A bus took us from the Freeport cruise ship dock to the kayak center, where we split into two groups of 10 each and transferred to smaller vans, each pulling a trailer full of two-man kayaks. Our guide Chad was excellent, and he kept up a running commentary about Freeport, the Bahamas, and life in general as we drove to Barbary Beach, which is on the south central coast of Grand Bahama Island.
We donned life jackets, loaded our gear into the provided waterproof bags, listened to a few minutes of instruction, and we were off for the 15-30 minute paddle (depending on how good you were) to Peterson Cay, the smallest national park in the Bahamas. The water was flat, and the paddling was easy. Arriving at the cay, we had a snack and went snorkeling for about an hour. The water was crystal clear and refreshing after paddling, and the reef fish were colorful and fun to watch. The two guides pointed out starfish and unsuccessfully tried to find a lobster. Returning to the beach, we wolfed down sandwiches, cold drinks, and cookies to get ready for our paddle back to Barbary Beach.
The vans took us straight back to the Carnival Fantasy. We were exhilarated, but exhausted. It was a fun day from our fun ship!
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