Best off shore snorkeling in these 5 ports??

If anyone has experience with snorkeling right off the beach in these following ports can you please chime in if you found a place that was particularly better than others?

My Fiance and I will be on our honeymoon cruise in November on RCCL and we are stopping at the following ports.

Tortola, B.V.I

St. Maarten

Dominica

St. Kitts

Barbados

My Fiance does not know how to swim, therefore she is a bit afraid of trying to snorkel and doesn't see the logic in paying for her to do a snorkeling excursion if she is just going to sit on the boat watching. Therefore I was hoping some of the ports might have beaches that may have some decent snorkeling right off the beach and while I am snorkeling on my own she can be snoozing for a while on the beach.

Has anyone stopped in these ports and found pretty decent snorkeling right off one of the beaches without paying for a snorkeling excursion?

In Barbados you can snorkel with turtles. If you are a strong swimmer you can just swim out a ways, or you can hire someone on the beach to take you out. There are also ship wrecks to swim over. This is all in Carlisle bay

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In Barbados you can snorkel with turtles. If you are a strong swimmer you can just swim out a ways, or you can hire someone on the beach to take you out. There are also ship wrecks to swim over. This is all in Carlisle bay

 

 

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Thanks!! Yes I am a very strong swimmer so that wouldn't be a problem at all!!

In St Kitts there is a nice beach by the Marriott a narrow spit of land with a nice reef. Be careful of the currents.

You can snorkel from shore in Dominica at Champagne Reef...there is not a beach but a boardwalk where you walk down to a rocky area and have to walk over some rocks to enter. They call it champagne reef because of the bubbles in the water from a volcanic area and you feel like you are swimming in a bubbling aquarium. You can even feel warmer water in some parts than in others. Highly recommended for a unique experience. Most cruises offer an excursion there where you snorkel from the boat and won't have to walk over all of the rocks. You can also go there on your own, but if you do you should negotiate a price for the taxi driver to stay there and wait on you and not pay until you get back to the ship, because it is in an area off the beaten path as far as having lots of taxis there.

Agree with the previous post about St. Lucia also. If you have a chance to go to the Baths in BVI, that is also nice but many times the current is too strong.

Sorry, I meant Barbados instead of St. Lucia. Would recommend seeing the turtles if you have a chance. Beautiful creatures!!

Tortola is a a great stop! Please consider DIY trip to The Baths of Virgin Gorda! We got off the boat, bought ferry tickets to VG and took a cab to the baths with our snorkeling equipment. We have found our yellow inflatable snorkel vests to be a great investment. We were some of the first on the beach so we claimed our little spot of paradise and just swam, laid out, and snorkeled all day. You don't have to go our far from the beach at all to see fish. In fact, the snorkel tour boats come right up to the beach and drop their people right in front of you! So get there early and get your snorkel on! Went through the baths, over to Devils Beach. It was one of the best trips.

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And ditto about others thoughts on Barbados and Dominica. Not really a beach in Dominica, but you should see the Champagne reef for a few minutes. Best thing there is to do a tour that has a stop to Champagne. It's a beautiful island, but no beaches. I have never found snorkeling in St. Maarten. Rent a car and go to Orient Beach in the morning and Maho in the afternoon.

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I bought simple inflatable buoyancy vests to use for off-shore snorkeling and this thing has paid for itself many times over. I do swim but would not consider myself a strong ocean swimmer. This allows me to relax more in the water and I would highly recommend purchasing one to take with you for shore snorkeling on your own. Your fiance will thank you!