Explore Martinique By Catamaran

Arriving In Anse Mitan, Martinique

The sun was rising as we headed into Martinique.  We were sad to realize that this was the last port on our Windstar Caribbean cruise.  Our cruise ship was again anchored in the middle of the bay. This was both a pro and con of sailing with the smaller Windstar cruise ships. We saw the cruise port at Fort-de-France and two larger cruise ships docked. Our tenders took us to the small dock outside of Anse Mitan, across the bay from Fort-de-France. There was one cruise ship excursion to go into Fort-de-France. We booked the day trip to explore Martinque by catamaran.

Diamond Rock Catamaran pulled up right on the tender dock and 22 of us boarded for a 4.5 hour tour. There was lots of enclosed deck space and a large net area at the front for those not afraid of getting wet. Or losing their hats! When we boarded the boat, we could smell food cooking. Cookie was frying fish croquettes. Little did we know that we would feast throughout the trip.

We pulled out past the Windstar Star Pride and were off!

Sailing To Diamond Rock

As soon as we cleared the bay, the first mate with the manual assistance of David and a few other men raised the sails and we raced off. As we went along the coast to explore Martinique by catamaran, key sights were pointed out to us. We came back at a much slower pace and stopped often.

It was fun running along the waves. Dolphins had been spotted in the bay so everyone kept an eye out. We saw several potential spots but never did catch a dolphin or a ray. But we did see flying fish as they leaped.

As we slowed down, the captain pointed out Diamond Rock. The stark rock was off shore. If you looked at it just right, you might see King Kong’s face on one side.

The ship turned and headed back along the path we had come.

Snorkeling At Les Anses d’Arlet and Grande Anse d’Arlet

The first stop on our day to explore Martinique by catamaran was for snorkelling offshore from Les Anses d’Arlet.  We went scuba diving in Grenada on this trip and were happy to be heading back underwater.  The bay was full of boats all enjoying the crystal blue waters. The captain pointed us to a large rock in the bay and said there was much to see underwater. Unfortunately we got no underwater pictures this day.

On our last scuba dive in Grenada, moisture got into the underwater camera housing and the camera failed. An expensive day all around.

The area around the rock was crowded so we headed off in the direction someone had seen turtles. We never did catch a turtle at this spot but we did see a very large school of squid pass by.  We were happy to have seen turtles when we scuba dived in Grenada too!  Eventually we headed to the rock and were amazed at how much sealife there was around the rocks. An hour went by quickly before the captain called us all back onboard with his conch call.

The boat was moved to the next bay at Grande Anse d’Arlet. This looked like another resort area with lots of boats in the bay.

This area was known for turtles so we dropped into the water again. We stayed away from the others in the water and very soon David was pointing down. A turtle was munching away on the bottom. When he moved, we followed slowly as he swam with a bright yellow remora attached to his underside. At one point another turtle joined the first.

We had two great stops to snorkel on our day to explore Martinique by catamaran. As we slowly made our way back we saw people out as they enjoyed this great day. We saw the white sand beaches and the black volcanic sand beaches. Certainly lots of reasons to return to Martinique.

Our Fun Was Not Yet Done

There had been food and drink available since we arrived on the ship. But after our second snorkel stop, a broader spread was laid out. There was a lot of variety but we did have to pick through it to find the protein to keep us on our low carb diet.

When people had cleaned off all the trays of food, the captain pulled up the anchor. We motored slowly along the coast. He pointed out the white sand beach and in the next bay the volcanic black sand bay. There were two volcanos on the island. But neither were currently active.

Our final stop was at the bat cave. The dinghy was put in the water to take people to shore. David got in the boat to explore the cave. I decided I really didn’t need this excitement. In his pictures it was hard to even see the bats hanging in rows.

We settled in for the ride back to Anse Matin. We were so glad we chose to explore Martinique by catamaran for this port stop.

A Fun Day When You Explore Martinique By Catamaran

It was a great day to explore Martinique by catamaran. The weather was great with winds that let the captain open up the sails for our trip out. The sailing was fun before we turned back to slowly wander the shore. The two snorkel spots were good. I was sorry to miss getting pics of the turtles and squid.

We loved the chance to see this part of Martinique. It looked like the kind of place we would want to return to. The steep volcanic cliffs on the shore promised great scuba diving below the water.

The crew of the Diamond Rock were excellent hosts. They tried to make sure we had the best day possible. Food and drink through the day kept the group happy. We would definitely look these guys up if we return to explore Martinique by catamaran.

Have you tried to explore Martinique by catamaran? Did it tempt you to return to Martinique?

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