Has anyone else had safety problems skinny dipping on the Boobs Cruise? Last year when we went on the Boobs Cruise they dropped everyone off in shallow water with a very small beach. This was great because you only had to swim back to the boat. It also made it possible to have a little bit of fun in the shallow water :69: :bj: This year when we went at the end of July they dropped everyone off in deep water. They told everyone that we could jump off and a few of us did right away. After a few minutes in the water we noticed the boat had drifted off a bit, the water was choppy, and we didn't have a life vest. This made it very difficult to swim back to the boat. That's when we realized they started handing out life vests, but we were far away from the boat at this point. I'm a very good swimmer and was struggling a bit. My wife is only an average swimmer and she struggled big time. I was yelling for a life vest but nobody could hear me. Luckily another guy was was close enough to us that she used his life vest until I was able to get her one. There were 4 people who swallowed water because of the water conditions and the boat floating off. Luckily everyone was fine, but this should be a warning to everyone. I really wish they would go back to skinny dipping on the beach. It doesn't sound very safe to have a bunch of drunk people jump off a boat naked into deep water :doh: I'm curious if any other cruises have had this problem.
The deep water area has huge currents, I am an avid diver not licensed but familiar with the ocean enough to treat her with respect. My girlfriend and i went last year, I took all my gear with me like a gear head, we did use life vests as well, when I looked at the fish, then up again, my girlfriend was more than 8 feet away from me, look down, then up and now 20 feet away. I would say less than 30-45 seconds between looking up and down. It does not take long to be swept aside in the currents at several of the locations they use. This is where the fish like to go against the current, by some coral, around the wall of the coral there is less current, but they get nutrients to live off of from the big currents. That is why most of the places that are good enough to see fish at, have larger currents. Feb 2013 they had a "no one gets in the water without a vest policy, even if your an Olympic swimmer" that should still be in affect. They also put out a giant ass rope for us, so when we did go skinny dipping with no vest the rope was close, 99% of us all went off the back end. I dont know if any other boats have the skinny dipping option as most of the other boats are prudish and just want to be on our naked boat anyway. Stay safe, the ocean will get you.
We went to TTR in February and booked the Boobs Cruise and we experienced the same exact thing... the current was ridiculously strong.. the misses doesnt know how to swim so she was about to jum in with a life vest.. good thing i decided to go before her and i noticed there was NO WAY IN HELL she was gunna make it back to the boat with that current... i thought maybe the current was just bad on that specific day but seems like thats not the case.. i didnt havea near death experience.. but i thank god that i am athletic n do alot of cardio.. cuz it took all my strength n energy to get back to that boat lol.. i too jumped in with no vest lol.. be careful out there everyone! Oh yeah .. that rope definitely helped too !
We were on that cruise too! Fortunately I wore a belt, but even with that on it wasn't easy! There were a couple women that were essentially rescued. One guy and his wife from Columbus had real problems. He wasn't a good enough swimmer to "save" her and himself. Fortunately, there were a couple folks with lifeguard training on this cruise. Hubs said no one on the boat could hear the screams for help. Things could have been much worse! Truly I am amazed that everyone made it back to the boat safely. Thankfully the crew recognized the problem and sent out life lines.
yikes......Andrew......you guys were the couple from Columbus weren't you! Im just looked at your pics. we have repeatedly thought of you and your beautiful wife........so glad you are home safe and sound! Kai
In April I went skinny dipping with no life vest, and while there were waves, and some current, it wasn't bad... There was a line off the back of the boat... I jumped off the front, we swam around for a few, drifted to the back of the boat, and used the rope to pull in...
Hmm, well a few things to add here. First thing to say is any activity is optional, if anyone has any reservations about doing anything then they shouldnt do it. Please remember we are cruising around the Caribbean Ocean not a 4 acre lake back home. We stop at two different places for swimming first for snorkeling and then skinny dipping. At the snorkel stop lifevests are mandatory because there can be strong currents. At the skinny dipping spot the water is as calm as you will find in the area and is about 8 feet deep. Granted you cant touch bottom but I wouldnt call it 'deep', it's hardly the Black Abyss. Here life vests are optional and we also have novelty floaties. If your wife is an average swimmer why would she go in without a life vest? They were clearly available as she made use of someone elses. I can assure you the boat has never 'drifted off'. For the skinny dipping the boat is anchored before anyone gets in the water. Anchored boats dont drift unless the conditions are severe and if they were that severe then we would have cancelled the skinny dipping anyway. For the snorkeling the boat is not anchored, we drop people at the start of the run and the current pulls them along the intended route. The boat is then moved to the end of the run to pick people up. This is intended to reduce the effort required since people should always be swimming with the current not against it. I can also say that we have never organised skippy dipping off a beach - we are not allowed. We may have had some people go into the water naked at the lunch time beach club but its never been an organised stop. Folks, take some responsibility for yourselves. If you are not a strong swimmer then stay out of the water, or at least take suitable saftey measures like a life vest. As Chinos says 'this is not Baywatch'.
The swimming part was our highlight of the cruise. We absolutely loved jumping off the front of the boat, swimming & bobbing in the ocean and holding onto the rope to catch our breaths when tired. We wish more people would have joined us, we had about 8 in the water and 6 of them were in our group. Crystal celar blue seas & warm Caribbean water.
In March I went on the Boobs Cruise. .. the wat3r was choppy and we were told if your not a really good swimmer stay on the boat.. I grew up 10 secs from the beach.. been thru hurricanes surfing and know the currents dangers... If you have been drinking it makes it worse. I have a brain.. I took a life jacket and realized it was tough to enjoy the water.. I got back on the boat. In july it was al9t calmer and got in the water.. its optional activity and you have to be accountable for your own actions. They provide a safe trip but they cant protect you from your own actions.. think before you swim..
