Rum, Reefs & Wrecks

It was a flying visit with three days for diving, so would NICK & CAROLINE ROBERTSON-BROWN get a picture of what Barbados could offer? They were certainly in for a seahorse surprise.

- Caroline Robertson-Brown

BARBADOS. Just saying the word out loud conjures visions of sandy beaches, palm trees and clear, blue water – but what about the diving? Well, it turns out that plenty has been done to make this a good destination for scuba-diving, free diving and snorkelling, as we found out on a recent whistle-stop trip.

With only five nights on the Caribbean island, and just three days of diving, we thought it was going to be tough to get a true feel for Barbados. But the team from Barbados Blue made sure that we maximized our time in the water.

They flew in part-owner Christine from Grenada to act as a dedicated model on our dives, provided us with further dive and free diving guides, and made sure that we experienced as many different sites as possible.

On top of this, our guide from Barbados Tourism, which had organised this brief familiarisation trip, ensured that we got a taste of the island culture in the evenings and on our day off from diving before we flew home.

We landed in late afternoon to be greeted with sunshine, heat and wonderful scenery on the way to our hotel, Bougainvillea Beach Resort. The hotel lived up to its name, with the colourful flowering plant after which it is named lining the walkways and pool area with vibrant pinks and purples.

Having sorted out the usual first-day trivia, such as finding DIN converters, filling in paperwork and working out logistics, we boarded our boat and set out for Carlisle Bay.

This is an area on the west coast – where most of the diving is done – that has been turned into a playground for divers and snorkellers alike.