Snorkeling in St Thomas...WHICH ONE?

[sapphireblue]

We are sailing in March 2011 and want to snorkel in St. Thomas. There are SO many choices for snorkel shore excursions - I'm not sure which one is the best. I did do the St. Johns one years ago - but need your suggestions/comparisons. Also...we want to fit in several hours of shopping time. What are your experiences with places to snorkel and time to shop?

[The Flying Pirate]

We have been to St Thomas many times both for work and on cruises and their are a lot of great snorkeling locations. My favorite is "Turtle Cove" off Buck Island just outside the harbor. It is only accessible by boat and is consistently good for snorkeling. The cove is shallow about 15-20 feet. There is a small reef that runs through it that is colorful and usually full of fish. The cove is also "home" to sea turtles, which are regularly spotted there. (I have found them every time we go out there so the odds of seeing them are pretty good.) There are several tour boats that will take you out there. We have been on the Doubloon several times and had a great time, friendly crew and good service. ( http://www.doubloon.com/ )

[Annette1024]

In may, I did the st johns snorkeling/beach excursion on the carnival dream and thought it was great!! There were so many fish and so many different things to look at. The reef and the water were absolutely beautiful! The only problem was the excursion was not set up right and we spent more time waiting for everyone, loading up the boats, and than they ran out of taxis on St. johns and we had to wait an additional 20 minutes for another one to come. Once we got there everything was great except for the fact we only had 45 minutes. Hopefully some day I will go back to snorkel at Trunk bay but will do it on my own. I know you can take a taxi to the ferry and than the ferry right over to St. johns and it only costs $6 each way.

[10X]

We've done the Turtle Cove excursion twice and enjoyed it both times. You snorkel from a boat, not a beach. This could present problems if there are health issues that would prevent you from climbing a ladder to re-enter the boat.

 

We did St. John's and were disappointed.

 

For really shallow water snorkeling from a beach, try Coki Beach. The fish there have been fed so much that they will come to you looking for a handout.

[Middleager]

Coki Beach is free and you get to see a bunch of fish.

 

You can also try snuba (need to book ahead) or Discovery scuba there too. I did boat diving and enjoyed it, while my family/friends did snorkeling.

[BroncosFan2010]

We have enjoyed the "Yacht Adventures Sail and Snorkel" trip through RCCL. This tour starts with a sailboat ride with you, the captain of the ship, and only 6 passengers. After about 45 minutes of sailing, you come to Buck Island to snorkel with the turtles and along the reef. Very nice snorkel area, and the turtles are fun to swim with. Then you sail back, enjoy some drinks and snacks, and even get to sail the boat if you want. We loved the fact that the tour group was so small. It was about 3 and a half hours or so. Plenty of time to shop the rest of the day.

[suezyq50]

Coki Beach is free and you get to see a bunch of fish.

 

You can also try snuba (need to book ahead) or Discovery scuba there too. I did boat diving and enjoyed it, while my family/friends did snorkeling.

We tried snuba and loved it. My sister was having a hard time getting the breathing down. She was given lots of time and didn't rush her. http://www.visnuba.com/

[Islandbear]

Little and great St James off the south east coast of St Thomas have great coral & a beautiful trench.

 

Coki beach is a tourist trap, where they feed the fish. You wont see anything special there. Just a bunch of fat, dull, garbage fish. Just my opinion but if you really like snorkeling you will want to book a charter.

 

If you have time get over to St John. Water Lemon Cay or whistling Cay are always great.

[evandbob]

Little and great St James off the south east coast of St Thomas have great coral & a beautiful trench.

 

Coki beach is a tourist trap, where they feed the fish. You wont see anything special there. Just a bunch of fat, dull, garbage fish. Just my opinion but if you really like snorkeling you will want to book a charter.

 

If you have time get over to St John. Water Lemon Cay or whistling Cay are always great.

 

If you are lucky at Coki Beach, you may get to see Matilda, a fat, overfed barricuda about 5' long. Snorkel off the right end of the beach to where the snuba tour goes, she hangs around there near the underwater observatory. Don't wear flashy jewelry or watches.

