My Sapphire Beach Review and other highlights w/pics

[pinkiesue]

Thanks for the info. I will look it up except I probably won't be getting a pink one. :D

 

Joe.....

 

LOL

They do have other colors and water depths. This is my 2nd Olympus.

As you can tell by my name I like everything pink!

[pinkiesue]

Loved your review and pictures. We'll be there this Monday and our plans are to go to Sapphire since we went to St. John the last time. We're taking our own snorkel gear and would love to see a turtle. Our plan after that was to ride the Skyride to Paradise Point, but it sounds like that may be up in the air - unless there's a way cabs can get up there. Would love to see the view and I've been dying to try a Bushwacker. In case we can't, thank you for sharing the recipe and thank you also for taking the time to do a detailed review of Sapphire Beach.

 

Enjoy your trip can't wait to hear your review when you get back. Your gonna love it and the snorkeling is great. Just remember the turtles were on the left looking at the water in the grassy parts. We found ours a ways out. Good luck I hope you see some.

Hope you are able to get to Paradise Point also. I heard that taxis can bring you up there. The view is awesome, wish we had sunnier skies then, but oh well! Definitely eat something before you have the Bushwacker!!!

[Chelleum]

Great review and pics, your review helped me decide what I want to do when I go to STT in Oct. I will be doing the southern caribbean itinenary.

 

Sent from my LG-MS770 using Forums mobile app

[blue_water]

The southern is a great itinerary, best beaches and quieter islands - enjoy!

[Chelleum]

The southern is a great itinerary, best beaches and quieter islands - enjoy!

 

Thank you!!

[topazz11]

I am trying to upload some pics from Sapphire but it will not let me. It gives me a message about a security token.

[Silver_Squid]

Sapphire is beautiful. :D Sapphire is a great place to see turtles and rays for sure. The ducks you speak of are beautiful little Bohemian pintails and are considered "locals" lol as they're always there. Just dont feed them.

 

The needle nose like fish is a Ballyhoo (fun name) and they are actually VERY beautiful and bright blue when viewed from top. The small maroon and yellow "anemones" are fan worms / feather dusters. The part you're seeing is their feeding apparatus. Keep watch at Sapphire for the huge schools of blue tangs, they're beautiful too. Watch for lionfish and if you see them tell the dive shop.

 

Here's a pic of Sapphire that I wanted to share: Try not to drool on the keyboard lol this beach is beautiful. OH and if the BBQ food truck Off the Grid is at the top, do yourself a favor and get some of their BBQ and some Caribbean caviar (beans and corn). Mind = Blown. They open back up in October I think.

 

[blue_water]

Topaz, pics are great to share with others, but it's better to upload them to one of the popular storage sites and just post that link here. That eliminated the need to scroll through the hundreds of pics ppl post here amd makes it much easier to read these threads.

 

Silver squid's pic is beautiful and is the area we tend to stay in because it's quieter. But there is a sandy swimming area as well, not all f the bay is rocky. But great shot!

[pinkiesue]

Great review and pics, your review helped me decide what I want to do when I go to STT in Oct. I will be doing the southern caribbean itinenary.

 

Sent from my LG-MS770 using Forums mobile app

 

You will love it there. We did.

[pinkiesue]

Sapphire is beautiful. :D Sapphire is a great place to see turtles and rays for sure. The ducks you speak of are beautiful little Bohemian pintails and are considered "locals" lol as they're always there. Just dont feed them.

 

The needle nose like fish is a Ballyhoo (fun name) and they are actually VERY beautiful and bright blue when viewed from top. The small maroon and yellow "anemones" are fan worms / feather dusters. The part you're seeing is their feeding apparatus. Keep watch at Sapphire for the huge schools of blue tangs, they're beautiful too. Watch for lionfish and if you see them tell the dive shop.

 

Here's a pic of Sapphire that I wanted to share: Try not to drool on the keyboard lol this beach is beautiful. OH and if the BBQ food truck Off the Grid is at the top, do yourself a favor and get some of their BBQ and some Caribbean caviar (beans and corn). Mind = Blown. They open back up in October I think.

