Water sports tours in Jamaica

Jamaica's spectacular coastline opens up endless opportunities for water activities. A popular beach destination in the Caribbean, the island attracts more than a million visitors to its shores every year. The beautiful tropical island includes 150 miles (240km) of beaches and 120 rivers, with most of them navigable, making it a perfect destination for those who want more to their holiday than simply soaking up the sun and lazing away the hours on the beaches.

There are several tour operators that provide guided water sports tours in Jamaica. While the list is exhaustive, here are some that are worth a mention.

If you are traveling with kids, the perfect venue for some great family fun would definitely be Dolphins Cove. The marine park is located in Ocho Rios, by far one of the most famous tourist resorts in Jamaica and home to the signature attraction of the island ? the Dunn's Waterfalls.

A complete tour package offers a range of activities including a one-to-one encounter with friendly dolphins. An instructor will give you some basic training and tips on swimming with the dolphins after which you can dive into the water and enjoy a half an hour frolic with these lovable mammals. The entrance to the park allows guests a host of activities and so you can captain your own mini-boat and go out to explore the coast, take a glass-bottom kayak ride to explore the fascinating underwater world, snorkel and interact with stingrays and watch a hilarious shark show. ?And if all the activity leaves you tired, you can also relax on the glistening white sandy beaches amidst the tropical surroundings and taste the famous Jamaican coffee at coffee shop.

If you are looking for some great adventure, a hold and feed the sharks tour may catch your fancy. The tour gives you the perfect opportunity to come face to face with these fascinating yet fearsome sea creatures. Under the careful supervision of the highly trained instructors, you can hold, touch, feed and even swim with the sharks. And if swimming with them is a bit too adventurous, you can stand ashore and watch the proceedings. The tour also takes you to visit Little Port Royal, a replica of the city which was once the hotbed of the pirates. While the pirates are all but gone, you can still witness ?them' roaming through the town to the rhythms of Caribbean music.

Then there is the jungle river tubing safari tours that can be a pretty interesting experience. Before you begin with the tubing adventure, you will be given an orientation complete with safety tips for the ride down the Great River. The guided tour will initiate you to the real Jamaica while you navigate the rushing rapids of the river.

Jamaica is also fast emerging as a leading surfing destination and every year it hosts the international Makka Pro surfing contest, considered to be the biggest such contest in the contest in the English speaking Caribbean.

There are other water sports in Jamaica that you can enjoy including river rafting, kayaking and scuba diving and more. While there are many reputed operators, the most famous is award-winning Chukka Adventure Caribbean that covers a host of these activities all over the island.

billy crystal oscar winners 2012 billy crystal oscars 2012 angelina jolie oscars chardon high school christopher plummer viola davis