The price
From start to finish, this was a spectacular day out and one of the more memorable things that I would encourage everyone to enjoy. At a price of 6000 DOP per head, they billed it as an all-inclusive tour to Isla Catalina.
A little flexibility
The person who had sold us the tour to take us to the harbour picked us up at Jumbo. A little patience is required as the tour was due to leave at 9. But on arrival at the boat we were told it was to leave at 10. Being flexible when travelling is a key and this was no exception. What else was I going to do with the time anyway apart from relax and enjoy?
The hour passed quickly. Everyone was told the safety details and encouraged to put on our life jackets. Then we were off, sharing a lot of deck space with probably 30 other people. Soft drinks were available, beer and local cocktails would not be available until the island.
The Trip
The first stop was on the south side of the island where divers sharing the boat would have an hour in the water. The rest could snorkel in the beautiful clear waters with coral less than 6m below us. With fins and snorkels provided, many people quickly cooled downed by jumping in the water. Those who were not strong swimmers or wanted to just take it easy wore their life jackets, whilst others dived to get closer to the coral.
With the divers returning to the boat, we were soon off again travelling to the north side of the island. Here we would change to a smaller boat that would take us on to the beautiful beach of Isla Catalina.
Lunch
We arrived just at 1pm and we had a rum punch to start off with. The food was a buffet style, and with a good appetite having been at sea, there was plenty to go around. As we had left in the smaller boat, the divers had gone out for their second dive, For a fleeting moment, as an ex-diving instructor, I wish I had gone with them to this spectacular, protected diving ground.
With lunch over, it was time to swim again, enjoy a few more beers before the bar shut around 3pm and we were back on the boat. On the journey back was rum punch or soft drinks, depending on your preference.
An excellent day out and thoroughly recommended.
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