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St. Maarten: Snorkeling


melski
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My family loves to snorkel, however, I am reading reviews that there are fewer fish and turtles to see after the hurricanes. Can anyone tell me how the snorkeling has been recently? I would just hate to pay $120 x 7 people for a snorkeling excursion if its just ok.

 

Are there any beaches that we could snorkel off of?

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My family loves to snorkel, however, I am reading reviews that there are fewer fish and turtles to see after the hurricanes. Can anyone tell me how the snorkeling has been recently? I would just hate to pay $120 x 7 people for a snorkeling excursion if its just ok.

 

Are there any beaches that we could snorkel off of?

 

Ditto, I would love to know as we will be there in Oct 18’ and we go mostly to snorkel

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My family loves to snorkel, however, I am reading reviews that there are fewer fish and turtles to see after the hurricanes. Can anyone tell me how the snorkeling has been recently? I would just hate to pay $120 x 7 people for a snorkeling excursion if its just ok.

 

 

 

Are there any beaches that we could snorkel off of?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My family loves to snorkel, however, I am reading reviews that there are fewer fish and turtles to see after the hurricanes. Can anyone tell me how the snorkeling has been recently? I would just hate to pay $120 x 7 people for a snorkeling excursion if its just ok.

 

 

 

Are there any beaches that we could snorkel off of?

 

 

 

Just my opinion but I never considered St Martaan a good Snorkeling island before the hurricane. We took a snorkel excursion once it was ok a best. There was a made made reef with a sunken copter. Nothing very great.

 

If you are on a cruise St Thomas or Tortola might offer better snorkel excursions.

 

 

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We just got back from St. Maarten. We went on a half day snorkel tour to Creole Rock which cost us $75 x 4. The snorkeling was the saddest in terms of water clarity, coral, and sea life that I have experienced in visiting/snorkeling/diving in over 20 islands in the Caribbean. Lots of sea grass. There was hardly any sea life and the coral was almost non-existence. In addition, it seemed every tour operator goes to this place so the water was really stirred up and murky. I think there 6-7 other boats there while we were there. In my opinion, Creole Rock is not worth the money and better off at the beach for the day.

 

We are due to go on another cruise within the next year that has St. Maarten on the itinerary I am we are looking at other options rather snorkeling/diving.

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One problem with Creole Rock is that many excursions just want you to snorkel southside of main rock - some of best snorkeling is between two rocks and on north and east side. Plus, the number of people going there - especially to the southside of the big rock probably is affecting what is there.

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Just my opinion but I never considered St Martaan a good Snorkeling island before the hurricane. We took a snorkel excursion once it was ok a best. There was a made made reef with a sunken copter. Nothing very great.

 

If you are on a cruise St Thomas or Tortola might offer better snorkel excursions.

 

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This was my thought as soon as I read the Subject Line.

 

We have cruised here several times before, and have also sailed a few times on a catamaran for a week and there really weren’t any snorkel options during any of our visits.

 

Hopefully some of your other ports provide better options.

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We just got back from St. Maarten. We went on a half day snorkel tour to Creole Rock which cost us $75 x 4. The snorkeling was the saddest in terms of water clarity, coral, and sea life that I have experienced in visiting/snorkeling/diving in over 20 islands in the Caribbean. Lots of sea grass. There was hardly any sea life and the coral was almost non-existence. In addition, it seemed every tour operator goes to this place so the water was really stirred up and murky. I think there 6-7 other boats there while we were there. In my opinion, Creole Rock is not worth the money and better off at the beach for the day.

 

We are due to go on another cruise within the next year that has St. Maarten on the itinerary I am we are looking at other options rather snorkeling/diving.

 

Thanks for that info! Which tour co were you with?

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Agree with Volk's post. We are avid snorkelers and have even done our share of SCUBA and St Maarten is not a place high on our list (or even on our list) for decent snorkeling. There are times (mostly in the summer when the seas tend to be calm) when Dawn Beach is OK for snorkeling. We have also enjoyed some off beach snorkeling at Happy Beach (a place not normally visited by cruisers)...but even that was nothing special.

 

Hank

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