St. Thomas Vs. St. Martin ???

Not sure why the attitude when you should be saying. Oh, didn't know about that Buck(s) island, thanks for the info.:)

 

We left in the early afternoon on a half day catamaran excursion. This was a regular sailing catamaran and not a high speed catamaran ferry. We sailed an hour or so. Snorkeled with the turtles but could not touch them or the island that was called Buck or Bucks. We snorkeled for a good hour or more and sailed back to St. Thomas. Our ship sailed no later than 6 because I have never ever been on St. Thomas after 6. I think that there are 2 islands with similar names. Perhaps if you check out the St. Thomas board you will find more info on the Buck(s) island very near St. Thomas.

No attitude intended -- the fact is that Buck Island preserve happens to be about 2 miles from St. Croix and about 40 miles south of St. Thomas. I simply pointed out that it was a long haul from St. Thomas - as you said: "an hour or so" - tough for a sailing catamaran to do in much under two hours. If you left at noon, had your "good hour" of snorkeling, and got back by five - that would allow for my estimated two hours each way.

The point is - Buck Island is a long haul from St. Thomas - is usually visited on tours from St. Croix --- and there is good snorkeling at St. John which is much closer to St. Thomas.

I do not believe there is another Buck Island snorkeling site very near St. Thomas.

re: Buck IslandQUOTE]

 

BTW, there are 2 Buck Islands. Below is Buck Island (circled) off of St. Thomas, which has Turtle Cove.

 

We went snorkeling there from Charlotte Amalie with the Fury. Excellent trip, saw lots of turtles.

 

No attitude intended -- the fact is that Buck Island preserve happens to be about 2 miles from St. Croix and about 40 miles south of St. Thomas. I simply pointed out that it was a long haul from St. Thomas - as you said: "an hour or so" - tough for a sailing catamaran to do in much under two hours. If you left at noon, had your "good hour" of snorkeling, and got back by five - that would allow for my estimated two hours each way.

 

The point is - Buck Island is a long haul from St. Thomas - is usually visited on tours from St. Croix --- and there is good snorkeling at St. John which is much closer to St. Thomas.

 

I do not believe there is another Buck Island snorkeling site very near St. Thomas.

It was a 1/2 day sail. 3 1/2 hrs if I recall. 1 hr ish there, 1 hr ish back and 1 hr 15 minutes snorkeling. I did not go 2 hrs each way I know that.

Funny thing is that I was on the pier at 12:20 that day chatting to a lady who was really upset that there was a small fire on the HAL ship that she was on. She was upset that she had to wait for lunch.:D I couldn't believe how ticked she was to have to stand on the pier on a beautiful day on the gorgeous island of St. Thomas. I told my girls that I could not think of a better place or time if your ship was to have a fire. This is something that I will never forget. ( ok now tell me of a better time.. :rolleyes:)

Well, having two Buck Islands in the USVI would explain the confusion! :)

There is the smaller island very close to St. Thomas, and then the larger one about 40 miles away, very close to St. Croix.

I tried posting a link to a blog that described the two, but it just posted with a bunch of asterisks instead of the address, and when I typed the address in myself, it still posted with the asterisks...huh.

No attitude intended -- the fact is that Buck Island preserve happens to be about 2 miles from St. Croix and about 40 miles south of St. Thomas. I simply pointed out that it was a long haul from St. Thomas - as you said: "an hour or so" - tough for a sailing catamaran to do in much under two hours. If you left at noon, had your "good hour" of snorkeling, and got back by five - that would allow for my estimated two hours each way.

 

The point is - Buck Island is a long haul from St. Thomas - is usually visited on tours from St. Croix --- and there is good snorkeling at St. John which is much closer to St. Thomas.

 

I do not believe there is another Buck Island snorkeling site very near St. Thomas.

The map on Post #27 shows the Buck Island off of St. Thomas that we were referring to. It's a great place to snorkel with turtles and it's easily reached on a half day sail while ported in St. Thomas.

The map on Post #27 shows the Buck Island off of St. Thomas that we were referring to. It's a great place to snorkel with turtles and it's easily reached on a half day sail while ported in St. Thomas.

Per above, there are two and it frequently causes confusion.

The one in post #27 is the one used from St. Thomas.

