Deep-Sea Fishing -- The fishing is first-rate in the waters around Barbados, where anglers pursue dolphin (mahimahi), marlin, wahoo, barracuda, and sailfish, to name only the most popular catches. There's also an occasional cobia. The Dive Shop, Pebbles Beach, Aquatic Gap, St. Michael (tel. 800/693-3483 or 246/426-9947), can arrange half-day charters for one to six people, costing $350 per boat (including all equipment and drinks). A whole-day jaunt goes for $700.
Golf -- Open to all are the trio of 18-hole championship golf courses of the Sandy Lane Hotel, St. James (tel. 246/444-2000), on the west coast. Greens fees are $220 in winter and $200 in summer for 18 holes, or $60 year-round for 9 holes. Carts and caddies are available.
Another option, the Royal Westmoreland Golf & Country Club, Westmoreland, St. James (tel. 246/422-4653), is one of the island's premier golf courses. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., this $30 million, 18-hole course is spread across 200 hectares (500 acres) overlooking the Gold Coast. It is part of a private residential community. For either 9 or 18 holes, greens fees cost $190 U.S., including use of an electric golf cart. A full set of clubs rents for $60.
Hiking -- The Barbados National Trust (tel. 246/426-2421) offers popular Sunday morning hikes throughout the year. Led by young Bajans and members of the National Trust, the hikes cover a different area of the island each week, giving you an opportunity to learn about Barbados' natural beauty. The guides give brief talks on subjects such as geography, history, geology, and agriculture. The hikes, free and open to participants of all ages, are divided into fast, medium, and slow categories, with groups of no more than 10. All hikes leave promptly at 6am, are about 8km (5 miles) long, and take about 3 hours to complete. There are also hikes at 3:30 and 5:30pm, the latter conducted only on moonlit nights. For more information, contact the Barbados National Trust.
In 1998, Barbados created a nature trail that explores the natural history and heritage of Speightstown, once a major sugar port and even today a fishing town with old houses and a bustling waterfront. The Arbib Nature & Heritage Trail takes you through town, the mysterious gully known as "the Whim," and the surrounding districts. The first marked trail is a 8km (4.7-mile) trek which begins outside St. Peter's Church in Speightstown, traverses the Whim, crosses one of the last working plantations in Barbados (Warleight), and leads to the historic 18th-century Dover Fort, following along white-sand beaches at Heywoods before ending up back in town. Guided hikes are offered on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. For information and reservations, call the Barbados National Trust, and ask for a trail map at the tourist office.
The rugged, dramatic east coast stretches about 26km (16 miles) from the lighthouse at Ragged Point, the easternmost point of Barbados, north along the Atlantic coast to Bathsheba and Pico Teneriffe. This is the island's most panoramic hiking area. Some hardy souls do the entire coast; if your time is limited, hike our favorite walk, the 6km (4-mile) stretch from Ragged Point to Consett Bay, along a rough, stony trail that requires only moderate endurance. Allow at least 2 1/2 hours. A small picnic facility just north of Bathsheba is a popular spot for Bajan families, especially on Sundays. As for information, you're pretty much on your own, although if you stick to the coastline, you won't get lost.
Horseback Riding -- A different view of Barbados is offered by the Caribbean International Riding Centre, St. Andrew, Sarely Hill (tel. 246/422-7433). With nearly 40 horses, Mrs. Roachford and her daughters offer a variety of trail rides for all levels of experience, ranging from a 1 1/2-hour jaunt for $60 to a 2 1/2-hour trek for $90. You'll ride through some of the most panoramic parts of Barbados, including the hilly terrain of the Scotland district. Along the way, you can see wild ducks and water lilies, with the rhythm of the Atlantic as background music.
Scuba Diving & Snorkeling -- The clear waters off Barbados have a visibility of more than 30m (100 ft.) most of the year. More than 50 varieties of fish are found on the shallow inside reefs, and there's an unusually high concentration of hawksbill turtles. On night dives, you can spot sleeping fish, night anemones, lobsters, moray eels, and octopuses. Diving is concentrated on the leeward west and south coasts, where hard corals grow thick along the crest of the reef, and orange elephant ear, barrel sponge, and rope sponge cascade down the drop-off of the outer reef.
