Cham Islands Snorkeling Tour By Wooden Boat From Hoi An

I was not very happy with this tour. The experience did not match the price point. We paid for snorkelling and not the sea walk so the company split us up into two groups. The main guide Mr. Sony spoke English, but the tour guides on the snorkelling boat had a big language barrier. The weather and sea is not under anyone's control, so I understand that we didn't get to see a lot of fishes, but I wish the company had planned better and taken us to a different spot. The tour felt unorganized and did not deliver on what was promised. They didn't have fins that fit my small feet. They promised us towels, but we didn't get them when we needed them after getting out of the water. We had to wait for a while. No one had a safety conversation with us about using the fins and snorkel or our comfort in the water and that felt like a dangerous oversight. I did enjoy the extra time we spent at the beach where we had lunch. There were beach chairs and umbrellas, which was nice. Overall, if this is the general level of fish usually, the trips shouldn't be done at all.

We were transferred to a speedboat trip instead of the wooden boat due to post covid-19 reasons. In the speedboat the guys were driving like crazy. It was funny for the first 2 minutes, but then it just really felt unsafe for the rest of the trip. We were combined with a trip where people were walking the bottom of the sea in suits, and we were snorkling at that location instead. There were not much too see, and it did not feel like a place for snorkling. In the next place we snorkled it was a bit more to see and some nice fishes, but only the fish were colorful, not the sea bottom. Also we could feel some stinging on our skin, not bad, but a little bit uncomfortable. Luckily we were wearing t shirts. After that we went to eat lunch and chill at a beach at Cham island. That location was beautiful and kind of the best part of the trip, but we were expecting more exciting snorkling. The snorkling sessions were also shorter than expected.

Great day out snorkelling at the Cham Islands wirh this company. Very professional and sagety conscious staff who really looked after everyone. Price included hotel transfers to and from port, all equipment, tea, coffee, water and lunch. One of our party needed special assistance getting on and off the boat and this was no problem. This group love their job and it shows! (I would avoid the sppedboat companies at all costs - nasty enclosed boats driven by cowboys).

the snorkelling was great but way to short. We spend 2 hours sitting on a very crowded beach when we should have been snorkelling for longer..Lunch was good but drinks were hot. Overall it was an average day at best

The whole day was unorganised and chaotic. We weren’t provided with any context or clear instructions on what was happening. Feels like we spent half the day waiting for our next transport. We were told a speed boat was coming to take us to another location. 5 minutes later we were told this boat was no longer coming. Beach was polluted, coral seemed mostly dead and there was minimal marine life to see.

Enjoyable time. No towel provided and had to buy water, maybe supply what is advertised. Staff friendly, speed boat hubby loved .

Originally we had only book for snorkelling, as with other reviews we managed about 10 minutes in the water before we got out due to sea lice. If you have booked this I suggest bringing a top to wear in the water. We then additionally paid for the sea trekking it was amazing and cannot speak highly enough about doing this! It made our day. Lunch was nice and different on a restaurant at Cham islands and had a nice amount of time to relax. Although we had finished lunch at 11:30! So didn’t eat it all as we weren’t particularly hungry. We picked for the wooden boat, it is perfect if you want relax on the top deck and take slightly longer to get there and back. Did get transferred to lunch on a speed boat which was nice. Jim was a great tour guide had excellent English was helpful at any point we needed him. We felt like there should have been an extra activity as we only had 1 hour for snorkelling and then about 2 hours after lunch on the island. For the price we paid (and extras) felt like there could have been more. It says full day tour picked up early (at 7:20) and back by 3pm.

Not very professional, beverages not iced, did not gather us for lunch, garbage cans full at the beginning of trip. The snorkeling equipment good, the lunch menu was great and the time allotted for snorkeling was sufficient. The fact that our boat was used for other boats for scuba was confusing. But for the price we would do it again.

