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Island cay (boat trips) · Negril

Booby Cay, Negril: a local's guide

By Michael RainfordBorn and raised in JamaicaPrices & hours checked Sources

Status unconfirmed: no recent update on boat trips. I couldn't confirm it's open right now. Check before you go; the guide below has open alternatives.

On this page
  1. My local take
  2. How to get there
  3. What to expect
  4. Local tips
  5. Before you go
  6. FAQ
  7. Sources

My local take

Status: unconfirmed. Booby Cay itself isn’t going anywhere, but I couldn’t confirm from any operator’s own site, the Tourist Board or Jamaican media that boat trips to it are running normally since Hurricane Melissa. Trips are still advertised on tour marketplaces, which is a good sign but not proof. The Tourist Board’s reopenings list has no entry for Booby Cay boat operators, and it listed the Rutland Point Craft Market, on the mainland opposite the cay, as closed.

When the trips run, Booby Cay is a short boat ride from the beach: a low, sandy cay with scrub and a narrow beach, about a kilometer off Rutland Point (map distance). It is inside the Negril Marine Park, and the snorkeling on the reef is the main reason to go. Locals will tell you it is named for the booby seabirds and that Disney shot scenes for its old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea film there. My take: it’s worth a half-day if your hotel can book a licensed boat operator and confirm the trip is on. If not, you lose little by spending the day on the main beach instead.

Good open alternatives: the calm water on Seven Mile Beach, or the cliffs and deep water at Rick’s Café, with the Negril Lighthouse a short walk further along the West End. For hotels and the rest of the area, see my Negril guide.

How to get there

By boat only. There is no bridge or regular ferry. Trips usually leave from Seven Mile Beach, with glass-bottom boat, snorkel and picnic tours stopping at the cay. Some tours sold in Montego Bay include the transfer to Negril and the boat.

Where it is: Booby Cay sits off Rutland Point, the headland near the north end of the beach, by Bloody Bay. If you are staying at a Bloody Bay resort, such as Couples Negril, you can see it from the sand. From the Negril roundabout it is about 6.5 km north in a straight line (map distance).

From Montego Bay: Negril is roughly 80 km west of Montego Bay along the coast road through Lucea (approximate), so a Booby Cay trip from MoBay is a full day.

Without a car: You don't need a car: boats leave from Seven Mile Beach, and most hotels on the strip are a walk or a short route taxi ride away. From Montego Bay, book a tour that includes the Negril transfer.

What to expect

What’s there. A small, flat cay of sand and low bush with a narrow beach. Nothing is built for visitors and nobody lives on it, so there are no restrooms, shops or lifeguards. On some tours, the boat crew or vendors cook food, often lobster or fish, and sell it on the beach.

Snorkeling. The Negril Marine Park runs from Davis Cove in Hanover to St John’s Point in Westmoreland and about 3.2 km out to sea, so the reefs around Booby Cay are inside the protected area. Don’t stand on coral, touch marine life or take shells.

Prices and status. I found no official fixed fares or published schedule. What you pay is the boat trip, set by the operator. Before you book, ask the operator or your hotel tour desk whether trips are running and whether the boat carries life jackets for everyone.

Local tips

  • Book through your hotel tour desk or an operator it recommends, and ask whether the operator is licensed by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo).

  • Agree the full price, the return time and what’s included before you step on the boat. Pay the balance when you are back on the beach.

  • Bring water, reef-safe sunscreen, a hat and your own mask if you have one. There is little shade on the cay.

  • Go on a calm morning. The water is usually flatter early, and the crossing is easier.

  • Take your rubbish back with you. Nobody collects it on the cay.

Before you go

  • Beach vendors will offer boat rides on Seven Mile Beach. Unlicensed boats may not carry enough life jackets or insurance.
  • Keep children close in the water: there’s no lifeguard, and no fresh water to rinse off.
  • The crossing is in a small open boat and can be bumpy and wet when the wind is up.
  • Commercial jet ski rides are banned in Jamaica, according to TPDCo, so skip anyone offering to take you out on one.

Questions people ask

Are Booby Cay boat trips running?

I couldn’t confirm it from an official source. Tour marketplaces still advertise Booby Cay trips, but no operator’s own site, Tourist Board notice or Jamaican news report I found confirms trips are running normally. Ask your hotel tour desk or the operator before you book.

How do you get to Booby Cay?

By boat from Negril. The cay is about a kilometer off Rutland Point, at the north end of Seven Mile Beach, and glass-bottom boat, snorkel and picnic tours from the beach stop there.

Is Booby Cay good for snorkeling?

That is the main reason people go. The reefs around the cay are inside the Negril Marine Park, which covers the coast from Davis Cove in Hanover to St John’s Point in Westmoreland. Bring your own mask if you have one, and don’t touch the coral.

Are there facilities on Booby Cay?

No. Nobody lives on the cay and there are no restrooms, shops or lifeguards. Some tours cook and sell food on the beach; check what your trip includes.

Sources & updates

Update log

  • — New status page: location and marine park facts sourced; boat-trip status since Hurricane Melissa could not be confirmed.
  • — Moved source citations out of the text
  • — Removed repeated advice
  • — Trimmed hurricane references to where they change the advice

Spotted something out of date? Tell me and I’ll check it.

Where to stay nearby

Where to stay in Negril