 

 

Thanks for the names. I loved the snorkeling there I could have stayed for days:). Love how you can walk right in and start snorkeling.

Love your pic also, wish I was there right now;)

[kansascruiser1]

well that was a tease if I ever saw one! We're planning on going to sapphire beach in 2 weeks - can't wait! :D

 

How was it? I am going on Carnival Victory June 30th.

[ruff]

Loved your review. With the snorkel equipment, do they give you any kind of life jacket? We will have 7 children with us (between 6-9 yrs. old).

[pinkiesue]

Loved your review. With the snorkel equipment, do they give you any kind of life jacket? We will have 7 children with us (between 6-9 yrs. old).

 

I'm not sure. We didn't get any and I can't remember if it was on the board or not to rent. Sorry. Maybe blue water or someone else might know.

[jcacruiser]

Skyride sounds like fun. What was the cost? Great review!

[mitsugirly]

 

I found my DD and showed her then I found my DH and at the same time he saw a stingray!. Well I couldn't be in 2 places at once with the camera so he came to us.

 

 

THIS is exactly the reason by the time I left Sapphire, I vowed to buy another water camera as soon as we got home for the next cruise...and I DID! :D The hubby and I were always fighting over who gets the camera and who might have seen what and the other one was missing. lol (I now have 3 cameras, tons of SD cards, memory sticks and a small 10" computer to back things up on).

 

 

On this next one notice the Christmas tree worms on the brain coral.

Mitsugirly I remember reading that you would like to see one someday. I didn't notice them til I looked at the pictures. They are kinda cool

 

 

I actually have seen the Christmas tree worms already. We found them in Cozumel at Chankanaab. :p You talk about happy! That I was!

 

Here's mine:

 

[mitsugirly]

I came out of the water to tell my DD & DH about all the fish I've seen but I guess they saw enough already. When I was out we did see a duck walking around (sorry no pic of him). Back into the water I went. Here are some more fish I saw

This guy, I did see a few of them

 

 

 

Aren't these the neatest little guys ever? This is still the only place I have EVER seen these fish out of everywhere I have been. Maybe they only like the eastern Caribbean because I'm convinced they are not on the western Caribbean cruises. LOL I know I was scared to death of them when we seen them here because of the long sword like noses and they were not afraid of you. They came really close and were very curious. Then I came home and read up on them and found that they are not scary at all and they are the pray of many other fish.

 

Here are some other cool things I found

If anyone knows what they are that would be great. Anemone?

 

 

 

Sea urchin and love this yellow sea anemone

 

 

 

What's in your picture is sea worms...or what we have always called "feather dusters". I use to have a tank full of these things. Funny thing is, when I was in to having the salt water tanks (I had 3 of them and they were huge), I had a 150 gallon tank and my mom use to live in Myrtle Beach. We went down one summer and was gathering a bunch of rocks along the shore and brought them back to decorate my tank. A few months later...these things were everywhere (the feather dusters). It was amazing. This stuff cost A LOT of money if you buy it at the local pet stores. They charge by the POUND!!! The weird thing is, all the rocks I collected did not come from the water. It was way up by the hotels and apartments. I'm not even sure how these little critters lived when they were dry. When I ended up selling my tanks, boy did I get a lot of money for all of that rocks and sea worms. :D

 

Also you sea urchin in the 2nd picture, the yellow thing in it is also a sea worm, not an anemone. :)

 

By the way, I just had to say I'm so happy you enjoyed your day there. Isn't it just the most beautiful place ever? I'm really glad I ran upon your post. I don't really come over to the St Thomas or St Martin boards anymore. It's been since 2010 since I have been here and I'm just afraid that things I might say might be outdated. For some reason, tonight I decided to "peek" in here and found your review.

 

I have 1 more cruise scheduled this year...ANOTHER western. I have been on so many western cruises over the last few years I have swore that I'm done! I want to go back to the eastern side or southern. I need something new. :) I'm hoping to make it back here to Sapphire soon.

