Runaway Bay/Beach (Antigua Beach Break)

Ship’s Excursion out of St. John’s, Antigua

Ship: Norwegian Spirit (NCL)

Sailing Date: December 21, 2006

Date of Snorkel: December 25, 2006

Equipment Availability: There is no equipment available for loan or rental at this site. You have to take your own—if you really want to bother with it anyway!

Water Access: Beach

In an effort to spend Christmas Day together as a family, my Aunt Martha Belle selected this excursion for all three of us.  According to the tourist and snorkeling literature, Runaway Bay is listed as a beach access snorkeling site for Antigua, so we were hopeful as we boarded the taxi to the beach with our snorkeling bag in tow.  NOT.  There is a small area with a rock wall face and what appears to be an area of rocks or reef at the Western End of the beach, but wave action at this site obscured the visibility so much that we could not even see our hands in front of our face! From a snorkeling point of view, this site was a total waste of time.

However, from the “fun beach on which to spend a day in Antigua” point of view, this site was excellent.  There is a hotel with full bar and lunch facilities (our meal and drinks were included in our tour), showers, bathrooms, changing rooms etc…. The beach itself is very clean and well maintained.  Thatched umbrellas provide plenty of shade, or you can rent a regular beach umbrella at a cost of $3. There are plenty of white plastic chez-lounges.  Enterprising locals sell everything from shell jewelry, colorful shirts and dresses in all sizes (Peg bought 2 dresses to use as swimsuit cover-ups on future excursions at $15 each), to raw coconuts which are deftly opened with a machete right in front of you for $4.  Hair-Braiding and massage services were also available for a fee. No one pushed us to buy or annoyed us with tales of woe to get us to feel sorry enough for them so we would make a purchase. 

Snorkeling Grade: F