Bermuda boat tours put you on the water around the Dockyard and the Great Sound, from a glass-bottom boat to a sailing catamaran or a boat of your own. Some need you to swim; the glass bottom, the sunset sail and the helmet dive do not.
Three and a half hours under sail from the black-and-white star on the pier, with a swim in a cove, paddleboards and kayaks at anchor, and fresh cookies. Not advised for non-swimmers.
From $95 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A private catamaran for up to 15 from Front Street in Hamilton or King's Wharf, with a restroom, a sound system for your playlist, a grill and paddleboard gear. Per group; food is ordered ahead.
From $1,175 per group (up to 15)
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A 50-foot catamaran for ninety minutes around sunset, with live commentary, juice and unlimited rum swizzles, and cookies baked on board. The full bar costs extra. No swimming, so anyone can come.
From $70 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Ninety minutes over the reef, the seagrass and the wreck of HMS Vixen, all seen through the hull. Nobody gets wet, and there is a cash bar on board. You step on and off the boat.
From $78 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Glass bottom first, then a stop in shallow water near a wreck where you can wade or snorkel. Three hours with gear, flotation and a cash bar. Food and towels are not in the fare.
From $105 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Three hours to two offshore wrecks and the reef around them, gear and flotation supplied, from age 5. Rough seas move the trip inshore, to a shallower wreck and a shoreline reef.
From $105 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Three hours on a large sailing catamaran from the Dockyard Watersports Centre, with a swim stop, kayaks and paddleboards. Soft drinks all trip and a rum swizzle after the swim; bring your own towel.
From $111 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A catamaran for three and a half hours, with a guide, snorkel gear, and kayaks and paddleboards first come, first served. One rum swizzle is included and the bar sells the rest.
From $111 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The small-boat option: ten guests at most, a reef and a wreck in two and a half hours, and a captain who shows you how the gear works. Minimum age 7; food and towels are not included.
From $127 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Walk the sea floor for 30 to 40 minutes wearing a diving helmet, with your head dry. The boat has a bathroom, a changing room and shade. From age 5, wheelchair accessible, wetsuits when the sea is cool.
From $155 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
One hour on a private boat for up to ten at the end of the day, with a gallon of homemade rum swizzle, water and floats. Bring your own drinks for the cooler; the price is for the whole group.
From $500 per group (up to 10)
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Three hours on a private boat for up to eight, with the captain's history of the coast, snorkel gear and pool noodles. Cruise passengers are collected at 4 Camber Road in the Dockyard.
From $800 per group (up to 8)
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A private boat and captain for three hours: an hour of cliff jumping and caves in Pembroke, then two more stops in the west. Noodles, ice and water are on board; order the rum swizzle ahead.
From $900 per group (up to 10)
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The reef, the seagrass and the wreck of HMS Vixen seen through the hull, with a cash bar and no need to swim. It leaves the Dockyard Watersports Centre.
Check availabilityA boat tour is any trip you take on the water rather than the road: a glass-bottom boat, a snorkel boat, a sailing catamaran, a sunset sail, the helmet dive or a private charter. Almost all of them start at the Royal Naval Dockyard, a short walk from the cruise berths, and last from one hour to three and a half.
They head for the reefs, the wrecks and the coves of the Great Sound and the west end. What you do there depends on the boat: look through the hull, swim with a mask, walk the sea floor in a helmet, jump off a cliff, or sit on the deck with a rum swizzle while the sun goes down.
The glass-bottom boat, the sunset sail and the helmet dive keep you dry or keep your head dry. The helmet dive takes children from 5 and describes itself as wheelchair accessible, the only trip here that does.
Bermuda's coral and its wrecks sit out on the reef line. The HMS Vixen, the Constellation and the Montana are boat stops, not beach walks.
Most boats run ninety minutes to three and a half hours and start near the ships. You can sail in the morning and still have the afternoon for the Dockyard or Hamilton.
The private boats are priced per group. Split ten ways, the sunset boat comes to about $50 each and the cliff-jumping charter about $90.
The other way to spend a ship day is a coach or minibus across the island. Here is how the two compare.
| A boat tour | An island drive | |
|---|---|---|
| What you see | Reefs, wrecks, coves, the coast | The lighthouse, beaches, Hamilton, St. George's |
| Fare, per person | $70 to $155 | $66 to $80 |
| Time | 1 to 3.5 hours | 4 to 6 hours |
| Swimming | Optional, depending on the boat | None |
| Weather | Stays in for heavy rain or thunder | A covered coach |
| Starts at | The Dockyard, near the ships | The cruise pier |
Check the sunset sail from $70
Plenty of visitors do both on a long day: a morning drive, then an evening sail. The Bermuda island tours compare every drive, and the Bermuda snorkeling tours every trip with a swim.
Thirty to forty minutes under the water in a diving helmet, from a boat with a bathroom and shade. From age 5, and wheelchair accessible.
Check availabilityHow the season changes the water is in our guide to the best time to visit.
Would you rather stay on land? Every drive and walk is compared on Bermuda Tours.