Barbados: Diving Spots and Tips
Beautiful Barbados is a wonderful diving location with 20 miles of reefs, abundant marine life and a wealth of wrecks that add interest. The reef is on the west side of the island and all the dive companies are based down this coast. Operators range from large multi boat set ups to experienced individual professionals. There’s a main recompression chamber serving the region and operators are regulated by the local dive association (PADO).
Barbados diving waters are fine for novice and experienced divers and some of the operators also run lessons. The size of dive party varies greatly amongst the operators from very small with near individual attention to very large, often with fairly short timed dives. There are also operators who specialise in dives with the best photographic opportunities.
There are some real sites around the reef, and the main wrecks have been cleared of potential traps to minimise risks for divers. The premier dive site is wreck of the SS Stavronikita. Other wrecks include the Pamir and a broken up one amidst the reef at Friars Craig. Carlisle Bay is one of the more popular Barbados diving locations and Brightledge Reef offers some great marine life. Barbados is a busy stop for Caribbean cruise ships and during high season the dive sites can become very crowded.
Climate considerations
Although the averages temperatures don’t vary greatly throughout the year being roughly around 80°, Barbados does have a wet and dry season and divers should consider local weather conditions. Rainfall is heaviest in May/June and October/November. Barbados diving weather can also be impacted by cold fronts coming down from the USA which bring cooler temperatures and rough water. Hurricane season is also a consideration of Barbados diving. Although, they can develop indiscriminately throughout the year, they are most frequent between July and November.
Filed under Barbados | Tags: Barbados, Caribbean, Diving | Comment (0)Barbados Nightlife
Whatever your preference for evening entertainment, Barbados delivers. There’s an extensive and varied nightlife to suit all ages, tastes and budgets. From the uber-modern thumping nightclubs to traditional evenings of Caribbean music and entertainment, the fun starts as the sun goes down.
Being the only town of any size on Barbados, the capital Bridgetown is a major focus of the island’s nightlife but all of the resorts and facilitated beach areas are well served to keep guests and residents entertained in the long warm nights. Most of the nightclubs are found in St. Lawrence Gap and many feature live local bands as well as DJ sets. Some hold karaoke evenings whilst others will organise theme nights.
Eating out in Barbados
There are many places that offer an evening combining dinner and music in a traditional themed event. This is a great chance to enjoy local food specialities that are a heady spicy mixture of Creole, classic French and rural African all enjoyed to a variety of music that is unmistakably Caribbean, namely the steel pan. Calypso, soca and reggae are all thrown into the mix for good measure, no doubt. For enjoying the food in peace and quiet, there are plenty of restaurants and bistros who will happily oblige with everything from cheap but tasty to exquisite fine dining. Enjoy swanky up market joints with fancy linen, pavement cafés where diners can soak in the local atmosphere and alfresco meals in picturesque oceanfront and quayside restaurants.
Out on the water
One of the most romantic ways to spend an evening in Barbados is a cruise around the coast. With the stars twinkling in cloudless skies and the moon lighting the way, joining a scheduled cruise or chartering a catamaran for a private evening for two is the perfect way to get close to a loved one.
Filed under Barbados | Tags: Barbados, Caribbean, Nightlife | Comment (0)Bridgetown: A bustling Caribbean Gem
Bridgetown is a very fitting capital for the beautiful Caribbean island of Barbados. It’s the only town of any size on the island and boasts a gorgeous natural harbour that’s the port of call for many of the world’s best cruise ships as well as being a draw for sleek millionaire yachts and endless pleasure craft. Not content with having a superb ocean waterfront there’s also the Constitution River that’s navigable by small boats.
As the island capital, Bridgetown is the commercial, financial, educational and cultural centre of Barbados with a host of attractions, tons of sights and loads of things to do. Sightseeing can even start at the airport where one of the retired Concorde fleet is on permanent display. There’s a wealth of historic buildings in Bridgetown reflecting its Caribbean setting and colonial past. The Gothic parliamentary building sits opposite National Heroes Square with its statue of Lord Nelson that’s older than the one in Trafalgar Square. The Barbados Garrison is an elegant Georgian building that’s home to the National Museum whilst one of the quirky sights is the huge Baobab tree that takes 15 people with arms outstretched to encircle it.
Shopping in Bridgetown
If you’ve only got time to visit one area of Bridgetown for shopping then it has to be Broad Street. As well as being in the heart of downtown and close to many of the city’s historical attractions, Broad Street is packed with duty free shops and department stores. Elsewhere, pedestrianised Swan Street has more of a local colour and flavour with a plethora of small vendors, Roebuck Street and Tudor Street have some great handicraft and artisan boutiques whilst the biggest craft store on the island is Pelican Village. The best place to buy Barbadian Rum is Mount Gay Rum Visitors Centre.
Filed under Barbados | Tags: Barbados, Bridgetown, Caribbean | Comment (0)