Snorkeling better in Grand Turk or St. Thomas?

Hello everyone so I will be making a stop at both ports and trying to plan out my days. Just want to pick your brains to see where do you all prefer to Snorkel.... As always thanks.

We went to Sapphire beach in St. Thomas. Great snorkeling just a few feet from shore, but no facilities or concessions.

Grank Turk had beatiful water and sandy beach, but the snorkeling was a bit far out from shore since we didn't have life vests. If you are a good swimmer, you could go out the 400 to 500 feet to get to the reefs. Some of the snorkeling excursions by boat were in the same area. Less than 1500 feet from the cruise ship and 400 feet from shore.

Agree with the previous post about the snorkeling in Grand Turk. I have found the best snorkeling from the beach in St. Thomas at Coki beach. You can take a taxi from the ship to Coki for $10 or $12 per person each way (can't remember the exact price but the taxi rates are fixed and posted), and they have snorkel gear for rent there as well as drinks and beach chair rental. We bring our own gear. Best snorkeling is to the right as you enter - by the rocks- and very easy with shallow water. We always go in the morning and leave in early afternoon to get back to the ship area for afternoon shopping. It is also a good idea to get back early since afternoon traffic can get very heavy and this way you won't stress about getting back to the ship on time. We will be going to St. Thomas again next month and will be heading to Coki once again.

We did Sapphire beach last Dec. Was "ok"... Will try Coki in Jan and hope that it is better. I guess my problem is that I've snorkeled Belize a few times and Maya Key once. The barrier reef is by far the best I've done in the Caribbean. May be my last snorkel on St Thomas.

Also going to try GT on this same cruise. Have heard good things but haven't booked an excursion yet since they aren't posted for this cruise. The prices based on "Carnival all excursions" for GT were about the same as not going thru Carnival. Have heard the "wall" is nice to see. Saw a similar view in Cozumel. very interesting.

And yes, we go early to get back and wander the shops after getting lunch on the ship.

Lastly, we just purchased snorkel vests for $30/each. I am a strong swimmer but lousy floater... it is nice to have the vest on just to "hover" and take pictures.

Steve

On your St. Thomas port stop the snorkeling is good on St. John. :)

LuLu

I did the Sapphire beach in St. Thomas in 2013 and all I saw was one lousy sting ray the whole time we were there, thou beer for a dollar was good...

I agree with LuLu, have gone to Sapphire Beach, BUT DH and I just love St John. We usually take the day excursion to St. John and spend a few hours "in heaven" the beach is the best and they have an underwater snorkeling trail which is fabulous!

Another recommendation for Coki in St. Thomas. Very easy to get to. I will tell you that it doesn't really compare to snorkeling in Belize, though.

We haven't been to Grand Turk yet but are excited to check it out. Snorkeling is my absolute favorite.

I agree that nothing in the Eastern Carib compares with Belize. Just looking for a good snorkel spot with good colorful reefs on the Eastern itineraries.

I've snorkeled Sapphire(beautiful beach), St. John(loved and gorgeous beach), Grand Turk-near Bohio(ok, but you really do need to swim closer to the reef),Belize,and Roatan(West Bay)-my absolute favorite so far. Roatan had the best snorkeling with the reefs so close to shore. It was simply breathtaking.The visibility was awesome. My sons snorkeled with us and they were in their early teens. We did have vests on, which helped stay afloat. Roatan has been our favorite so far.

We will be traveling to Curacao, and we are looking forward to snorkeling while there as well. Bonaire is on my list-heard it is fantastic as well.