Best place to snorkel on excursion?

[Missiowa]

Hi, we are taking a cruise in September and would love to try snorkeling. We are going to half moon cay, St. Thomas, San Juan, and Turks and Caicos. What is the best place to snorkel? My husband is disabled and can't walk very far. Any tips would be great! Thanks!

[seashinesunshine]

on St Thomas Coki Beach is by far the best snorkeling. The beach may not be easily accesable though. We were there in Feb, to go thru the Coral World entrance you have to go on stairs, if you go from the road it is just a short walk, but there is some construction going on.

[NanCan]

Agree with St Thomas being the best port to do it in.. we did the BOSS scuba scooters there and they had snorkling for everyone while waiting our turn..I don't have a recommendation as where to go but we did that same itinerary and found a lot of snorkling excursions for St Thomas in our research, Turks and Caicos would be the second best place...IMO :) It is surrounded by a reef but I have not investigated anything about snorkling there..I know it is supposed to be a great place for scuba diving though, maybe the snorkling is just as good..Half Moon Cay offers some but I don't remember it being a very reefy area.. gorgeous though! Have a wonderful trip!!

[aholt25]

While in St. Thomas, you can take a trip over to St. John, and snorkel there. We did that, and it was great! It was quite an accessible beach, from what I remember. Sorry - it was about 7 years ago and I sometimes confuse that beach with Magen's Bay. I think they're similar. But, nonetheless, you ride a ferry-like boat over, and hop a taxi to the beach. It's a sandy beach out to about 16- 21 feet of water. The water was calm when we were there. You have to be able to pull against the current a little because 20 feet of water is a lot of water, but it's not like a huge churning current.

[Kjudge]

When we stop in St Thomas we always take a bus or cab over to Sapphire Beach. Rent a beach chair ($7) if I remember and you can snorkle like you are in an aquarium right off the beach. Literally fish right as you walk in and nice sandy beach. I recommend grabbing rice krispies cereal box from breakfast buffet. Feed the fish and they will surround you. One side of the beach (right) is fish and coral, on the left is sea grass and you can see turtles and sting rays. Been to Coki and it was ok too. More swimming involved.

[cdamion]

If you can find a shore excursion that goes to Trunk Bay on St. John that would be a good place for a beginner to snorkel. It is a beautiful white sand beach and also has reefs and an underwater snorkel trail to follow with info about what you are looking at. Best of both worlds.

 

Even if there is not an excursion, you can take a taxi from the ship to the St. John ferry and take a taxi from St. John to Trunk Bay. I don't believe there is a lot of walking involved.

 

Coki Beach is good too, I don't recall there being a reef there, but there are lots of fish - especially on the right side by Coral World's nets.

[cdamion]

When we stop in St Thomas we always take a bus or cab over to Sapphire Beach. Rent a beach chair ($7) if I remember and you can snorkle like you are in an aquarium right off the beach. Literally fish right as you walk in and nice sandy beach. I recommend grabbing rice krispies cereal box from breakfast buffet. Feed the fish and they will surround you. One side of the beach (right) is fish and coral, on the left is sea grass and you can see turtles and sting rays. Been to Coki and it was ok too. More swimming involved.

 

Sapphire Beach is ok. I actually spent time in a condo right on the beach here and was stupidly so busy going everywhere else, I didn't realize how nice the beach was just a few yards from our balcony. This beach will not have any crowds, nor will it have any services. I don't believe the restaurant/bar at this beach has been open for several years now due to some lengthy legal dispute.

[Missiowa]

We don't own snorkeling equipment out even know what to do, so we would need to have a lesson on the excursion. We would love to find turtles, if anyone knows where they hang out.

[Kjudge]

They have a bar on the beach and a rental hut that had snorkle equipement when we were there in febuary and there were waitresses taking drink orders and food orders on the beach. Things have changed :-) I bring my own gear ( same as the price of one rental) so we always travel with it.

[Kjudge]

they charge you for the beach chairs at the rental hut too. I think it was 7 bucks a lounge chair.