Coki or Sapphore....

Which one has the best snorkeling...hubby is a very strong swimmer I am somewhat below average...we both like to snorkel but need a place where the less adventurous me will be fine while he can explore a lot more.

Coki is a good choice .We were there this Feb. and had a good time.

Coki is generally calmer than Sapphire, so better for less experienced snorkelers.

What you see depends on where you go in the water and other factors, so it's hard to say which is better. People feed the fish at Coki so you they will swim to you almost as soon as you enter the water because they assume you have food. The fish at Sapphire are more natural, for lack of a better word!

Most people who enjoy Sapphire the most go out a bit further so Coki or Secret Harbor would both be good choices. SH is a calmer bay.

Most people who enjoy Sapphire the most go out a bit further so Coki or Secret Harbor would both be good choices. SH is a calmer bay.

That's just the kind of info I need...do you (or anyone else) know if the water drops off quickly or is it more gradual at Coki?

Thanks so much!

If you're a "below average" swimmer, I think you'll enjoy Coki more. When we've toured (with Papa Bear) he said that he took his young daughter to Coki every weekend for snorkeling. The thing that's nice is that the rocks and fish begin in fairly shallow water. By the time you're in water up to your knees, you're seeing fish.

To be honest, I haven't made it to Sapphire yet, so I really can't compare the two... I've been to Coki 3 times, and it's been very crowded on the beach, but has really nice snorkeling.

To answer your other Q, it's a fairly gradual drop-off. You can stay in fairly shallow water, or swim out deeper -- your choice! DH can go out further, if he wants to.

Have a great time. :)

Thank you so much!! This has all been a big help!

I have been to both and love both. I swore by the snorkeling at Sapphire BEFORE I went to Coki. The snorkeling is amazing at both, but I have to admit, I loved the snorkeling at Coki a lot better. What makes it better for me? Well, it's probably because I managed to see more sea life and coral at Coki than probably anywhere else I have been (even out in the ocean on boat tours) and I snorkel everywhere I go. The color and the amount of things I seen there was just merely amazing and that made for a better snorkeling experience for me.

However, Sapphire is just simply gorgeous!!! The beach is amazing, the water is the perfect color and it's just an entirely different feeling than Coki. The beach is lined with grape trees and you get natural shade. I would go here or Coki in a heartbeat and never complain.

I have reviews on both places with tons of pictures, listed in my signature line. Granted my review from Sapphire isn't as detailed and you have to click on the link for additional pictures (this was when I first started doing reviews and I wasn't very thorough), but it might help get a feel for it. :)

I have been to both and love both. I swore by the snorkeling at Sapphire BEFORE I went to Coki. The snorkeling is amazing at both, but I have to admit, I loved the snorkeling at Coki a lot better. What makes it better for me? Well, it's probably because I managed to see more sea life and coral at Coki than probably anywhere else I have been (even out in the ocean on boat tours) and I snorkel everywhere I go. The color and the amount of things I seen there was just merely amazing and that made for a better snorkeling experience for me.

 

However, Sapphire is just simply gorgeous!!! The beach is amazing, the water is the perfect color and it's just an entirely different feeling than Coki. The beach is lined with grape trees and you get natural shade. I would go here or Coki in a heartbeat and never complain.

 

I have reviews on both places with tons of pictures, listed in my signature line. Granted my review from Sapphire isn't as detailed and you have to click on the link for additional pictures (this was when I first started doing reviews and I wasn't very thorough), but it might help get a feel for it. :)

Did you find one to be an easier swim than the other and at which one were you able to see fish and coral without going into very very deep,water....ok, I would like to be able to touch bottom or not be too far from being able to touch bottom...then I am less likely to be nervous and more likely to just enjoy myself.

We have now snorkeled twice in Florida, grand Turk, Cozumel, costa maya, Roatan and Belize. I like it in spite of my jitters and I am becoming a better and braver swimmer in the process.

We have an inground pool....you think I would be a better swimmer...lol

Did you find one to be an easier swim than the other and at which one were you able to see fish and coral without going into very very deep,water....ok, I would like to be able to touch bottom or not be too far from being able to touch bottom...then I am less likely to be nervous and more likely to just enjoy myself.

 

We have now snorkeled twice in Florida, grand Turk, Cozumel, costa maya, Roatan and Belize. I like it in spite of my jitters and I am becoming a better and braver swimmer in the process.

 

We have an inground pool....you think I would be a better swimmer...lol

Honestly to me, it's pretty shallow at both. I can remember swimming WAY out at Sapphire and not realizing it because the coral was still fairly close to the water and it seemed maybe 5' deep or so and I can remember popping my head up once and discovered just how far we had made it out and thinking "wow". But you do have the rocks and coral along one side, which buts up to the sand along side of it and you will see the sand getting deeper and deeper, but the coral area is still shallow.

The same for Coki. I swam up and down both sides of it and didn't find it to be very deep at all. A lot of the places are shallow enough to stand in the sand. Just remember not to stand on any of the rocks and coral as you probably know since you have snorkeled many different places.

