A sort of dumb question: I've done boat snorkel tours in the past, and was now thinking about a kayak-snorkle tour but I have a concern- being middle aged and not as skinny as I used to be, I'm wondering: how tough is it to get back in a kayak after snorkeling?

I took a kayak-snorkel tour in Roatan. We kayaked in the morning, had a light lunch, then snorkeled for an hour or two in the afternoon. The kayaking is definitely the harder of the two, so hopefully you'll do that first. I'm middle-aged and fat, and I did just fine.

What I'm getting at specifically - will be a time when you're in 10 or 20 feet of water and be expected to somehow slide back into that kayak? Don't know if I can do it!

Hi Jimbo - We just got back from Hawaii and did a Kayak/Snorkel excursion our last day. We paddled for a while then hopped out of our kayak while the guide anchored his kayak and bungeed his to ours. We snorkeled for about a half hour in water well over our heads. Then easily got back into our kayaks with our tour guide's help. I am of average height and weight, but my husband is rather tall and considerable overweight. We paddeled some more then stopped at a different spot to snorkel some more. This time our guide was hurrying us back to the boat (he saw some sharks circling in the distance!), so we swam back quickly and both hopped into our kayak without incident. It's easier than you might think. This was only the 3rd time we've ever gone kayaking, but considered it to be one of the highlights of our vacation. Don't worry, relax and have fun!!!

I went on a snorkel/kayak trip with South Pacific Kayaks in Maui last November. I thought it would be difficult to get back on the kayak but it isn't. The trick is to keep your fins on and use them to propel yourself back into the boat.