On a 2km (1 1/4-miles) -long coral reef 2 minutes by boat from Sandy Beach, sea fans, corals, gorgonians, and reef fish are plentiful. J.R., a dredge barge sunk as an artificial reef in 1983, is popular with beginners for its coral, fish life, and 6m (20-ft.) depth. The Berwyn, a coral-encrusted tugboat that sank in Carlisle Bay in 1916, attracts photographers for its variety of reef fish, shallow depth, good light, and visibility.
Asta Reef, with a drop of 24m (80 ft.), has coral, sea fans, and reef fish in abundance. It's the site of a Barbados wreck that was sunk in 1986 as an artificial reef. Dottins, the most beautiful reef on the west coast, stretches 8km (5 miles ) from Holetown to Bridgetown and has numerous dive sites at an average depth of 12m (40 ft.) and drop-offs of 30m (100 ft.). The SS Stavronikita, a Greek freighter, is a popular site for advanced divers. Crippled by fire in 1976, the 108m (360-ft.) freighter was sunk a .4km ( 1/4 mile) off the west coast to become an artificial reef in Folkestone Underwater Park, north of Holetown. The mast is at 12m (40 ft.), the deck at 24m (80 ft.), and the keel at 36m (140 ft.). While you explore the site, you might spot barracuda, moray eels, and a vibrant coat of bright yellow tube sponge, delicate pink rope sponge, and crimson encrusting sponge. The park has an underwater snorkel trail, plus glass-bottom boat rides, making it a family favorite.
The Dive Shop, Pebbles Beach, Aquatic Gap, St. Michael (tel. 800/878-3483 or 246/426-9947), offers some of the best scuba diving on Barbados, charging $55 for a one-tank dive and $80 for a two-tank dive. Every day, three dive trips go out to the nearby reefs and wrecks; snorkeling trips and equipment rentals are also available. Visitors with reasonable swimming skills who have never dived before can sign up for a resort course. Priced at $70, it includes pool training, safety instructions, and a one-tank open-water dive. The establishment is NAUI- and PADI-certified, and is open Sunday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm. Some other dive shops in Barbados that rent or sell snorkeling equipment include the following: Carib Ocean Divers, St. James (tel. 246/422-4414); Hazel's Water World, Bridgetown, St. Michael (tel. 246/426-4043); and Explore Sub, Christ Church, near Bridgetown (tel. 246/435-6542).
Several companies also operate snorkeling cruises that take you to particularly picturesque areas.
Tennis -- The big hotels have tennis courts that can be reserved even if you're not a guest. In Barbados, most tennis players still wear traditional whites. Folkestone Park, Holetown (tel. 246/422-2314), is a free public tennis court. Courts at the Barbados Squash Club, Marine House, Christ Church (tel. 246/427-7913), can be reserved for $17 for 45 minutes.
Windsurfing -- Experts say the windsurfing off Barbados is as good as any this side of Hawaii. Windsurfing on Barbados has turned into a very big business between November and April, attracting thousands of windsurfers from as far away as Finland, Argentina, and Japan. The shifting of the trade winds between November and May and the shallow offshore reef of Silver Sands create unique conditions of wind and wave swells. This allows windsurfers to reach speeds of up to 50 knots and do complete loops off the waves. Silver Sands is rated the best spot in the Caribbean for advanced windsurfing (skill rating of five to six).
Club Mistral Windsurfing Club, with two branches on the island, can get you started. Beginners and intermediates usually opt for the branch in Oistins (tel. 246/428-7277), where winds are constant but the sea is generally flat and calm. Advanced intermediates and experts usually go to the branch adjacent to the Silver Sands Hotel, in Christ Church (tel. 246/428-6001), where stronger winds and higher waves allow surfers to combine aspects of windsurfing and conventional Hawaiian-style surfing. Both branches use boards and equipment provided by the Germany-based Club Mistral. Lessons at either branch cost between $40 and $65 per hour, depending on how many people are in your class. Equipment rents for $25 per hour, or $55 to $65 per half day, depending on where and what you rent; rates are less expensive at the Oistins branch.
