Salty Dog Catamaran — Local services in Fajardo

We had a fantastic experience on Saly Dog Catamaran! There was about 13 of us who booked it and we all had such a great time! There was about 44 on the boat that day. No, this is not a private experience. Not a big deal. Definitely felt mostly private! Also, there is a sign for the charter but the marina is still being worked on. Be aware of this. You will take a small ride to the boat they provide. Again, no big deal. First stop was a beach, this was great! We had some kids in our group and they kinda liked that more than the actually snorkeling but these kids were firstimers and it made sense. But they had a blast on the beach! You can run around on the beach (can't take shells - that's the law), we had some googles already so we did some snorkeling. I saw - Blue Tang, Sergeant Major's, Yellow Fin Snapper, and even a barracuda briefly made an appreance. All on a beach on the icacos islands. We got a ham and cheese sandwich on FRESH baguette style bread, apples, cookies, and chips. Food was fine! And the DRINKS......FLOWED! No delay, no problem, drinks were good all trip! Snorkeling location, now Puerto Rico already is a fairly windy place especially out in the water. We did experience some wind and current but with fins you get with the gear it makes it easier to get around. This is some of the best snorkeling I have done (I am a certified diver). Great rock formations, definitely reef to see. Brain coral, sea fans, all great stuff! The fish were there for sure! Same as the beach but also, parrot fish, wrasse, small spotfin butterfly fish, trigger fish, palometa, very curious and beautiful fish! We took a ride back and it went great! Again, drinks flowed all the way to the dock! We did the 8am charter which I recommend. I recommend this because beach time no one was really around but us, the reef was only us but a couple of charters were leaving the area. When we went back to the dock the beach was FULL with other charters. This made it at least a little private. I thought the staff were great and friendly. They are taking care of this boat and of you. The only thing I think they should consider is a little more training for guests on how to snorkel. It is fairly simple but I think with firstimers you have to be a bit more involved to show them how it all is done. Great charter!...

Michelle & Mike! ROCK STAR STATUS! You all made my experience great. Thank you for treating me like a person & not a black one. Michelle and Mike you all SAVED my experience. Michelle thank you for letting me know about Old San Juan & taking care of my cousin when she became ill (motion sickness). The piña colada was A1! Mike thank you for watching over me while on the snorkeling part of the excursion. I’ve never felt more safe. The woman who assisted with my booking was a bit rude when we called asking for guidance. We’re not ignorant, ma’am. We were tourists. Please practice a bit more patience in the future. Per the lady on the phone, we arrived on time, as instructed. I was told someone would be there to get us to the boat for 1:35. No one showed up until about 2 pm. :) Once Veronica and the captain arrived we gathered our things and readied ourselves to board the bus. Veronica was very rude with myself, my cousin, and 4 other black women. She gravitated towards assisting people with a fair complexion. When we engaged with her, she spoke to us condescendingly and shooed us. Then turned away from us all together to assist the other non black people. She spoke to them kindly and politely. She didn’t “warm up” to a few of us until just before we returned to the marina. :) VERY DISHEARTENING. She was ill equipped to handle collecting money and distributing change. How were you late, RUDE, & UNPREPARED? Pick a struggle! (I made the assumption that colorism and racism would be here in Puerto Rico. BOY WAS I WRONG!) Aside from all of the horrible conduct of the first two staff members, my experience was a good one. The sights were unreal and breath taking. The captain and crew were knowledgeable. It was interesting & fun to watch them do the different things around the boat when setting sail and docking. I’d do it again with Mike, Michelle, & a different captain if the opportunity...

Had a fabulous time with our group of 4.

Super enjoyable day of drinks, music, beach, dancing and snorkling.

I recommend bringing your own towel, snorkel gear if you have it (but theirs is nice & very usable for those who don’t have their own), hat & sunglasses! Only bonus I wish i had brought was my own insulated cup but they made sure drinks were always full & fresh!

We did the morning cruise. Arrived at 7, waited for the bus for a few minutes, did check in & shuttled over to the marina (~2-3 mins). We got fins & there was a place to use the bathroom at the marina, not the cleanest but not terrible by any means. On the boat and departed by 8, first drinks poured 8:15 ✌️.

Enjoyed about a 30 min cruise out to Icanos, and about 2 hrs there walking the beach, laying out, hanging in the water. Back on the boat for “lunch” - lunch was set out early but still good around 10:30 a when we ate. Options were sandwiches, fruit, chips, and pasta salad.

Short 5-10 min cruise to the snorkel spot. Visibility was poor but good enough to see a variety of fish! We love snorkeling & were able to swim to a better spot, but less strong swimmers were supported near the boat by staff/floaties.

The catamaran was super stable compared to other dive/snorkel boats we have done in the past, if you are an easily sea sick person. Our waves were only about 3-4 feet, very mild for boating, slightly big for snorkling.

The staff was amazing, Captain/DJ Jeremy, Nino, Laura & Veronica all went out of their way to make sure each person had a great time.

Overall highly recommend, & cannot say enough great things...