Castle Harbor—on the Harbor side of the Atlantic Ocean Sea Wall

East End Snorkeling Excursion out of St. George’s

Ship: Zenith (Celebrity Cruises)

Sailing Date: July 24, 2004

Date of Snorkel: July 28, 2004

Equipment Availability: we have our own which we take with us, but Captain Kirk (Yes—for all Star Trek fans—that really is his name, and his crew all dress in Red Shirts too!) and the Crew of the “Sundeck Two” have a large and wide ranging supply of snorkels, masks, fins and vests available. Vests are mandatory for all Children and Adults on this excursion.

Water Access: Two Swim Platforms with ladders at the back of the Boat.

We have done the East End Snorkeling excursion many times before and have always enjoyed it.   However, this time was different.  Instead of taking us to Charles Island (one of our most favorite snorkeling spots in Bermuda—see previous reviews), we had to go to their alternative site of Castle Harbor due to strong winds and heavy seas in the Charles Island area.  The trips out and back were not much fun for anyone prone to seasickness, but it is worth 20 minutes of discomfort for the snorkeling experience.

Castle Harbor lies at Bermuda’s East End.  Many are familiar with it since it boasts the residence of Ross Perrot.  As one enters the harbor area, there are several small beaches, and Derek and I made a mental note of them for next year.  This would be an ideal spot to reach by rented boat on our own and snorkel/picnic to our heart’s content! No beach in Bermuda is considered “private” as long as you reach it from the water! The snorkeling site begins at a small wooden pier (where someone has deposited a Pacific Ocean Lion Fish that hangs out among the pier’s pylons—Be Warned—it is poisonous, but beautiful to see) and extends for about 250-300 yards all along the sea wall.  The waters are very well protected and remarkably calm—there is no current to speak of.  Rocks with small corals and thick algae growth line the sea wall and a gorgeous coral garden spreads out some 20 yards or so beyond the wall all along its length extending into the harbor area.  Captain Kirk recommended we follow a zigzag swimming course to the far end of the sea wall, and then continue zigzagging on our way back.  He was absolutely right!  The corals here are magnificent—the best we have seen in Bermuda in terms of variety, development and coloration.

Sixty fellow snorkelers of varying ages and experience were our companions on this trip.  Their presence made for deteriorating visibility as the trip went on, but given that the site is so spread out, we were able to get away from them most of the time and snorkel in other areas when they had not disturbed the algae growth and obscured the site. One kicked Peg very badly in the leg early on and she got a cramp that initially appeared to kill the trip for her.  But one of the Sundeck Two crew came along (complete with his red T-shirt) and showed Peg how to stretch out her leg, grabbing her fin with the same-sided hand, so as to work out the cramp and keep going!  Thank You, Sir! A trick to be most definitely remembered for future reference!

Adult Fish were rare on this trip given the damage to Bermuda created by Hurricane Fabian, but we saw some (including several gorgeous Princess Parrots and a few smaller Gillenborg), along with many juvenile varieties. The Tangs and Damsel Fish were particularly cooperative in posing for photographs, along with numerous Sergeant Majors—the unquestionable camera-hams of the reef world!

 Snorkeling Grade: A-/B+