Antigua Reef Riders Self-Drive Boat and Snorkeling Tour

Hi Ralph Thank you for your feedback. As you say, the weather this March has been strange here in Antigua. It’s been unseasonably windy and the seas uncharacteristically choppy, although only on 3 occasions this month have we had to postpone tours due to bad weather. Our ribs are specially designed to get our guests safely out to Cades Reef, one of the best places to snorkel in Antigua. Sometimes the weather means that guests have to compromise a little on comfort, but we never compromise on safety. The tour is called the Reef Rider Snorkeling Adventure, as as we say, some days have more adventure than others. Unfortunately, I can’t control weather. If I could, then I’d control the world, not just a small family business trying to get through the lasting economic effects of covid on an island wholly dependent upon tourism. We have taken over 20,000 guests out to the reef in small personal groups over the last 7 years and I have met and conversed with 99% of them. We take people of all ages and abilities from 5 to 95, and whilst I wouldn’t have recommended our tour on that particular day to a frail 95 year old (in some of the best sea conditions that we’ve had for weeks!) I wouldn’t have thought that a sprightly 70 year old, who only recently stopped playing baseball and regularly hunts deer on his 200 acre farm would have found our conditions too rough. If at any time before the tour you had expressed any concerns about the conditions then we would have waived the 24 hours notice and cancelled your tour and at the end of the tour, had you expressed any dis-satisfaction to me on our trip back to your resort, then we could have discussed it face to face. I am usually a great judge of whether people will enjoy our tour before the tour, and my motto is that “I never force people to go out and have fun”. It appears that your experience of Antigua as a whole has been tainted by the weather that in your words “was not and has not been conducive to other than the younger generation”. If you come back to Antigua, and the sea is flat and the wind is calm (tip - Usually May - September) then give us a call, and I’ll personally take you out as my guest, and you can update me on the progress of your new lake.

Thank you for your kind review. It’s great to be back out on the water again! I know Tiggr enjoyed your tour. We’re glad you appreciated our new COVID-19 protocols which mean you wear a mask on land but once in the water you don’t need one on our perfect social-distancing friendly tour.

Peter Thank you for your review. I have to hold my hands up. That day didn't go well. I specifically remember your phone call in the morning and the answer I gave you was based on all of the information I had at the time and my detailed local knowlege of the winds and currents in the area. The weather, although not great that morning was well within our normal operating parameters. We had an engine overheating problem that did not manifest itself during the pre-tour start up checklist. Despite making an attempt to clear the tell-tale the engine continued to overheat so we found ourselves 1 boat short. (As I write this problem is still not resolved after replacing water pump impellor, thermostat and getting a strong tell-tale!) As Tiggr's boat has 2 passenger seats we offered you the chance to ride with him. Tiggr is usually quite charming and any guest that rides with him is usually very pleased that they had their own personal tour guide riding with them, however Tiggr's boat is much lighter than a regular Reef Rider and is therefore affected more by adverse "bouncy" conditions. With regard to our equipment, we issue everybody with a type 3 personal floatation device and during our detailed safety briefing explain that the straps need to be tight if you enter the water using one. The alternative is those horrible snorkel vests with straps that go between your legs but they are not hygenic in a rental environment. We can also offer snorkel belts if anybody requests them but find that these can force peoples heads into the water, so we don't routinely issue them. I agree that our facilities here in Antigua are not what we would wish for. We have been waiting years for our landlord to build his promised facilities. I would love nothing more than to be able to greet you in an air-conditioned store and sell t-shirts and sunscreen etc but our location here in the marina is perfect for our tour and the view of the marina from under our tent is beautiful. The tent is there to provide shade during our safety briefing and a little shelter if it rains. The lack of our own toilets or at least ones within the average cruise ship passengers walking distance is a constant bind but we are always happy to shuttle people down to the rest rooms, usually on our speedy little golf cart. On this particular day we shuttled you 250 yards to the restroom in our new Audi Q7 SUV that we purchased specifically to shuttle groups of 6 through the marina grounds. As a fellow boater I respect your opinion on the weather. You more than most therefore know that the weather can change rapidly. That's why we operate on the leeward west coast of the islands and never too far offshore. On a calmer day I am sure you and your wife would have had a great time. During cruise ship season then at least 40% of our guests are seniors and of varied physical ability and we endevour to make sure they all have a great time. If you are planning on coming back to Antigua then please do come back and visit us again and Tiggr will take you out free of charge as his personal guest, this time on your own boat. In the meantime I will reach out to Viator and ask them to refund 50% of the cost of the tour.