St. Thomas and Barbados - snorkeling advice please

We are finalizing our snorkeling plans and would appreciate your input.

St. Thomas - Coki or Sapphire? Read that snorkeling is good at both.

Barbados - We've done the boat thing and really disliked having so many boats and people in the same spot over shipwreck, etc. Thinking of just going to Carlisle Bay and swimming out a bit to see turtles again...Not looking to go as far out as shipwreck, but wondering if we could see some turtles "without the crowds".

Thanks

Have done Sapphire and was not impressed. Some coral, some sea grass... nice beach. I've heard Coki is better. That is the next (and probably last) place to explore on St Thomas.

I have been to both and would recommend Coki. It had some amazing snorkeling there right from the shore (Sapphire is from the shore too) and the coral was so beautiful.

I have a full review with TONS of pictures of our snorkeling there listed in my signature line if you are interested.

I also have a short Sapphire review as well.

Just a sneak peak:

See the eel?

Of course there is plenty of fish there as well. But I thought it was one of the better places I had been to for coral.

A couple years ago, we went with Calabaza Sailing for a snorkel excursion in Barbados. I'm not a fan of going on a big party boat to snorkel. This was perfect. 12 max passengers, and the staff treat you very well. The lunch is served on real plates, and there is complimentary rum punch, beer and non-alcoholic beverages.

Snorkeled with a bunch of turtles! It was amazing. There was only one other boat in the area we stopped to see the turtles. At the next snorkeling spot, we were the only boat.

Check out the reviews on TripAdvisor!

Our group has snorkeled there several times and this year was the best! The water was clear, the fish and coral were abundant. This is a very nice spot for snorkeling. Enjoy!

I did a shipboard excursion in St. Thomas - the dive operator took us to the same exact spot that the snorkeler's were at as well as that new garbage with a helmet over their head with all of that noise there were hardly any fish at all to see - all one could see was bodies splashing around. :mad:

Barbados - Eco dive w/ Andrew Western the best diving that I have ever done in the Caribbean and I've been doing it since 2005. Top shelf act all the way around. Also, I am doing it again in Jan 2015. You can read my reviews on trip advisor from Jan. 2014. :) Best of luck in your decision. Dana