General: Barbados

From the air the island is in the shape of a pear. Graced by gently rolling hills, sugar cane fields and spectacular beaches - Barbados is one of the most densely populated islands in the Caribbean and visitors quickly experience small winding roads that strain with the weight of traffic as cars drive on the left hand side past pastel coloured homes, gardens, historic stone buildings, churches, statues and parks. As far as islands go, it is not very big, measuring only 166 square miles. First of all, the island actually sits just to the east of the Caribbean islands that arch down toward nearby South America.

The island is also unique with her mixture of English traditions and Caribbean style. Often called "Little England", the island is home to stone buildings, homes and churches built centuries ago. If one did not see nearby swaying palm trees you might be convinced you were in some UK neighbourhood.

Other similarities to England can be seen in the cricket fields, polo grounds and elegant restaurants where people pause for afternoon tea. But these highly educated people with their unique British/West Indies accent are proud of their vibrant nation and gladly welcome people to their shores and quickly make them feel at home.

The people of Barbados are often called by their nickname - Bajuns. They are proud of their ties to England and enjoy cricket and afternoon tea. People still wear light jackets for dinner, observe manners and speak with more of a British accent than a pure "West-Indies" accent found on other Caribbean Islands. For the most part the people are outgoing, friendly and very patient with visitors, one of the reasons so many people enjoy going to Barbados is the friendly people and the feeling that the resort or hotel they are staying in is part of the "neighbourhood".

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Diving
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The West Coast
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Almost all the diving takes place on the calmer waters of the West Coast, due to the rough seas of the Atlantic pounding the East Coast in spectacular fashion. The beaches are beautiful white sand and the sea a deep turquoise, calm and very inviting. There are several dive shops offering guided dives and dive packages as well as training if you require it. The majority of the centres are PADI but readily welcome other agency divers.

The diving is primarily on colourful, coral reefs and wrecks, teeming with fish of many colours and species. After a few dives you actually start to recognise the many varieties that live on these coral encrusted habitats. The depth can be selected to suit the dive party's experience and ranges from 6m to 50m.

It is the one location at which I managed to improve my underwater photography. The water is so clear and the many of the fish are used to divers, that they hang around for their pictures to be taken. There are three wrecks in Carlisle Bay, which can be done as a shore dive, even a night dive, and are only a short snorkel from the car park, lying in no more than 10m. The top of the wreckage is in about 4m and so you can easily spend a good hour or more moving back and forward getting a really good view of the fish and coral life without worrying too much about decompression.

Carlisle Bay is also the location of the old quarantine anchorage and some adventurous diving for the more experienced. At the deeper depths of 50m the reefs and sandy seabed are strewn with relics of the old sailing ships such as ancient wine bottles, cutlass sword handles and ships' debris, which makes for a really interesting, albeit short, dive, usually involving some decompression stops. The water is so warm doing stops almost becomes a pleasure.
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The East Coast
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Inspired by the ruggedness of this side of the island and its similarity to UK diving conditions, I managed to persuade a dive boat, on one trip to take us out for a dive on the reef near Sam Lord's Castle, a popular tourist attraction. The conditions were choppy, the dive boat quite unsuitable and once underwater the sea life quite disappointing. We realised why there were no dive centres on this side of the island and could not wait to return to the calm, warm waters of the west.

However, the rollers breaking onto the white sandy beaches and the backdrop of the tropical forests and plantations make this a must for a visit. There is the constant roar of the breakers on the beaches, the rugged outcrops of volcanic looking rock and some spectacular sunsets viewed from the hills around Bashaba.
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Tourist Attractions
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It is an ideal island for a family holiday since the kids can play on the beach until the diving is done and then an afternoon trip out in a 'mini moke' to one of the many attractions that can cater for all the family.

There are several plantations to visit with a huge variety of colourful flowers, zoological gardens with collections of the many animals to be found on the island, not to mention Harrison's Cave where you can catch a 'train' for a trip through the underground caves.

Bridgetown, the capital, offers a huge selection of shopping from the corner stalls to the typical department stores, all insisting that they are 'duty free'. There is a massive marina, where many of the dive boats operate from as well as the extensive parade of 'gin-palaces' that are worth an ogle.

Food is available from a vast selection of restaurants and side stalls, which can provide the hungry visitor with local snacks, Bajun cooking, Chinese, Italian and English fish & chips. A must for any adventurous eater is a trip to Oystons on a Friday night. Oystons is a district of the island to the Southwest and every Friday there is a fish barbecue on a massive scale.
The streets are crammed with folk cooking locally caught fish on BBQs and selling them to hungry onlookers at very reasonable prices. There are usually dance halls offering some exercise for those into rock & roll or even ballroom dancing. Well worth a visit, even to get just a glimpse of the local atmosphere and take some memorable pictures.

For those more into sampling the local spirits then a trip to the rum factories is a must. There are several companies producing the famous Barbados Rum and they offer guided tours around their grounds, with an English-speaking guide, at a very reasonable price. They always end up in the bar with free samples to test and a chance to buy your going-home presents. For a few extra Bajun dollars these tours can provide you with a lunch of local dishes all cooked in rum and washed down with rum punch, as much as you can drink.

If you are not into spirits then is must be the locally brewed Banks Beer. Everyone drinks Banks; in fact to find any other beer on the island is almost impossible. It is a typical light lager beer, which you just have to drink to quench your thirst on those hot days lying in the sun.

What ever you want from a family holiday Barbados will be able to provide it. If it the beach and sea or the tourist trips there are plenty to occupy you. If you want the reef and wreck diving you could not get much better than the easy access, warm calm conditions of the Caribbean water around Barbados.