Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas (NCL Private Island)

Ship: Norwegian Dawn (NCL)

Sailing Date: December 28, 2003

Date of Snorkel: Thursday, January 1, 2004 AND December 31, 2005

Equipment Availability: we have our own which we take with us, but fins, masks and snorkels (no vests) could be arranged on board the ship or on the island for your convenience ($25 charge to your on-board account).

Water Access: Beach

What a way to spend New Year’s Day! We have had very good luck snorkeling off a cruise line’s private island before (Catalina—Celebrity’s) and this one was no exception!  However, since this was a winter sailing, be warned that even the Southern waters can be chilly at this time of year—we were very glad for wearing our wet suits.

Tenders take passengers from the ship to the beach, which is divided into two roughly equal parts by the tender lane.  Theoretically, the beach front is divided in half with boating and raft floating only allowed on the right side and swimming and snorkeling permitted on the left (as you look at the beach from the water).  We had no trouble snorkeling on both sides as long as we did not transgress into the tender lane.  There is a small island off the right side which has deeper water (15-30 feet) on its seaward side; large schools of fish here were more numerous but not as varied—mostly Yellowtail and Mutton Snappers, with some Squirrel Fish and Grunts (both French and Cesear varieties) mixed in.  The left side is much shallower (3-10 feet) and featured many more varieties of fish, although all were far less in quantity.  We photographed Regal Tangs, Doctorfish, Silver Porgies, Puddingwife and several mated pairs of Banded Butterfly Fish. Four resident stingrays were a major attraction for all and a large barracuda seemed to be having a blast swimming in between the legs of those passengers simply walking through the shallow water!   One of the walkers asked Peg what was “that thing” brushing up against his leg.  Peg just answered “a large fish”; she didn’t have the heart to tell him it was the Barracuda!  They won’t bite at anything larger than their mouths anyway.  NCL has sunk several large irregularly shaped blocks of concrete on the left side of the beach area (again, as one looks at it from the water) to develop an artificial reef, so this site will only improve with time.

Beach amenities included the standard BBQ set up (three enclosures to keep the lines for food short), an expansive area with picnic tables and trash bins, two large bathroom and shower facilities (one at each end of the beach front), bars (yes, you can use your on-board card), numerous deck/beach chairs and umbrellas.  Compared to Celebrity’s Catalina facility, NCL’s Stirrup Cay was better in virtually every respect.

Snorkeling Grade: A+