River Tubing Jamaica

Rafting to Reggae Music

Our cruise ship docked at Ocho Rios at 8am. At 9am we were whisked off on a bus that took us through the bustling tourist resort. "Ocho Rios: means "Eight Rivers" in Spanish. The guide told us that the town was famous for its waterfalls, especially the Dunn's River Falls. However, on that day, we were on a different adventure. We were going river tubing through a tropical rainforest.

The bus ride ended at a small station by the Great River. It was a rustic single storey building with an open air restaurant and a resting area where several locals were relaxing or playing cards. It was like a lazy Sunday morning, except it wasn't Sunday. Walking down to the river, we had to pass a souvenir shop, naturally.

At the mouth of the Grand River, we strapped on our life jackets and received a quick safety briefing. Then we were handed a large tube and a paddle and helped down the bank. One by one, we plopped into the river and got our first taste of the chilly but refreshing water. We were told to stay together till everyone was in but that was a tall order as the tubes kept moving away. John got a firm grip on my tube and our 10-year-old, Sean's, tube. Sean was just raring to go and it was a relief when the guide finally said "Let's go, mon". As we bobbed down the river, I noticed that the water was just chest high for the guides wading. Good to know we were not in deep waters.

We used the paddle to navigate our tubes down the river of bobbing tubes (there must have been 30 of us in the group). However, sometimes my experienced paddling was what got me bumping into other tubes or worse, getting snagged by the tree roots. We tried to stay together as a family but each time John let go of my foot, I was drifting off somewhere else. It was thrilling for Sean who got a hoot out of zig-zagging through the tubes but it was heart-thumping for me whenever I lost sight of him or John.

Lucky for me, there were stretches of placid waters where we could relax and enjoy Jamaica's natural beauty passing by. Our guide pointed out all the river's tributaries and plant and indigenous animal life as we floated by the rainforest. The commentary, peppered with the word 'Mon', was interesting when I could understand the thick Jamaican accent.

The Grand River has moods; sometimes it was calm and relaxing and other times, it rushed along through rapids. Sean loved the rapids because I could hear his squeals of delight over the roaring waters. I enjoyed it too although I would have preferred a tube made for two so I was not alone when the river changed its pace. And through it all we had to smile as the guides took our photos.

Two hours of an exhilarating, almost roller-coaster ride later, we hauled ourselves out of the water and found ourselves back at the station. I still can't figure that one out. But we had a chance to bask in the sun and sip on complimentary rum punch. It was a good thing, the guides took our photos because now we have something by which to re-live this experience. Then the driver said: "Okay, mon, time to go". Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.