If your travel plans take you to a destination near the ocean, put a catamaran tour on your list of things to do … you won’t regret it. Trust me.
A catamaran tour is my favorite tour of all time! Climbing on board a beautiful catamaran and heading directly to the front by the nets or stretched tarps to pick my spot for the day is quite exciting. Most recently I took a catamaran tour around Marco Island, which was cool because they have manatees; I had never seen them in their natural habitat. It’s amazing to watch a manatee surface for air just 5 feet away from you then plunge back under water. This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And the dolphins were really active, too. They are used to the boats so they typically get pretty close.
After cruising around all morning with our tour guide telling us all about our destination, our captain “beached” us on a sandbar by mid-afternoon and took us on a shell expedition and educational tour. It was so cool. There were live starfish, anemones, clams, mussels and sand dollars (which you could pick up and touch). He did a nice job explaining their environment, what they ate and how they survive. And after about 45 minutes exploring, we were able to pick the perfect shells to bring home!
Then it was back on board the catamaran to sail the deep blue sea. It was a beautiful day spent basking under the sun, sipping tropical drinks and enjoying a nice buffet-style lunch. Of all the catamaran tours I’ve been on, and I’ve been on a lot, I had the most fun and learned the most on this one. The other day trips I’ve been on were more about “chilling out”: anchoring close to a beach for snorkeling, swimming or walking on the beach; sailing around looking at the topography; and eating and drinking … and there’s nothing wrong with that; this one just offered much, much more!
So now that you know how much fun you can have on a catamaran tour, here are some tips to keep in mind before you go:
- Always, always, always take sunscreen; you’ll regret it if you don’t take it
- Ask questions such as where the sailing will take you and what you might expect from the tour, i.e., snorkeling, shelling, water sports, and so on
- Find out what type of equipment they will have or whether you need to bring towels, snorkel gear, etc.
- Ask if there are any restroom facilities on board
- Check to see whether food service will be offered and what type it will be, and inquire about whether alcohol is permitted on board
Then go have fun.
