1. Will there be other people on board? Ashuma charters private only. That means it will only be your group, plus the captain and sometimes a mate on board. There is a maximum group size of 6 people. Little kids are people too. They count as part of the 6.
2. Where does the tour start? The tour starts in Playa Herradura , (Los Sueños Option, at the end of the paragraph) with your toes at the waters edge in front of the El Pelicano Restaurant. Your guide will be on the boat. You can call the captain or start waving your hands and the captain will then call a water taxi to pick you up. The water taxi is run by a guy named Zapatilla. You need to be ready to get wet from your knees down to get in the taxi-boat. Please try to clean all the sand off your shoes before getting to Ashuma and climb on board barefoot. Don’t put your sandy shoes in your bag, just leave them out in the water taxi and we’ll take care of them when you get to the boat. ***** If you are parking a car or wandering around on the beach you might be approached by people trying to sell you a tour or charge you to call the water taxi. Just say thanks but no thanks. The water taxi is included in the cost of your tour. If you are staying in Los Sueños just to go the oceans edge out past the pool. And follow the directions as written above.
This is a water taxi service, it is not private, there might be other people getting dropped off on other boats, and depending on luck there is sometimes a wait as the taxi might have just started a run with other people out to another boat.
3. Will I get Seasick? You might if you get sick on other boats, cars or planes. Take some Dramamine or Bonine at least 1 hour before coming out to the boat. It works. The local name is Gravol. It is available in every pharmacy. We know of many people who even take one before bed and another an hour before the tour.
4. How does a trimaran (Ashuma) compare to a catamaran? A trimaran has 3 hulls, and a catamaran has 2 hulls. There are advantages to both. Ashuma has a lot more net and lounging space than a similar sized catamaran and tons more space than a single hulled boat. (monohull) Ashuma also rocks and sways very little and stays very level.
5. How does the tour work? Ashuma is a private charter. That means you have quite a bit of control over the agenda. The amount of time on board and the conditions of the day can play a major factor in what the options are as well. Once you are onboard there will be a brief safety chat and then we’ll set up the itinerary based on your desires and limitations of time and weather and ocean conditions. Some folks just want to sail, some want snorkeling, sometimes there is no snorkeling. We will try to make the most of the day be offered to us to ensure you a fun time on the water. (This is not Disney and there are many factors that are not in our control.)
6. The 2-hour option is limited to sailing out of the bay and coming back. Snorkeling options would be limited to the island at the mouth of the bay.(snorkeling and sailing are always dependent on conditions, we can not guarantee good snorkeling or good wind conditions for sailing)
7. The 3-hour option gives us enough time for a nice sail south to a bay called Escondida, a variety of good snorkeling options and time for a sail back to Herradura.
8. The 4 hour option is similar to the 3 hour but more relaxed, no need to watch the clock, also a chance to walk a beautiful white sand beach if that is of interest.
9. 5-7 hours is for people who know they can spend a lot of time out in the sun and in the water. We don’t recommend this for most people. Lots of time to just anchor and chill out, beach time or lots of sailing time.
10. What to expect of the boat. Ashuma is clean, neat and well maintained. She is not luxurious or fancy. There is a large cockpit in the middle of the boat that can seat 6 people. There is a bimini top that provides shade over the cockpit. There are nets all the way around the cockpit that make it easy to walk around and stretch out, enough nets for everyone to lie out on the nets. Ashuma is close to the water, that means you can dangle your feet in and they can touch the water. If you are on the nets you need to be prepared to get wet. In the cockpit you can stay dry, usually.
11. Bathroom- there is an enclosed emergency use toilet(head, in nautical speak) on Ashuma. We can stop most anytime and “take a swim” There is a solid ladder. If you can get out of a pool you can easily climb aboard.
12. There is a fishing rod on board, for trolling. This is not a fishing trip, but we do sometimes catch fish.
13. There is a Bluetooth speaker at the ready for you to use to play your own music.
