Norman Island Snorkeling Report—The Indians

Ship’s Excursion out of Roadtown, Tortola, BVI

Ship: Norwegian Spirit (NCL)

Sailing Date: December 21, 2006

Date of Snorkel: December 29, 2006

Equipment Availability: We have our own which we take with us, but equipment included for loan on the tour was clean and well maintained, if considerably worn.

Water Access: Snorkeling and Diving Ladder off the back of the Dive Boat.

WARNING: Be sure to take your own bottled water or other form of liquid refreshment with you on this excursion—there is no bar or any other facilities for drinks on the boat.

NCL has changed the Norman Island trip to include both snorkelers and divers, now all transported to the site on the same boat.  Additionally, the boat is now a proper dive boat instead of a catamaran. Initially, we were disappointed with the officiousness of the Endeavor’s crew—all four of them (Andrea, Fred, Harry and Captain K.T. also known as Captain Kevin) seemed overly concerned with collecting passengers shoes before we so much as stepped on the boat, and insisting that we fill out their forms and sign them.  They must have asked us “did you fill out and sign the form?” at least 10 times apiece!! The poor divers in our group had even more PADI forms to fill out and were harassed far more than we were!  However, once Kevin began his indoctrination to the boat, everyone seemed to relax a bit; his attitude changed to a more chummy and humorous one, and the other crew members actually began to smile, with the exception of Dive Master Fred, who remained surly for the duration of the trip. The Endeavor took only 30 minutes to cross from Roadtown to Norman Island (a somewhat bouncy ride, but tolerable for most passengers) and featured two stops for snorkeling and diving alike.

Our first stop took us to the Pirates Restaurant, where we had drinks and a gift shop visit at the end of our excursion two years ago.  This time, the restaurant and gift shop were closed, so we snorkeled in the harbor (got some wonderful Squirrel Fish and Ballyhoo shots to boot) while others were taught how to snorkel and those new to diving had an opportunity to try out their new gear and learn how to use their equipment under water.

Our second stop was only 5 minutes away at a rock formation known locally as “The Indians”.  Christopher Columbus himself named this group of rocks for their shape, but we agree with Captain Kevin that “he must have been dipping rather deeply into the sacramental wine” on the day that he first named the formations in this area!  There are three rocks with good shallow shelves all the way around them, and a shallow gap in between the northern two, making for excellent snorkeling environment.  However, on the day of our snorkel, there was a lot of wave action, creating a strong surface current; one had to be careful not to be tossed into the rocks themselves!  We saw and photographed a wide variety of Jacks, Parrot fish and Damsel fish in all makes and models, Grunts, Snappers and a number of Rock Hinds, both camouflaged against the rocks and swimming in between them!

Snorkeling Grade: A+