We went on this trip to snorkel at Cham Islands but couldn’t stay in the water due to sea lice. Tried twice but same both times

The wooden boat to Cham Island is a leisurely trip to the snorkelling destination and a relaxing cruise there and back. We found the coral, sea life and fish fascinating, it was better than the Great Barrier Reef at Keppel Island and off Airlie Beach (Aus) where we snorkelled last sept. We could feel what were probably jelly fish spore on our skin, this didn’t bother us, you could wear leggings and a long sleeved swimming vest or a sting suit if it concerns you. Food and relaxation time was great.

Our tour was very well run with a great staff, good quality equipment, and incredible food at lunch. The snorkelling on our day was just mediocre. Visibility was not great and the variety of fish to see was not what we were hoping for. If you're new to snorkelling, you will see some great colourful fish and coral. If you have snorkelled the world, you will likely be disappointed. Go for the cruise and lunch.

Unfortunately the trip did not live up to our expectations. First, the upper deck of the wooden boat was so slippery that I fell. There was no railing to hold on to. Luckily I wasn’t hurt. No warning was given beforehand. Second, when we got to the first snorkling place my sister jumped in the sea wearing her life jacket. A string jellyfish got caught inside her life jacket and she was stung very badly. It hurt terribly. She climbed back on board and no assistance was given. In spite of the fact that she had a very bad rash and was in terrible pain they continued to send people into the water. Of our group of 16 about 8 were stung that morning. The guides laughed it off and kept saying the pain would go away in 15 minutes. They never checked how bad the stings actually were. They covered her whole back, both arms, her chest, stomack and legs. My sister was in pain for three days and we had to go to the pharmacy in Hoi An to get treated. And she wasn’t the only one from the group. The guides had no first aid or anything. Third, after getting to the second snorkling place the guides assured us there were no jelly fish there. We could see the jellyfish from the boat. Some people still went in and were stung again. My sister and I did not date go in again after our first experience, so the excursion was completely spoiled for us. And my sister was getting sicker. Fourth, we had specifically booked a wooden slowboat but had to return in a speedboat without being informed about this beforehand. The excuse was that the wooden boat was broken. When we arrived in the harbor, the wooden boat was already there. All in all it was a horrible experience and we felt the guides were totally unprepared and inexperienced to handle unexpected situations.

We opted for the speed boat transfer to Cham Islands and it sure is speedy but the driver knew exactly what he was doing. The first spot snorkelling is a little cloudy but you get the hang of snorkelling here if you've never done so. The second spot is so clear and so much to see. Then you have lunch on a beautiful island time to rinse off and change into some clothes and relax! Loved this, can recommend!

Went with my daughter (10yo) was a good trip for the price. Safe, friendly staff and good food. The equipment for snorkeling was in great condition. Snorkeling spot could have been better.

The staff were all great, from the man who picked us up from our hotel, to our host/guide, to the speedboat driver who took us back to the mainland. The diving was fine – plenty of coral to see, not terribly colourful, but alive. We didn’t see that many fish either, perhaps because the people walking undersea were attracting them to all the free food they were handing out. There was plenty of diving time for everyone. Many were back on ship before the scheduled time to move on to lunch. Here, we changed from the slow boat to the fast one, and the driver enjoyed giving everyone a little thrill with his driving speed and skillful maneuvering. The lunch at first seemed most impressive, as there was a big variety and servings were generous. But in the end, we found everything over cooked, and a bit dull. There was then a generous amount of time to relax or explore the island. When our boat came to take us home, most were ready. A pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

We had the best time on this tour!! The price is completely worthwhile and our guides were so lovely, giving us so many tips for our travels too. The food was so amazing - you can try fresh seafood, noodles and some special food from center of vietnam. The tour is totally safe.

This was one of the highlights of our trip. We were so nervous about walking undersea but our tour guides immediately made us feel comfortable and safe during the tour. In addition to showing us some information about Cham Island, culture, the best food we’ve ever eaten, they told us a lot of interesting facts about Hoi An. We could see many beautiful corals, fish while walking undersea. Highly recommend this tour!!

