‘Day Dream’ Lived Up To Her Name
The Facts:
ACTIVITY: Charter Sail and Snorkel
TYPE: Swimming, Sailing, Snorkeling with lunch included.
LOCATION: PO Box 3252, #1010, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands, VG1110
WEBSITE: Kuralu Daysail Charters
We found Kuralu Daysail Charters and the Day Dream day cruise through reviews on Trip Advisor and we’re thankful we did. We came into Tortola on a recent Disney Fantasy Cruise and part of our reasons for choosing the Day Dream was the overwhelming praise for Kuralu charters getting folks back to port in plenty of time to meet the cruise ships before they left. Our sail started at 9am and ended at 4pm giving us plenty of time to return to the ship before ‘all aboard’ at 5:30pm.
Now I’ll start right off by saying I don’t snorkel, but my wife loves it. I enjoyed myself immensely both floating in the Caribbean and riding on this beautiful catamaran.
Our day of sailing included three snorkeling stops and a full lunch, which included vegetarian options. The vegetarian lunch option is one of the reasons why my wife chose this vessel and tour. The other reason she chose the Day Dream was because of their abundant shade from the Caribbean sun. Yes there is plenty of room to lay out and enjoy the sun but if you prefer to sit in the shade, there is plenty of it here for you.
Our captain, Dee and first mate, Katie were awesome for the entire trip. Always making sure we were plenty hydrated with a variety of soft drinks, beer, water and rum punch. Our first stop took just over an hour to get to and during that time we got a bit of a history lesson on the islands, the pirates who plundered these waters and some great background on “Treasure Island” and the dead man’s chest. Very informative and fun.
First stop was at Norman’s Island which is the real life “Treasure Island” on which the book was based. A couple of turtles greeted us as the boat was being secured in a bay area. We were given around an hour to enjoy this spot and my wife and her friend immediately really enjoyed the snorkeling in this area. I put on a pair flippers, grabbed a noodle and proceeded to swim around the area while submerging my GoPro camera. The water was just amazing. As we came back on board the boat, they had some honeydew melon waiting for us to get the salt water taste out of our mouths. Great touch.
Our next stop was in the same general area, but in a secluded bay between two islands. We again spent a little over an hour here and while the snorkeling wasn’t as good here, the water was crystal clear and enjoyable. Again, I just floated and swam on the surface with the GoPro underwater where I got some great video of a young barracuda. This is also where we had a nice lunch of a frittata, Italian cold cuts, a selection of cheeses, salad, breads and again, all the drinks we could handle. It was quite refreshing.
From here we headed to a rock formation known as “The Indians.” It’s part of a national park that includes underground caves that connect to the nearby island. This was by far the best snorkeling according to my wife. She said the fish were coming right up to her, swimming around her and she was having so much fun, she had to be summoned to the boat at the end of our 50 minutes. Now if you don’t plan to snorkel but just float and / or swim on the surface at this stop like I did, I highly recommend using fins because the current is stronger here than any of the other stops. You won’t get taken right out to sea, but you might have a harder time getting back to the boat without fins.
Then it was time to head back to shore where they delivered us to the dock promptly at 4pm. The Day Dream is a beautiful sailing vessel that gave us a nice smooth ride going to and from the snorkeling locations. I enjoyed sitting out on the trampolines out front and getting the breeze from the ocean. There are two stools on either side of the bow which are fantastic spots to sit and take photographs.
Whether you’re staying on the island or visiting via cruise ship, I would highly recommend the Day Dream for a great day exploring some of the islands around Tortola.