Princess offers 3 hour excursions from St. Thomas to Buck Island w/1 1/2 hours of snorkel time.

LuLu

~~~

FWIW, we've booked a 3 1/2 hour excursion on Carnival from St. Thomas to do BOSS and snorkelling at Buck Island. Has to be the Buck Island noted in post #27. The trip to Buck Island must be less than one hour each way if we have time for BOSS (30 minutes) then switch over to snorkelling while the other group does snorkelling first then switches over to BOSS.

Leets

FWIW, we've booked a 3 1/2 hour excursion on Carnival from St. Thomas to do BOSS and snorkelling at Buck Island. Has to be the Buck Island noted in post #27. The trip to Buck Island must be less than one hour each way if we have time for BOSS (30 minutes) then switch over to snorkelling while the other group does snorkelling first then switches over to BOSS.

 

Leets

What is BOSS if I may ask? I have never heard of that before.:)

What is BOSS if I may ask? I have never heard of that before.:)

"Breathing Observation Submersible Scooter"

Basically, you're in a bubble helmut similar to the Sea Trek helmut dive (see our photo below) but the whole breathing apparatus is attached to an underwater scooter! No mask or mouthpiece. It looks totally cool :D and has received rave reviews.

We absolutely loved the Sea Trek and just knew we could not pass on this adventure!! While we're both confident swimmers, apparently you don't even have to be able to swim to do this excursion (or Sea Trek), although that may affect one's comfort level under water :p And if you need glasses or even contacts, you can wear them (on either excursion)! How great is that?!? BOSS costs about $125pp for the 3 1/2 hour tour, which includes the intro/safety instructions, boat ride, about 30 minutes on the scooter, and some snorkelling time.

We're going next Thursday and can't wait!! It's a whole 'nuther world to explore!!

Leets

Of course, Bermuda is also "...off St. Thomas...". Buck is right next to St. Croix. I grant that there are tours to Buck from St. Thomas -- but they must be fairly long, as it has to be at least two hours each way, leaving limited time for snorkeling.

Just back and did the half-day catamaran to Buck Island. It included a snorkel stop and then a beach stop. We had a good breeze and were a able to sail nearly the complete return trip. It was a 3 1/2 hour tour and we totally enjoyed it.

I am highly considering Bernard's Tour while in St. Martin.

I have googled this tour, and there are 2 websites. Is it the BernardsSXM tours, where he used to run the place, or Bernard's Tours through shore adventures?

Thanks

"Breathing Observation Submersible Scooter"

 

Basically, you're in a bubble helmut similar to the Sea Trek helmut dive (see our photo below) but the whole breathing apparatus is attached to an underwater scooter! No mask or mouthpiece. It looks totally cool :D and has received rave reviews.

 

We absolutely loved the Sea Trek and just knew we could not pass on this adventure!! While we're both confident swimmers, apparently you don't even have to be able to swim to do this excursion (or Sea Trek), although that may affect one's comfort level under water :p And if you need glasses or even contacts, you can wear them (on either excursion)! How great is that?!? BOSS costs about $125pp for the 3 1/2 hour tour, which includes the intro/safety instructions, boat ride, about 30 minutes on the scooter, and some snorkelling time.

 

We're going next Thursday and can't wait!! It's a whole 'nuther world to explore!!

 

Leets

One of my DD's would love that! Was antone on your excursion claustraphobic? I am ok with snorkeling and power snorkeling but I don't think that I could put on an enclosed helmet, even though it IS see-through?

One of my DD's would love that! Was antone on your excursion claustraphobic? I am ok with snorkeling and power snorkeling but I don't think that I could put on an enclosed helmet, even though it IS see-through?

Hi Karysa,

We do the BOSS next week, so I’ll just comment on my Sea Trek experience for now.

I, myself, am claustrophobic and I loved this adventure! And, yes, beforehand, I was very nervous and very scared!

The tour guides understand apprehension so if you let them know they’ll gently ease you into this. When I first went underwater with the helmet, I found that I could breathe easily – a huge relief :p I started thinking that this was actually kinda cool! I so enjoyed the experience that I practically forgot about the helmet and did not feel the least bit claustrophobic. In fact, I grinned from ear-to-ear the entire time :D. It was absolutely amazing! Bonus: I wore my glasses and my hair didn’t even get wet!

The one thing I did find weird about the enclosed helmet, though, was the line of vision. The peripheral vision is non-existent so I had to frequently turn my head to see certain things. Minor adjustment - easy to get used to.

