Barracuda Cove, Bermuda

“Sail and Swim” Excursion out of St. George’s

Ship: Zenith (Celebrity Cruises)

Sailing Date: August 11, 2001

Date of Snorkel: August 16, 2001

Equipment Availability: we have our own which we take with us, but the sail boat owner and operator/guide, Jerry Correia (OceanBreeze Sail Charters, P.O. Box 227, St. George’s Bermuda GE BX 441-234-9846) has a limited supply of snorkels, masks, fins and vests to provide for the unprepared.

Water Access: Off the back of the Sail Boat

This was our first time on the “Sail and Swim” excursion with Captain Jerry out of St. George’s—refer also to our Grotto Bay Sail and Swim in 2002. A fairly long walk from the cruise ship pier in St. George’s brings you to Captain Jerry’s sail boat, which he then maneuvers to a terrific snorkeling spot that matches the weather conditions of the particular day.  In this instance, we enjoyed the “sail” portion first, sailing out of St George’s and working our way to the North Shore of the Bermuda archipelago.  The best snorkeling spot for the weather conditions on this particular adventure was a small bay known as “Barracuda Cove”—a name that Captain Jerry did NOT tell us until the end of our swim!!

Barracuda Cove has a small, very clean and gently sloping beach at the south end that is easily reached from the anchorage of the sail boat.  The water is very shallow and clear, providing excellent visibility.  The northern entrance to the cove is marked by several rock outcrops which piece the surface of the water—easy to swim around on the cove side, but the water was more rough on the northern side facing out to the Atlantic.  

Fish sightings here were truly excellent.  Lots of Gillenborg (Bermuda’s own over-sized Parrot fish that are largely responsible for converting the reefs into Bermuda’s famous pink sand beaches), and a wide variety of other common cove/reef fish including Squirrel Fish, Damsel Fish, Sergeant Majors, French Grunts, Tomtates, etc…  However, we did not see any Butterfly Fish or Angel Fish on this particular trip. We noted an enormous number of smaller fish with brown stripes running longitudinally along their sides, which Captain Jerry informed us were “baby Barracuda” after our swim!! Mom and Papa Barracuda were not at all in evidence during our swim (thankfully). 

The sail boat ride back to St. George’s was under the vessel’s motor power, and included Captain Jerry’s narration of various points of interest that we passed. Sites included the only Prison on the Islands, and the Bermuda airport, the only other run-way in the world capable of landing the space shuttle should the need arise.

Snorkeling Grade: A