[mitsugirly]

This is what the worms look like from the side, they actually have a "tree-like" appearance. In your pictures, you just can't see their little "stalk" because they are buried in the sand or coral. If you get close enough to them it will scare them and they will quickly pop their "fan" back into the stalk. Then gently come back out. :)

 

 

 

I have 1 more picture I wanted to share with you for fun. I was in Belize at Bannister Island last December and I found this sea worm (feather duster)...it was by far the biggest one I had ever seen. It was about 2-3 feet tall. I mean HUGE! I had no idea they could ever get this big.

 

 

 

Just look at the size of the stalk on that thing. It was probably as round as 3 of my fingers put together.

 

Also the Christmas tree are worms too, just another species of these worms. :)

[pinkiesue]

THIS is exactly the reason by the time I left Sapphire, I vowed to buy another water camera as soon as we got home for the next cruise...and I DID! :D The hubby and I were always fighting over who gets the camera and who might have seen what and the other one was missing. lol (I now have 3 cameras, tons of SD cards, memory sticks and a small 10" computer to back things up on).

 

 

 

I actually have seen the Christmas tree worms already. We found them in Cozumel at Chankanaab. :p You talk about happy! That I was!

 

Here's mine:

 

 

Thanks so much for all the info.

I decided to go to Sapphire from reading your review and I'm glad we did. I loved it. Wish we had more time 2 1/2 hrs isn't enough time.

I do have 3 underwater cameras but my old one leaks in the water so it doesn't go in and my daughter has one which she was using.

Loved reading your reviews can't wait for the next one.

[pinkiesue]

I have 1 more picture I wanted to share with you for fun. I was in Belize at Bannister Island last December and I found this sea worm (feather duster)...it was by far the biggest one I had ever seen. It was about 2-3 feet tall. I mean HUGE! I had no idea they could ever get this big.

 

 

 

Just look at the size of the stalk on that thing. It was probably as round as 3 of my fingers put together.

 

Also the Christmas tree are worms too, just another species of these worms. :)

 

Holy Crap!!! That thing is HUGE!

I think I would have freaked out if I saw that.

The little pointy fish were a little scary too when I first saw them.

 

Loved your Little French Key review and pics. It's some place I would love to go someday.

[pinkiesue]

Skyride sounds like fun. What was the cost? Great review!

 

Great views from the top and from the ride.

I bought our tickets on the ship for $19 a piece but I think at the ride it was $21.

[mitsugirly]

Thanks so much for all the info.

I decided to go to Sapphire from reading your review and I'm glad we did. I loved it. Wish we had more time 2 1/2 hrs isn't enough time.

I do have 3 underwater cameras but my old one leaks in the water so it doesn't go in and my daughter has one which she was using.

Loved reading your reviews can't wait for the next one.

 

I agree 2 1/2 hours isn't enough time...eternity isn't enough time there. :D So glad you enjoyed it. Next review coming up in a little over 4 months. :p

 

 

 

Holy Crap!!! That thing is HUGE!

I think I would have freaked out if I saw that.

The little pointy fish were a little scary too when I first saw them.

 

Loved your Little French Key review and pics. It's some place I would love to go someday.

 

I was over joyed when I seen it. I didn't even realize they got that big! :eek:

 

I'm telling you, if you ever get a chance to go to LFK....GO! It is heaven...seriously. I have never seen the water so blue in my life! :)

[okiehawk]

Are there any jet ski or sea do rentals on Sapphire? If so does anyone know prices?

[pinkiesue]

Are there any jet ski or sea do rentals on Sapphire? If so does anyone know prices?

 

There's a marina close by that might have them I think

[okiehawk]

There's a marina close by that might have them I think

 

Thank you pinkiesue. I hope we can come up with the name of a place so we can checks ices before we go :)

[pinkiesue]

Thank you pinkiesue. I hope we can come up with the name of a place so we can checks ices before we go :)

 

Try sapphirebeach resort condos.com. Maybe you can get some info from them. It's the marina behind sapphire beach. short walking distance.