Best Snorkeling in the Caribbean

We are booked on a cruise in August that will take us to four new ports! We're so excited, however, we have no idea which port will be the best for snorkeling. We will be stopping in St. Marteen, St. Kitts, San Juan and Grand Turk. If this was your itinerary, which would be your pick for snorkeling? Also, could you give a specific beach or other location? TIA!

St Maarten, but I'd do it as an excursion. Captain Alan's was who we went thru and they were awesome.

St Maarten, but I'd do it as an excursion. Captain Alan's was who we went thru and they were awesome.

Ditto

St. Maarten. check out Pirate Tours on Trip Advisor. Awesome speedboats. Take you to several different locations and lunch at a beach restaurant. We snorkeled at Creole Rock and at an island that was a nature reserve and saw lots of turtles and many fish. One of our best excursions ever.

I would choose Grand Turk.

Grand Turk and Belize are two islands in the Caribbean known for diving and snorkeling. Given your itinerary, if I wanted to snorkel, I would pick Grand Turk. While there, you also have an opportunity to see "The Wall" where it descends to 7,000ft, instantly.

Grand Turk also has some nice coral gardens and opportunities to see sting rays and small sharks in the wild, not penned in cages. Belize has Shark Ray Alley and Caulker Caye, but that's not one of the OP's ports. Same with Roatan.

There are only a few sites in Sint Maarten for snorkeling, and I didn't rate them high at all.

Been to grand Turk and to st Martin to snorkel. Saw the rays in grand Turk which the other poster above referred to and creole rock in st. Maartin

Either trip was ok but not as good as Belize as another poster pointed out which is not your port. But ironically when I went to grand Turk it was a substituted port for Belize because carnival cancelled going to grand Turk once we were on the ship.

But the trip to see the rays in grand Turk was offered by. Carnival and going to creole rock was not a ship sponsored tour. It is one hour each way via taxi to creole rock and in 2012 cost $80 each way. Creole rock sport offers a two hour snorkel back then for $40 each.

Which ever tour you choose enjoy.

I would snorkel in Grand Turk. St Maarten us one of our favorite stops. Beautiful island with lots to see and do. Grand Turk is pretty much a barren island good for beach sand beach activities.

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Grand Turk is known for snorkeling & scuba

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All on your itinerary have decent snorkeling ... but none have great snorkeling.

They are good ports so you'll have fun anyway. :)

LuLu

Answering the thread title - Belize

Agree with the others about Belize... Have done 3 snorkels there and have some beautiful underwater pictures of the coral. Maya Key in Roatan allows a free snorkel for up to 5 hours. Did 2.5 myself and went out to the ridge. Not as good as Belize but it is the end of the barrier reef.

Going to Bonaire and Costa Rica this spring and they say Bonaire is one of the best. Will find out in 9 months. Visiting Grand Turk and St Martin in Jan and looking for an excursion to post on the Carnival site for this cruise. nothing yet but have time to deal with it.

Lastly, there was a nature preserve off of Freeport where you first Kayak and then snorkel. Had some nice coral colors there but not like Belize.

So based on viewing the coral types and colors, my rating...

1. Belize

2. Maya Key

3. Freeport

4. rest of the eastern caribbean and Cozumel

Steve

Where is the best place on Grand Turk for a couple of novices? We are also planning to go to Jack's Shack so I'm not sure an actual excursion would work for us.