Watersports

Due to the calm, warm (averaging 27 degrees) turquoise waters, surrounding much of the island, Barbados is a haven for watersport enthusiasts. The larger hotels usually have on-site operators or can arrange a contact for you. Spend enough time on a beach and they will find you. Mullins Beach (near Speightstown) has great facilities for watersports. Snorkelling equipment readily available. Try Folkestone Marine Park (Holetown) for a terrific snorkelling experience with the turtles. There are Jet Ski and banana boat operators as well as water-ski instructors. If you are in the Gap area, check out Charles Watersports in Dover. Aquarius (near Bridgetown) is also a good choice.

SURFING

The varied surf in Barbados supports Longboarders, Shortboarders, Bodyboarders and Bodysurfers. The most popular spot is the Soup Bowl that sports fast rights with long walls and hollow tubes and breaks from 2 feet to 20 feet. The Soup Bowl is located near The Edgewater Inn in Bathsheba (for excellent surfing information visit their web site at www.edgewaterinn.com).

For more information please contact the Barbados Surfing Association web site
(www.bsasurf.org) or call (246) 228-5117.

WINDSURFING

The spot to windsurf is the Silver Sands, Christ Church area. Barbados is home to World-Cup competitor Brian Talma (try his shop at Silver Rock 428-2866). From mid November to the end of June is peak windsurfing time on the island. The trades usually blow at a moderate windspeed. The most frequently used sails are 5.0 m2 to 4.7 m2. Each January Barbados hosts Windsurfing Championships and the waters are filled with the glorious sight of sails.

UNDER THE WAVES

Barbados is a divers heaven, with both reef and wreck sites abounding for all levels of divers. Most of the diving is on the southern and western parts of the island. There are numerous dive shops here and instruction is readily available. Whether you are an experienced pro or a complete novice, diving in Barbados will delight you. For a unique experience, see Barbados underwater in an Atlantis submarine.

Wrecks

Carlisle Bay Marine Park is ideal for beginners. This historic bay is home to the Berwyn, Eilon, C-Trek and Fox.
Friars Crag sunk in 1984 and lying in 55ft of water is a 100ft Dutch freighter.

Palm Air located to the north of the island is 165ft long and 60 ft deep.

SS Stavronikita is a 365ft Greek freighter that was deliberately sunk in 1978. She lies in 120ft of water with the stern at 100ft and the bow at 70ft. The 'Stavro" is rated as on the world's top ten dives.

REEFS

Bell Buoy is a dome-shaped reef varying from 20 to 60 feet and is home to brown coral forests, sloping corals and schools of fish.

Dottins is a very popular reef that is home to barracuda, corals, turtles, and tropical fish!
Maycocks Bay frequented by rays and barracudas is a unique site with several large coral reefs divided by stretches of white sand.

Shark Bank, a coral reef that reaches depths of 135 to 145 feet, is the perfect place to observe sea turtles and parrotfish.

Fishing and Boat Trips

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