I know exactly what you mean by being a little jaded out by the water getting deeper and deeper. I have been a swimmer all of my life and a pretty stronger swimmer at that. I have absolutely no problems in a pool no matter how deep it is. When I go on a boat snorkeling excursion and jumping off the boat into the middle of the ocean, I have no problem for some reason. But for some odd reason, when I'm snorkeling from shore and the water starts to get deeper and deeper, I start to freak out. I'm not really sure why I freak myself out about this, but I do have issues. We also always have our daughter with us (which has been swimming with us and snorkeling since she was 3 years old and is now 6) and I have to keep her in mind as well. She has absolutely no problem no matter where we are snorkeling and does fine from the beach or from the middle of the ocean, but moms still freaking out for some reason. :p Maybe some day I'll get over the beach entry to deeper water phobia I have.

I think you'll feel pretty comfortable at either.

One thing I've started taking along on cruises is inflatable swim noodles. Even though the salt water makes you really buoyant, it's nice to have a floaty thing to hold on to... :D

(You might also find something that's both inflatable -- easy to pack! -- and adult-sized, at the dollar store.)

One thing I've started taking along on cruises is inflatable swim noodles. Even though the salt water makes you really buoyant, it's nice to have a floaty thing to hold on to... :D

 

(You might also find something that's both inflatable -- easy to pack! -- and adult-sized, at the dollar store.)

The ridicule from my husband....my unwarranted fear....hmmmm...we all know the fear is going to win out and this is a great suggestion.

We also pack inflatable noodles - Not as nice as a raft, but very small and handy and they work in a pool or the ocean. And very cheap at the local $ store. :)

As Mitsugirly and others have said Coki is a very popular beach for off the beach snorkeling and we think Coki is perhaps the nicest beach on the island. But we also love prefer Sapphire for the character and natural beauty, and because we can rent a condo right on the beach there. Secret Harbor is also a favorite snorkeling beach for many who are looking for less of a crowd than at Coki. And for an even quieter spot Cowpet Bay (aka Elysian) also offers snorkeling.

So you have many excellent options!

We actually have snorkel vest that we take with us. They don't take up much room since you deflate them and fold them up. We always just put them inside our snorkeling bag with the rest of our equipment.

I did learn a pretty neat trick on our snorkeling and swim with the stingrays in Grand Cayman. The guys there told me "you're doing it all wrong" and told me to take the snorkel vest and put my body in it with it going under my armpits (wrapping around my body). I have to admit, I had never thought of that and absolutely HATE wearing the snorkeling vest because it is constantly riding up in your face if you have it inflated and then the straps that go between the legs :eek: are pretty uncomfortable when swimming. I just thought I would pass along this neat tid-bit for others to try. It's almost like being in a inflatable ring and is so comfortable and much easier to snorkel. :)

Yes we learned the same thing on our very first snorkel in '01 - much easier when it comes to snorkeling. The noodles are better for just floating of course and not snorkeling...

What a great tip!! I am going to try that for sure.....I have a rather prominent bustling so the best always gets in my face which is why I never liked them!!

We were shown this green seaweed that can be used to clean the inside of your mask...it didn't fog back up once over a several hour snorkel trip...it was just plain green seaweed....that's about the only tip I have ever been given..other than a gut in. Grand Turk who told me I was the whitest woman on the beach after our snorkel and drug a chair to the shade for me...he felt it was his obligation to keep me from becoming as red as a boiled lobster.....

The guys there told me "you're doing it all wrong" and told me to take the snorkel vest and put my body in it with it going under my armpits (wrapping around my body). I have to admit, I had never thought of that and absolutely HATE wearing the snorkeling vest because it is constantly riding up in your face if you have it inflated and then the straps that go between the legs :eek: are pretty uncomfortable when swimming. I just thought I would pass along this neat tid-bit for others to try. It's almost like being in a inflatable ring and is so comfortable and much easier to snorkel. :)

I'm trying to visualize this...Instead of putting it over my head, do I just strap the whole thing around my chest??

Thanks!

 

I'm trying to visualize this...Instead of putting it over my head, do I just strap the whole thing around my chest??

 

Thanks!

Yes pretty much. You blow it up and put it around you like if it was a ring floatie. It just sits up under your arms. It's real simple and comfortable. :)

Here's a few pictures of our day where they told us this:

I was having trouble picturing what you described. That "picture's worth a thousand words" thing really is true! :D

Thanks!

I was having trouble picturing what you described. That "picture's worth a thousand words" thing really is true! :D

 

Thanks!

Thanks so much...Love my CC friends!

I was having trouble picturing what you described. That "picture's worth a thousand words" thing really is true! :D

 

Thanks!

Glad I could help. :)

Mitsugirly, I want to thank you for always being so helpful and candid. And, that you take a lot of photos that bring the destinations to life.

Mitsugirly, I want to thank you for always being so helpful and candid. And, that you take a lot of photos that bring the destinations to life.

Aww, tear...thank you. I just know that I am a "sight" person and it's really hard for me to put things into perspective without actually seeing it. I can guarantee that any place I have ever been told about, I will have a totally different mental picture of the place before seeing it. Having a lot of pictures presented to me makes it easier to relate and understand it better. So, I just feel it's easier to take as many pictures of things that I just know sooner or later someone on here will ask about. :D :p