Carlisle Bay

Barbados, Caribbean
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Unrated
Viz (last reported 113172h ago)
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Unknown

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Carlisle Bay

Carlisle Bay is a roped off area so there is no boat traffic. The main attraction are 8 wrecks sunk in the bay. Lots of different sea life. Depth is under 60 feet so good bottom times as well. At the pavilion are many benches to lay gear out and suit up. Leave nothing on the benches alone while you dive. It is about a 20 yard walk from the benches to the waters edge. If you have non-divers with you, the beach there is very nice too and they can work on their tan. On the West side of the island, from Oistins, drive north on the main highway with the ocean to your left. Go past Mojo's Bar, past the Opa restaurant, past St. Ann's Barracks and stop when you see on the left a large blue pavilion (shaped like a gazebo). Directly across the street is the Prime Minister's Office. You can park in a lot just before the pavilion....but be aware to get into the parking lot you have to drive over the curb.
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(2)
Neil Heyes
Neil Heyes
Jan 12, 2012, 12:00 AM
scuba
I followed the advice from this site, and went snorkeling from the shore out towards the wrecks in the buoyed off area. They are quite easy to spot as this is where all the tour boats stopped. I'm not a particularly experience snorkeler - its about the 7th time I've done it. I did find it quite fun swimming out over the shipwrecks, although on the way back it was quite difficult getting through the surf when you're a bit tired. The visibility wasn't great from the surface, you could see all the way to the bottom but it was a little hazy. I did dive down a couple of times and the photos I took then were much better. There were a lot of different types of fish.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Bill K
Bill K
Mar 11, 2010, 12:00 AM
scuba
This site is easy to find on the H7 south coast road just south of Bridgetown. There is a small parking lot to the left (south) of the gazebo that now has a road-cut for easy entry. There are several dive shops in the vicinity where you can get tanks. Entry is easy from the sandy beach, but it is a long swim (one map listed it as 200 yards) out to the buoys that mark several of the wrecks. You might find dive boats moored to the buoys in late morning and afternoon. The bottom is all sand, so watch for stingrays, flounder, and garden eels. Three of the artificial reefs are intact and have easy swim-throughs, while some others are broken down with little relief. Though there are small markers that show directions between each of the wreck sites, I got lost several times and needed to surface to orient. Tiny bits of patch reef are very beat, but the wrecks have some whip corals and sponges. I saw lots of the usual fish -- sergeant majors, blackbar soldierfish, french grunts, spotted moray eels, blue tangs, and several french angelfish. Additionally, lots of invertebrate animals can be found -- donkey dung sea cukes, red heart urchins buried in the sand, magnificent feather duster worms, and long-spined urchins. Watch your hands here. This is an easy dive that can be handled by beginning divers and would be a good confidence builder. Your companions can work on their tan or snorkel over several of the intact ships.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
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