Sapphire Beach, St Thomas question

Rather than pay for an excursion, My husband and I are considering taking a taxi to Sapphire Beach to go snorkeling. From what I’ve read, the area near the reef has a strong current. I can swim but don’t swim laps on a regular basis. The beach doesn’t have life guards either. Has anyone had issues with the current and snorkeling at this beach? Thanks!

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The only occasionally strong current is out beyond the point. The water around the reef is close to shore and not a problem

If you are not able to fix your mask and snorkel you should not attempt to snorkel this reef Do not stand on or touch any of the reefs as it kills the coral and the security patrols will call on you to get off the reefs

beautifulbill, I read on another post that you live on Sapphire beach. Can you PLEASE post some pics? We'd all truly appreciate it!!:cool:

GloriaF

I am not lucky enough to live at Sapphire Beach full time but I have owned a condo there since 1988 so am pretty familiar with things there

I don’t think you can post pictures on this site or if possible don’t know how to do it

What you might do is go to VRBO and search Sapphire Beach Resort and Marina. It will bring up listings by owners of there condos and most listings have pictures of the beach.

Thanks, beautifulbill for the reply. I don't know how to post pics either on CC, but it is possible because others do it. Someone posted pics of a bar & grill that has just reopened in downtown St Tom...the Dog House (?)

Good idea about using VRBO, but I'm sure the VRBO pics are at the best times not post-hurricane. I have been to Sapphire Beach on past cruises, so have an idea of what to expect unless the hurricanes destroyed a lot of it. I was looking for current pics of the beach.

Following

Was just at Sapphire Beach on 11/10. The clarity was not great as there is a lot of sand still being kicked up, The area to the right ( as you face the water) along the shallow reefs and then along the rocks had a fair amount of fish but as you got closer to the point it was quite rough with swells breaking. We did not snorkel to the left but those that did reported seeing debris and a roof. The sand on the beach is courser than I remembered with a 2 foot drop off to get in the water. The water was pretty clear though along the beach. The trees on the left behind the beach are severely damaged and several are missing but some people did see the large iguanas in the grass behind them. The dive shop is opened and they were cooking something that smelled great! Bathrooms are functioning but there is a lot of damage to the buildings. All being said, we enjoyed our visit and had a great time!

Was just at Sapphire Beach on 11/10. The clarity was not great as there is a lot of sand still being kicked up, The area to the right ( as you face the water) along the shallow reefs and then along the rocks had a fair amount of fish but as you got closer to the point it was quite rough with swells breaking. We did not snorkel to the left but those that did reported seeing debris and a roof. The sand on the beach is courser than I remembered with a 2 foot drop off to get in the water. The water was pretty clear though along the beach. The trees on the left behind the beach are severely damaged and several are missing but some people did see the large iguanas in the grass behind them. The dive shop is opened and they were cooking something that smelled great! Bathrooms are functioning but there is a lot of damage to the buildings. All being said, we enjoyed our visit and had a great time!

Were you able to rent lounge chairs? Still plenty of shade? We are thinking about that for our Dec trip.

The dive shop rents the chairs so yes you can rent chairs.

The trees lost all their leaves so there is no shade. It will come back over time but it isn't there now.

Was just at Sapphire Beach on 11/10.

Did you do a ship tour? We are going in mid-Dec and our original plan was just to take taxis - did you see any? Thanks!

We booked a ship excursion to this beach but now Im thinking that I should change it to Magens bay. My MIL will not like having a 2 foot drop to get in the water.