From one claustrophobic to another, I would highly recommend the Sea Trek. I do hope you get the opportunity to try it. At the start, I really had to dig deep and find my courage to put on that helmet and go underwater… it was absolutely worth it. And now, I can’t wait for the BOSS next week!! :D Yes, I'm still nervous but the excitement is greater!

Leets

Hi Karysa,

 

We do the BOSS next week, so I’ll just comment on my Sea Trek experience for now.

 

I, myself, am claustrophobic and I loved this adventure! And, yes, beforehand, I was very nervous and very scared!

 

The tour guides understand apprehension so if you let them know they’ll gently ease you into this. When I first went underwater with the helmet, I found that I could breathe easily – a huge relief :p I started thinking that this was actually kinda cool! I so enjoyed the experience that I practically forgot about the helmet and did not feel the least bit claustrophobic. In fact, I grinned from ear-to-ear the entire time :D. It was absolutely amazing! Bonus: I wore my glasses and my hair didn’t even get wet!

 

The one thing I did find weird about the enclosed helmet, though, was the line of vision. The peripheral vision is non-existent so I had to frequently turn my head to see certain things. Minor adjustment - easy to get used to.

 

From one claustrophobic to another, I would highly recommend the Sea Trek. I do hope you get the opportunity to try it. At the start, I really had to dig deep and find my courage to put on that helmet and go underwater… it was absolutely worth it. And now, I can’t wait for the BOSS next week!! :D Yes, I'm still nervous but the excitement is greater!

 

Leets

You actually got me thinking that the excursion that you are going to from St. Thomas to the Buck island near St Thomas would be the perfect time to try either the sea trek or BOSS. You mentioned that you will be doing both snorkeling and BOSS so if I absolutely couldn't put the helmet on at least I would have the chance to snorkel with the turtles. I really am glad that you posted about this because I never would have considered something along this line because I figured that I couldn't do it then the whole excursion would be wasted. Now I know that this is not the case. Thanks so much!:)

You actually got me thinking that the excursion that you are going to from St. Thomas to the Buck island near St Thomas would be the perfect time to try either the sea trek or BOSS. You mentioned that you will be doing both snorkeling and BOSS so if I absolutely couldn't put the helmet on at least I would have the chance to snorkel with the turtles. I really am glad that you posted about this because I never would have considered something along this line because I figured that I couldn't do it then the whole excursion would be wasted. Now I know that this is not the case. Thanks so much!:)

Hi Karysa,

Just finished our BOSS excursion in St. Thomas and wanted to touch base with you to clarify a few things.

The BOSS excursion was fun but, honestly, if I hadn't done the Sea Trek Helmet Dive first the BOSS excursion would have been very uncomfortable for me. You have to dive under the water and come up inside the helmet (as opposed to the Sea Trek where you put the helmet on and slowly go underwater). With the BOSS, once underwater and inside the helmet you are "one" with the scooter - I found it much more confining than walking freely on the ocean bottom with a big helmet on my head (a la Sea Trek).

The Buck Island referred to in the St. Thomas excursion is locally called "Little Buck". Unfortunately, there are no turtles there. I didn't do the snorkel bit but I heard that, while there were some fish, there wasn't anything spectacular to see.

IMHO, I think that the Sea Trek may be easier for you, as it was for me. I'm sure that you can overcome your fears and marvel at the undersea world that you encounter there.

Hope this helps you with your decision. Best wishes...

Leets

Hi Karysa,

 

Just finished our BOSS excursion in St. Thomas and wanted to touch base with you to clarify a few things.

 

The BOSS excursion was fun but, honestly, if I hadn't done the Sea Trek Helmet Dive first the BOSS excursion would have been very uncomfortable for me. You have to dive under the water and come up inside the helmet (as opposed to the Sea Trek where you put the helmet on and slowly go underwater). With the BOSS, once underwater and inside the helmet you are "one" with the scooter - I found it much more confining than walking freely on the ocean bottom with a big helmet on my head (a la Sea Trek).

 

The Buck Island referred to in the St. Thomas excursion is locally called "Little Buck". Unfortunately, there are no turtles there. I didn't do the snorkel bit but I heard that, while there were some fish, there wasn't anything spectacular to see.

 

