The emphasis of this tour is on the ecology and history of the area. The warm, clear waters, protected by over twenty little islands, countless reefs, flats and mangrove nurseries are always calm and there are perfect opportunities for spotting some of the local residents, including Turtles, Frigate Birds, Herons, Pelicans, Spotted Eagle Rays, Sting Rays, Barracuda, Osprey, Turns, Noddies, Laughing Gulls, and the beautiful Tropic Birds. The crew will talk about local flora and fauna and the interesting scientific turtle project at Jumby Bay, and guests will be entertained by their anecdotes and stories of local history and folklore.
After picking you up from St. Johns you will spend approximately one hour on the boat with a talk of Long Island (turtle project), Maiden Island (reef ball system), Guiana Island (mangrove system) and then you head to Bird Island where you get off the boat and do a short walk/hike up to the top of the island. The walk takes 25 - 30 mins (round trip), and will offer you views that are absolutely stunning of both the Atlantic, North Sound and the north coast of Antigua and the Caribbean Sea as well as interesting things along the way. When you come back from the hike, there is a short snorkeling lesson to those persons that are not up to date with their snorkeling. All equipment is supplied and crew members will accompany both guided snorkeling sessions after lunch. Everyone then gets back onto the boat and we head out into the bay of the island and spend the next 40 minutes enjoying a local lunch, usually featuring BBQ chicken, green salad, pasta w/olive oil and garlic, plantain (a type of banana that you cook) and for desert there is the most delicious banana bread. We also have passion fruit juice, tamarind juice (tastes like ice-tea w/apple juice), diet coke, coke, and water.
After lunch, we head to Hell's Gate Island, where you have a choice to either go snorkeling or swim ashore to the island (short swim) and do a walk through the small cave that runs through the island, and then walk over the natural bridge that connects two small parts of the island. Time at/on the island lasts between 30-40 minutes. After the Hell's Gate experience is finished, we then head back to a reef off of Bird Island where you can go snorkeling again or if you simply want to relax, there is plenty of shade on the boat and of course, easy ladders for those of you who fancy a refreshing dip for approximately 30minutes. After this last snorkeling session, we head slowly back to St John, into the setting sun, while the crew's "secret recipe" rum punch is presented to make a perfect end to a perfect day.
The boat itself is extremely spacious and comfortable and has a fresh water shower and a restroom. The number of guests on the tour is deliberately kept low to enhance the feeling of luxury. You will leave this tour feeling that you have been welcomed into a very special community of the most privileged visitors to Antigua and Barbuda: those who have had a taste of what is really means to have grown up in the islands, and have been let into the "secrets of the North Sound."
