Most watersports here are hired on the day at the beach, not booked ahead. The exception is anything guided: a kayak trip to the caves, a lesson, or a boat with a skipper. What each activity is like, and which bay to do it in, is under watersports.
Book ahead, or turn up
Which is which
- Turn up
- Kayaks, paddleboards, pedalos and sunbeds at the big sandy bays from June to September. Cash is still normal at the smaller kiosks.
- Turn up, but early
- Jet skis and towed toys. The operators are licensed and there are only so many machines. Afternoon slots go first on a hot weekend.
- Book ahead
- Guided kayak trips, diving, lessons, and any boat with a skipper. These have fixed departure times and small numbers.
- Book well ahead
- Anything in the last two weeks of August, when the island is at its fullest and half of it is on the water.
Check the operator is licensed
Powered craft are regulated here, including where they are allowed to go. A licensed operator briefs you on the zones and carries the insurance. An unlicensed one does neither, and it is your problem rather than theirs when something goes wrong.
Booking through a platform is one way of knowing. Hiring from a man with a trailer and no signage is the other kind.
How the pricing works
Kayaks and paddleboards go by the hour, and a deposit or an identity document is usually held until you bring the thing back. Jet skis are sold in short blocks, typically fifteen or thirty minutes, and the quoted price is per machine rather than per person.
Guided trips are per person and include the kit. Ask whether that covers a wetsuit outside the summer, because in April the water is colder than the air suggests.
Wind cancels more than rain
A guided trip called off for wind is normally refunded or moved, and the operator decides on the morning. A hire kiosk simply does not open.
Book the water for early in your trip rather than the last day. That way a blown-out morning still has somewhere to go.
Which bay is sheltered on the day is worked out by the beach picker, and the activities themselves are under watersports.