You paddle a two-person kayak from South Friars Beach along the coast to a snorkel station, get in the water, then carry on to Frigate Bay Beach where there is seasonal fruit, juice and bottled water waiting. US$139 a person, four to five hours, minimum age 8. You need to be able to swim and you need to be able to paddle, because this one is work.
What it costs
| Price | What is in it | |
|---|---|---|
| One person | US$139 | Seat in a two-person kayak, paddle, life jacket, snorkel gear, guide, fruit, juice and bottled water at Frigate Bay |
| Age 8 and over | US$139 | The same, sharing a kayak with an adult |
| Under 8 | not available | Minimum age on this trip is 8 |
Your own transport to South Friars Beach is not included. Neither is lunch, and neither is anything you buy at the bars at Frigate Bay afterwards.
Nothing is taken at booking. One invoice link comes after the trip is confirmed, and card payments on this island commonly carry a 4.5 percent fee that we do not add.
What do you paddle past?
The south coast, from South Friars round towards Frigate Bay, with the Caribbean on your right and the hills of the South East Peninsula running along beside you.
You start on the sand at South Friars, which is a dark sand beach on the Caribbean side where the water is usually flat in the morning. Two to a kayak, with a guide on the water with you. The paddle out to the snorkel station is the first stretch and it is the one that tells you how fit you are. You stop there, get out of the boat, and snorkel.
Then you paddle on and land at Frigate Bay Beach, which is the strip of bars and restaurants on the south side, where the fruit, the juice and the water are laid out for you. Whatever is in season is what you get, so it changes through the year.
Both of those beaches are unsupervised, like every beach in St Kitts. No lifeguards, no warning flags, and Canada’s government travel advice says rescue services here may not meet international standards. The guide stays with the group on the water and at the snorkel station for exactly that reason, and that is also why we will not sell this trip to a non-swimmer.
How long does it take, and will it fit a cruise day?
Four to five hours, and it fits a normal ship day with about an hour of slack.
Ships in Basseterre are usually alongside from about 8am to 5pm or 6pm, which is why almost everything sold on this island runs three to five hours. This one sits at the top of that band, so it works on a standard call and does not work on a short one. Add the drive to South Friars at each end. We do not publish a start time. We confirm it in writing when we confirm the booking, and if your call is a short one we will say plainly that this is the wrong trip for your day.
You get yourself to South Friars Beach. If you want a taxi arranged, say so on the form and we will book one at the statutory maximum fare rather than leave you negotiating at the pier.
What should you bring?
A swimsuit worn under your clothes, and a towel. You are wet from the snorkel station onwards.
Water shoes or sandals you can swim in. You get in and out of a kayak off sand and over rock in places, and bare feet are the usual regret.
Sun cover that survives four hours and a swim, plus a hat with a strap. You are on open water with no shade for the whole paddle and the reflection off the sea burns the undersides of your arms.
A dry bag for your phone and your car key. Kayaks ship water and the boat has nowhere dry in it.
Cash in small notes for the bars at Frigate Bay if you want to stay on afterwards, which plenty of people do. US dollars are accepted everywhere on the island.
Who should not book this one
Anyone under 8. That is the minimum age and it holds on the beach whatever the booking says.
Anyone who cannot swim. There is a snorkel station in open water in the middle of this trip and a life jacket is not the same thing as being able to swim.
Anyone who wants to sit down and be taken somewhere. This is a real paddle for a real distance, with your own arms, in the sun. If what you want is a boat trip with a seat and a drink in your hand, book the catamaran instead and enjoy your day.
Anyone with a shoulder, back or wrist problem. Paddling a loaded two-person kayak against any wind at all puts the load straight through all three.
Pregnancy, and any heart or breathing condition, needs your own doctor’s view before you book. Sort it at home.
What happens if the weather turns, or your ship is late?
Wind and swell stop this trip and the guide makes that call in the morning, because a kayak in chop with a learner aboard is a bad plan. If it is cancelled you pay nothing, and anything already paid comes back in full. No fee and no credit note.
Rain alone does not cancel it. You are already wet.
If your ship arrives late, tell us as soon as you know. At four to five hours this trip has the least room of anything we sell to shift down the day, so we will either move you to another date or refund you in full. If the call is cancelled or your ship skips St Kitts, you pay nothing.
Book it
Tell us your date, how many people and their ages, whether everyone can swim, whether you need a taxi to South Friars, and your ship name if you are on one. We confirm with the guide and come back to you within one working day, and only then do we send a payment link. Nothing is charged until the trip is confirmed.
Questions people ask
How fit do I need to be?
Fit enough to paddle for a stretch, stop, swim, and paddle again, over four to five hours in the heat. Most reasonably active adults manage it and are tired afterwards. If you walk a few miles at home without thinking about it, you are fine.
Can an 8 year old really do this?
Eight is the published minimum and a child that age shares a kayak with an adult, so the adult does most of the work. Think about your own child rather than the number. A tired child halfway along the coast is in your boat for the rest of the way.
Do we get snorkel gear, or bring our own?
Mask, fins and snorkel are in the price. Bring your own if you prefer the fit, which most people who own a mask do.
What is the food at the end?
Seasonal fruit, juices and bottled water at Frigate Bay. That is not a lunch and it is not sold as one. The bars on that beach are right there if you want a meal afterwards, at your own cost.
Is this better than a boat snorkel trip?
It is a different day. You see the coast from a foot above the water and you earn the swim. A boat snorkel tour from Cockleshell Bay is US$99 a person for an hour and a half and asks nothing of you physically. Pick by how much you want to work.
Could we book this trip cheaper somewhere else?
Yes. An online agency sells the same trip at US$95, which is US$44 under our US$139, and the kayaks, the guide, the snorkel station and the fruit at Frigate Bay are the same ones. What the gap buys is the arranging: your taxi to South Friars booked at the statutory maximum fare instead of haggled on the pier, nothing taken at booking, no card fee added, and somebody on this island answering the phone when the wind cancels your morning. If that is not worth US$44 to you, book the agency and have a good paddle.
Is there a lifeguard at either beach?
No. There are no lifeguards and no warning flags on any beach in St Kitts. Your guide is the supervision on this trip, which is why the group stays together at the snorkel station.
Written by Khareem Cabey. Prices and fees last checked 30 October 2026.