Shipwrecks, Turtles, and More in Carlisle Bay, Barbados

I’d been to Barbados four or five times already, so it wasn’t exactly new on my six-stop Eastern Caribbean cruise. The island had plenty to admire—history, culture, scenery—but this time I did what I could’ve done anywhere in the region: hit the beach and go snorkeling

Carlisle Bay Beach was a no-brainer—just a five-minute taxi ride from the cruise port. For $35, I scored a chaise and umbrella steps from the water, a complimentary rum drink, plus a guided snorkel to not one, but two shipwrecks. And yes, sea turtles were basically a promise.

The mile-long beach sat at the far end of crowded Bridgetown, Barbados’s capital. White sand, calm water, blazing sun, water sports—it checked every Caribbean box. And, inevitably, so did the winter crowds.

The numbers didn’t feel overwhelming until we crammed onto a pontoon boat for the short ride to our first stop, the Berwyn. In the water, at least two other snorkeling groups hovered over the century-old wreck. Hundreds of arms and legs churned around me, a frantic tangle of fins and flailing limbs. Somewhere in the chaos, a guide shouted directions to the Bajan Queen, a larger wreck nearby—but I never heard a word.

I circled the Berwyn again and again. The coral-encrusted wreck was remarkably intact, still unmistakably the French tugboat it once was. Anticipating kibble, clouds of jacks and sergeant majors swarmed us. A lone scrawled filefish posed obligingly for photos. Below, a guide dived twenty feet to the seafloor, pointing out a kaleidoscope of corals.

Back on the boat, we set off to find turtles—though “set off” is generous. We never ventured more than a few minutes’ swim from the beach and our chaises. Tarpon — long, thick-bodied lunkers —hovered expectantly, crowding us as we jumped back in the bay. I spotted a turtle and lunged for a shot, only to be stopped cold by a guide’s hand clamped around my right ankle.

“Don’t scare my turtles,” he admonished me.

Fair enough. I got my photos anyway—but the green sea turtle bolted, dropping to the seafloor to wait us out. The rest of the snorkelers were left peering down at two motionless turtles, far below, blurred by lousy light.

This island was just the first of five stops on my Caribbean cruise—a week of vivid landscapes above and below sea level, packed with unforgettable wildlife encounters. Barbados was a perfectly pleasant beginning. No more, no less. No problem.