IMHO, I think that the Sea Trek may be easier for you, as it was for me. I'm sure that you can overcome your fears and marvel at the undersea world that you encounter there.

 

Hope this helps you with your decision. Best wishes...

 

Leets

Thanks so much for coming back and letting us know how the BOSS was. Ok so the Helmet walk it is!:D.

I am more than saddened as I am quite certain that this "Little Buck" island is where we snorkeled and saw the sea turtles. They hung out there. The crew of the dancing dolphin were very strict about no one touching the turtles. They said if the turtles go then we are out of a job. I hope that others will confirm that they have seen turtles there recently. Was this island still off limits to people? Did anyone refer to this as Turtle Cove?

Thanks so much for coming back and letting us know how the BOSS was. Ok so the Helmet walk it is!:D.

 

I am more than saddened as I am quite certain that this "Little Buck" island is where we snorkeled and saw the sea turtles. They hung out there. The crew of the dancing dolphin were very strict about no one touching the turtles. They said if the turtles go then we are out of a job. I hope that others will confirm that they have seen turtles there recently. Was this island still off limits to people? Did anyone refer to this as Turtle Cove?

To clarify, WE did not see any turtles and no one on our excursion mentioned seeing them either, but perhaps we anchored in a different area of "Little Buck" so as not to disturb the turtles with the scooters?? The Captain did say the island was off limits to people as it was some kind of wildlife sanctuary.

Les just mentioned that someone from our ship went on a different snorkelling excursion that day and did see turtles - So they're still there!! :)

Best of luck with the Helmet Trek!! I think that you will quickly get used to the idea that you're breathing comfortably under water, albeit with a big helmet on your head :o, and then you will really enjoy it :D

Leets

To clarify, WE did not see any turtles and no one on our excursion mentioned seeing them either, but perhaps we anchored in a different area of "Little Buck" so as not to disturb the turtles with the scooters?? The Captain did say the island was off limits to people as it was some kind of wildlife sanctuary.

 

Les just mentioned that someone from our ship went on a different snorkelling excursion that day and did see turtles - So they're still there!! :)

 

Best of luck with the Helmet Trek!! I think that you will quickly get used to the idea that you're breathing comfortably under water, albeit with a big helmet on your head :o, and then you will really enjoy it :D

 

Leets

I bet that you are correct and the scooters were not allowed close to the turtles. That makes sense. Thanks for all the information. I will seriously consider the Helmet Trek. It won't be easy for me though.:o

For first timers we suggest a day sail in St. Thomas and Orient Beach in St. Martin. Morning shopping is better in St. Martin. But Orient Beach is great for first timers.

Burt

For first timers we suggest a day sail in St. Thomas and Orient Beach in St. Martin. Morning shopping is better in St. Martin. But Orient Beach is great for first timers.

 

Burt

I save my shopping until the afternoon because I like being close to port in the afternoon especially if there are 5 plus ships in port which happens quite often now a days.

I save my shopping until the afternoon because I like being close to port in the afternoon especially if there are 5 plus ships in port which happens quite often now a days.

Yes, that makes some sense, but we found shopping gets very hot after 11:00 in St. Martin, so for us shopping is easier in the morning. The beach is cooler and more relaxing in the afternoon. Of course you need to have plenty of time to get back to the ship, but the taxi drivers are pretty good about that. They will tell you where to meet them at what time.

Now I'm everything I just said is how we do St. Martin. We might shop St. Thomas at the end of the day because the shopping is close to the ship, but generally we are so tired from our day sail or trip to the beach that we are too tired.

Burt

Yes, that makes some sense, but we found shopping gets very hot after 11:00 in St. Martin, so for us shopping is easier in the morning. The beach is cooler and more relaxing in the afternoon. Of course you need to have plenty of time to get back to the ship, but the taxi drivers are pretty good about that. They will tell you where to meet them at what time.

 

Now I'm everything I just said is how we do St. Martin. We might shop St. Thomas at the end of the day because the shopping is close to the ship, but generally we are so tired from our day sail or trip to the beach that we are too tired.

 

Burt

The stores are air conditioned so I don't find the heat an issue just a reason to shop instead of walk. :D