpy passport control person, you will wonder why you planned a holiday with a return ticket!

Barbados web site - www.barbados.org


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