Fajardo’s Cayo Icacos: Honest Snorkeling Cruise Review
So, you’re thinking about taking a snorkeling cruise to Cayo Icacos from Fajardo, Puerto Rico? It’s almost like everyone who visits hears about these trips, that, is, that they’re basically *the* thing to do. Yet you’re probably wondering if it lives up to the hype, very, very understandable. Well, you’ve come to the right spot! I took the plunge, literally and figuratively, and I’m here to give you my honest take on the whole adventure, alright. From the boat ride to the snorkeling, even the slide (yes, a slide!), and, of course, the lunch, I’ll cover it all so you can decide if it’s the right trip for you, is that so great, right?
Booking the Cruise: Finding the Right Fit
Okay, so, first things first: booking. The Cayo Icacos snorkeling cruise has a lot of companies offering similar trips, it’s almost like a whole industry, alright? A little searching will reveal you have several options. From big catamarans to smaller, speedboat-style boats, there’s a cruise for practically everyone, it’s true. I ended up going with a mid-sized catamaran tour, just a little bigger, as it seemed to offer a good balance between space and a more personal vibe. The booking process itself was fairly simple. Most companies have pretty easy-to-use websites where you can see available dates, that, is, times, and even read reviews from past adventurers, more or less informative. Pro tip: book in advance, particularly if you’re traveling during peak season, such as summer or around the holidays, you know, to avoid disappointment. We did wait ’til a day before, we’ll never do that again, virtually guaranteed!
The Boat Ride: Smooth Sailing?
Okay, once you have booked the cruise it is finally adventure time. Getting to the marina in Fajardo early is so important to find parking. From the marina to Cayo Icacos is probably like a thirty-minute boat ride, in a way more or less a half-hour. Now, the ride itself can vary based on the sea conditions. Thankfully, the day I went it was beautifully sunny, and yet the waves were calm, typically, so it was actually rather pleasant. The crew kept the energy up with music and even little jokes. Of course, the stunning views of the Puerto Rican coastline, just a little spectacular, didn’t hurt either. We also heard, still, safety briefings with information on what to expect, as I was saying that always puts my mind at ease. Word to the wise; take seasickness medicine if you know that you get easily nauseous on boats, and stuff. One of the other women on our trip felt slightly awful about halfway through, arguably avoidable with some meds and crackers and stuff, anyway.
Snorkeling Time: Exploring the Reef
Okay, what you’re really interested in: snorkeling! This stop, really, made the trip for me. Cayo Icacos is, well, famous for its vibrant coral reefs and abundant marine life. So, grabbing a mask, snorkel, and fins, the whole gang were ready to explore, definitely buzzing! We split ourselves into groups of who would use vests and who could handle it without. When in doubt, grab a vest! While snorkeling is definitely beginner-friendly (they give you instructions), that being said, you do want to be a pretty comfortable swimmer so that you aren’t exhausted within five minutes, yet something to consider, as a matter of fact. I personally got to see so many things while I was enjoying the ocean. The rainbow of colored fish darting among the coral formations, such, as, like, blue tangs, parrotfish, and sergeant majors, were fantastic! So, visibility was really pretty good that day, which helped make it even more amazing. Pro-tip: don’t get too close to the coral! Of course, we should preserve this delicate ecosystem. I actually learned that you could get some gnarly cuts if you touch it, next.
Lunch and Fun in the Sun: More Than Just Snorkeling
After you finish all that hard-core snorkeling and stuff, you can look to lunch as an energy boost, that. Lunch is included with most cruise packages. Don’t anticipate Michelin star cuisine though; very, very little. We could eat pasta salad, rice and beans, a roll, and BBQ chicken. To be real, there are enough carbs for energy after swimming and stuff. In any case, with some companies lunch isn’t so great, arguably. Drinks, you know, water, soda, and rum punch (of course) flowed pretty freely. We spent some time swimming and just soaking up the sun as our lunch finished, that’s the plan. Lots of tours had a slide which made for so great pictures of our kids that, too it’s almost priceless to me, anyway. It actually can get crowded on the island because multiple tours pull in during the same time, usually in short, expect to share your bit of paradise with a bunch of others doing the same thing as you.
The best day tours take 4-7 hours in total depending on how fast and how far you went on the water, naturally.