We ended up on a cloudy afternoon catamaran trip that was a bit subdued. It was a small groups of snorkelers, like 20, not a lot of talking or laughing, no music that I remember. We wondered if we had read the right reviews as it appears this tour is normally a blast— not that the staff were not thorough, kind and helpful. They were a very good crew. The visibility was clear (~70 feet) at our snorkeling site, the East Dry Rocks (EDR) but the reef has been very stressed. Some fan coral and schools of grunt fish and parrotfish but scattered across the sea floor are the remains of what used to be pristine reef, now just colorless bones. Probably hurricane or climate issues, as I know this area is routinely hammered.
It was a good time anyhow and the happy hour was appreciated. One hour there, one hour to snorkel and one hour back, almost to the minute. A good trip I would enjoy again.