[morecruise4me]

We were just there in February. Sapphire beach also has some good snorkeling and isn't as crowded as Coki. Just take a taxi.

[cruzegirl]

We've done the Turtle Cove excursion twice and enjoyed it both times. You snorkel from a boat, not a beach. This could present problems if there are health issues that would prevent you from climbing a ladder to re-enter the boat.

 

We did St. John's and were disappointed.

 

For really shallow water snorkeling from a beach, try Coki Beach. The fish there have been fed so much that they will come to you looking for a handout.

 

10X-

How did you get there? Which boat did you use? Ship excursion? Private excursion? My group would like to do this but we want longer time there than the ships excurion allows. Please tell me all you can about this tour. Thanks.

[10X]

cruzegirl,

 

We did a ship's excursion to Turtle Cove and St. Johns.

 

We took a taxi to Coki Beach.

 

Islandbear,

 

You need to venture a little further out and to the sides at Coki Beach. I have some terrific pictures of eels, turtles, and a variety of large and small fish. You just need to know where to go.

 

Denny

[DirtyNanners]

IslandBear, I completely disagree. Best snorkeling is to be found at Coki. Lot's of different types of fish and corals.

 

Searching, I found a YouTube Page that has beautiful underwater footage, mostly taken around Coki on St. Thomas. See for yourself:

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/DiveHDV

[Islandbear]

I am sorry DirtyNanners it is just my opinion. I have been snorkeling in the Carib for over 25 years. I am lucky enough to get to the islands at least twice a year and have snorkeled from Aruba to Cozumel. The one thing that I can't stand is fish feeding and the resulting damage to the reef.

 

Coki is a great reef and it would be even better if people would respect it and stop trying to turn it into a circus.

 

The vidio of a dolphine was cute but that is not what most people see at coki. This video shows the more common experience at Coki. http://www.youtube.com/user/DiveHDV#p/u/23/xhy1rjp7RjI

 

Thousands of jacks and sargent majors swarming swimmers looking for handouts. Notice the lack of any variety you would see at a healthy reef.

 

Swimming in these feed lots is exciting for some people but for me I would much rather float over a healthy Coral head teaming with thousands of different fish instead of a thousand scavangers. But hey its a big ocean. there is nothing wrong with Coki if thats what your looking for. :rolleyes:

[ceejay_San Angelo]

Thank you IslandBear for your perspective. Many casual snorkelers don't realize how fragile the reef system is, and how much damage can be done by feeding fish or touching/standing on the coral. Thanks for your comments towards helping preserve this incredible underwater world.

[Stevesan]

We are sailing in March 2011 and want to snorkel in St. Thomas. There are SO many choices for snorkel shore excursions - I'm not sure which one is the best. I did do the St. Johns one years ago - but need your suggestions/comparisons. Also...we want to fit in several hours of shopping time. What are your experiences with places to snorkel and time to shop?

 

I can't say which is "best" because I haven't done them all. Although, I have tried to.:p

 

My best was to St John with Rumbaba. Small boat, no more than six snorkelers, excellent lunch served on board.

Best of all, Capt Bobby locates the most promising snorkel sites for that day.

He ties up at American Yacht Harbor, dock B, in Red Hook. Easy to find.

I took a local bus each way. His confirmation e-mail provides detailed info.

 

You preorder your entree. Fresh ahi tuna, mahi mahi, filet mignon or chicken breast

 

http://www.rumbabacharters.com/

[parasailor]

You might wish to hire in advance one of the inexpensive ST Thomas taxi services which will meet you at the ship, take you to shop, then to the beach (where they watch your packages), then to the ship. i second Sapphire Beach--not crowded, nice reef, very scenic.

[cruisingforsix]

We went to secret harbor and we were the only two snorkelers, there were 6 divers. Diane who runs the dive shopwent diving and the boat capt. kept an eye on us .i think it would have been more crowded but the weather was a little iffy and it did start to rain on the way back. but we had no problems with a few sprinkles. it was really pretty and peaceful , we saw several turtles and a baraccuda along with some fish.