The big boat arriving from Hoi An is primarily used for the underwater walking trip. We hung about after 1 hr 20 min journey and waited for the speedboat to arrive - presumably after it had dropped its passengers somewhere. We got in at last and powered off to another old fishing boat, which was our base for snorkelling. The sea had quite a swell, so these switches between boats were difficult and quite dangerous. 40 minutes snorkelling over the coral reef. Water is a bit murky and the fish are small. We chugged off to the very busy - otherwise pretty - beach, where a good lunch was served. Then we had @ 1 Hr on beach before final drama of speedboat to landing stage, to big boat. Then 1 Hr 20 back to Hoi An. We got what we paid for, but should have paid more for a better package, which had less waiting and more activity. A little second class and feels like we were there to fill the seats. Truly entrepreneurial, but could be better with slicker service, some extra thought and resources. Friendly staff and the coral was pretty. The sea was big when we went and this didn’t help. Our experience of these trips in other countries is vastly superior though, in a context that our other tours in Vietnam have been great.

This was supposed to be a UNESCO site and it was just filled with garbage! Next to zero fishes and a complete waste of money! If I can get my money back and spend it on something else, it would be to get Sea Trek to clean this place up! Even their staff threw a plastic wrapping out on to the ocean! Unacceptable and waste of time! Don't even bother.

Pick up from hotel, transfer to wooden boat for leisurely trip to Cham Islands, 2 hours snorkelling amongst coral, equipment provided, good lunch on island beach and a chance to unwind and relax on beach before heading back to Hoi An by boat again and be dropped off at hotel. Definitely not a small scale, private and secluded kinda tour. These guys process the numbers. At least 20 - 30 in our group but in saying that - you get what you pay for. There are much more expensive, private and secluded ways to do this - but these guys are good, friendly, safe and put on a good show - in terms of value. We had a lovely day out and got looked after beautifully. :)

<p>Quite pleasant boat journey with friendly staff.... And capped by the priceless scene of many Chinese people doing the chicken dance on the island.</p>

<p>We had a great day. They came to pick us up at the hotel as explained and we took a boat to get to the island where we snorkeled. Surprisingly, we were the only 2 participants, so we had the whole boat for us. <br/> We had the chance to see different type of fish and coral. It's not the Great Barrier Reef but there was some colorful ones.<br/> Lunch was very generous and offered a big variety.<br/> Finally, we had a good 2h at the beach before returning by jet boat to the wharf. The beach was small but nice and I imagine it gets very crowded with every boats stopping there for lunch during the high season or week-ends. You have a free access to hammock and chairs to enjoy the view.<br/> Special thanks to our guide. He was bilingual, very polite and generous. By being the only tourist onboard, we took the opportunity to talk with him about Vietnam's life and have a nice chat. All day long, he has been very attentive and friendly.</p>

The first disappointment was that we were not on a traditional wooden boat as said, but on a motorboat. Diving spots are really not interesting. Yet the water was clear. Also we got stung and we knew after that it was jellyfish, apparently they knew about it, but they didn't inform us. The only nice moment was the lunch on the island which is superb. In addition, we have a little time to rest or walk and this is really the best time.

Very well organized, punctual. Nice staff. Super beautiful paradise beach and good lunch. Not a must but if you have some time left or if you really want to go snorkeling, this is a good alternative. The snorkeling was OK, unfortunately not many fish, but there were beautiful corals

As a group organization, I think it is possible to improve the pickup hours of the customers, we had to wait 45 minutes. As for the transfers, nothing to mention, all right. As for the snorkeling sites, in the first place, they were 45 minutes and in a small space, poor in corals and marine fauna. The second, equally scarce in time 20 minutes and equal in the space to travel. Here we could see some more corals and marine fauna. But there we find many boats and many people. Lunch, served in time and form and in my opinion acceptable

Punctual hotel pick-up, nice guides with good English skills, plenty of time to snorkel in the bay, delicious sumptuous food with various typical dishes and finally plenty of time to relax on the island's gorgeous beach, we had a great day.

A great experience! Reliable and punctual pickup and return transportation to the hotel. The boat trip, the snorkeling, lunch and the island were really top!