Snorkeling on own to see turtles or take excursion?

Considering one of the ship or private excursions to snorkel with the turtles. I have seen lots of posts about where/which beaches have good snorkeling in general, but are there any beaches or other areas accessible on your own that might have good turtle sightings?

I know of a number of beaches you can go to yourself that frequently have turtles nearby, but there is no guarantee. Beaches such as Sapphire, Coki, and Secret Harbor MAY have turtles on any given day.

If you want a guaranteed turtle sighting Turtle Cove is your best bet and that requires a boat trip. The ships have excursions that go there but I wouldn't enjoy them because they are overcrowded and there are so many people that very little time is actually spent in the water.

If you can afford it a private charter works best but they are expensive and have to work with your ships schedule.

I know of a number of beaches you can go to yourself that frequently have turtles nearby, but there is no guarantee. Beaches such as Sapphire, Coki, and Secret Harbor MAY have turtles on any given day.

 

If you want a guaranteed turtle sighting Turtle Cove is your best bet and that requires a boat trip. The ships have excursions that go there but I wouldn't enjoy them because they are overcrowded and there are so many people that very little time is actually spent in the water.

 

If you can afford it a private charter works best but they are expensive and have to work with your ships schedule.

Thanks! This is exactly what I thought...now to decide between ship or private tour. Leaning toward private for exactly the reason you mentioned.

We took the tour last time with our ship and are doing it again with a private charter, Fury. The ships tour had over 120 people and was very crowded. I want to try it again without the crowds.

Thanks! This is exactly what I thought...now to decide between ship or private tour. Leaning toward private for exactly the reason you mentioned.

If you can afford it, IMO there is nothing to decide - do the private tour.

Fury Charters. It was excellent! :)

http://www.usvisailing.com/daysails.html

Thanks everyone. We are going to contact Fury!

Fury is who we plan on using as well.

You will both have a great time with Captain Mike. :)

If your interested in sailing, Morningstar charters is the absolute best IMO. We used them a couple years ago and was by far the best excursion we have ever done on any cruise. Best of all the boat only holds 6 passengers, so it can be only your group if you have enough. Our group contained 5 so it was awesome. To actually be able to sail on an older sailboat across in Caribbean Sea will be something you'll talk about for quite some time. They even let my 10 yr old daughter take the wheel. We seen several turtles while snorkeling, this is a pic i took while swimming with one.

If you were to go on your own, by taxi or say car rental, where would you go?

Would you be able to maybe see turtles just while swimming off the shore?

Thanks!

There are lots of places that have turtles. I always see them at Cowpet Bay. The mooring field for the yacht club is full of turtle grass. They are typically out in the middle of bays, not usually up at the shore. However, if you want to be promised you'll see them, you have to go to "Turtle Cove" on Buck Island.

Hi

I was wondering if you could give me an idea on the rate for this charter?

There would be 4 people in our group.

Thanks

Smitty

Hi

 

I was wondering if you could give me an idea on the rate for this charter?

 

There would be 4 people in our group.

 

Thanks

Smitty

For fury charters it's $85 per person and if you pay cash they'll discount it $10. So $75 per person I'd paying cash.

Great - thank you

Just took the all day tour on Simplicity sailboat out of Red Hook , St. Thomas. It was a very special day to sail on this classic boat whether you snorkeled or just wanted a great day on the water at beautiful secluded beaches. A memorable experience with a knowledgeable captain that made it a unique experience. Saw numerous turtles at all the stops