snorkeling in St. Maarten near the port?

Is there a beach near the port where I can snorkel from the shore in St. Maarten using my own equipment? Either a public beach or a private beach where I can rent a chair. I'm not looking for a luxurious all inclusive resort, just an opportunity to get in the water and relax on my own.

Is there a beach near the port where I can snorkel from the shore in St. Maarten using my own equipment? Either a public beach or a private beach where I can rent a chair. I'm not looking for a luxurious all inclusive resort, just an opportunity to get in the water and relax on my own.

All beaches on the island are public.:)

How about Little Bay. Nice facilities and rentals and the snorkelling from the beach is suppose to be decent for St. Maarten.:)

Decent snorkeling from a beach is not a common thing on St Maarten. Probably the best beach for this activity would be Dawn Beach.....but that is not even close to walking distance from the port. And Dawn Beach has a habit of having waters that are too rough for decent snorkeling. But if it is a calm sea day, and the winds are not blowing, then Dawn is a good bet. DW and I also found a half decent snorkel spot off of Happy Bay Beach....but this is a beach we do not normally recommend for cruisers because of its distance from the port and somewhat remote location. And the beach is also frequented by some folks that enjoy total nudity which might be offensive to many cruisers. Getting to that beach normally means parking at Friars Beach and hiking through the "jungle" to Happy Bay.

Hank

drsmith (the OP) ... From you signature you've been on MANY cruises which would have been in the Caribbean so you have probably been in St. Maarten before several times.

To get to anyplace with even halfway decent snorkeling, you'll need to take a taxi. Lovely beaches in St. Maarten/ St. Martin ... but not the best for snorkeling.

Whatever you decide, have a good time. :)

drsmith (the OP) ... From you signature you've been on MANY cruises which would have been in the Caribbean so you have probably been in St. Maarten before several times.

 

To get to anyplace with even halfway decent snorkeling, you'll need to take a taxi. Lovely beaches in St. Maarten/ St. Martin ... but not the best for snorkeling.

 

Whatever you decide, have a good time. :)

Yes, we have been several times. Usually just walk around town and shop. We don't snorkel a lot, so we were just looking for a quick dip in the water and something simple and easy to do.