Ocho Rios

Another popular destination for a Caribbean vacation is Ocho Rios, a city of Jamaica. Like other cities, reggae music is extremely popular in Ocho Rios and is like a part of their culture. For history buffs, there is even a museum for reggae called Reggae Xplosion and this museum is dedicated to the movement of the people and their local culture and the effect of reggae music on people. The religion of the Caribbean ‘Rastafari’ is also featured in the museum. Interestingly, even though the main genre of music here is reggae, Ocho Rios is the proud sponsor of the annual Ocho Rios Jazz festival which is normally held in the summer months mainly June and is a week long. Some of the most famous jazz musicians attend this festival and it has been sponsoring this events since 1991.

Ocho Rios is also well known for scuba diving and other water sports. Another big attraction here is the Dunn’s River Falls which is approximately 700 feet high and visitors spend time in climbing the falls. It is recommended to book a cottage or villa so you can get to see the island’s local culture and witness is first hand. For those looking to stay at some great resorts or hotels, should look at the all-inclusive Couples Sans Souci Resort & Spa, Sunset Grande Jamaica at Ocho Rios, Couples Tower Island, the newly built RIU Hotels Ocho Ríos and Sandals Grande Ocho Ríos to name a few.

Snorkeling

Snorkeling is another activity that is gaining a lot of interest. It is available on any Caribbean Island and that is because the Caribbean has some amazing waters all around. Snorkeling is a really fun sport to engage in. The waters are so clear and blue and normally calm so you don’t have to worry about tidal waves. But since the water is so clear, you will be able to see very clearly under water and see the amazing ocean life. Snorkeling is not a new sport as many may think; it has been around for some time and the interest for it had been down. But again, there is a lot of interest in it and it is starting to gain momentum. Snorkeling needs some specialized gear which includes a mask and a snorkel which is a tube. Snorkeling normally happens near the surface of the ocean and thus is relatively safe and not very risky. Since the gear is light, you don’t have to be bogged down, rather you feel comfortable and this is important for a good experience.

Snorkeling can also be performed in the nighttime. But if you do want to experience this, then you need to have a sort of chemical light which will be used to guide your way and give you some ambience light and warn other boats that may be also in the water from coming to your direction. You should also have a torch which is designed to travel underwater and this helps you look at the ocean life and marine species.

Even though snorkeling is relatively safe, risks still do exists, even though they are minimal, and you should be aware of the things that could go wrong or things that can make you uncomfortable. The main thing to be careful about is getting flooded by water in the facial area or mask and this is called mask flooding. Another thing is that your ears may experience a sort of pressure build up due to pressure from you staying underwater and lastly you will not have the best view since you are close to the surface and ocean floor can be very deep. You should also look for corals as these have sharp edges and they can be a danger to you as you could get cut or scratched by them. Another thing you should beware of creatures in the sea such as sea urchins and sometimes eels as they could be poisonous and a sting would require immediate medical assistance. But just take the necessary precautions and you should have a great time snorkeling in the Caribbean on your Caribbean vacations!