St. Thomas Beach/Snorkel Question

[trek5500]

Hi Everyone, I have a quick question about snorkeling and the beaches in St. Thomas. We are sailing this Saturday 7/26 on the Carnival Glory with a stop in St.Thomas on Tuesday 7/29 (10am-6pm). My question : Is there a good beach in St. Thomas where we can go to snorkel from the beach ? I have heard Sapphire beach is nice, but would appreciate any input. Also, if we decided to go to St. John would we have enough time to enjoy the beach and snorkel or would the timing be too tight ?

 

Thanks,

 

trek5500

[candydane]

I see you're a first-time poster -- welcome to cruise critic.

 

I have made a website about our cruise, which includes St. Thomas. I've "accumulated" the information from various online sources.

 

Here are links to my webpages about St. Thomas and beaches we are considering:

St. Thomas

Sapphire Beach

Secret Harbor

 

Hope they help you decide on a great day in St. Thomas.

[fishman620]

Wow Candy, what great websites you have created, Thanks! I noticed that you also have Antigua and Martinique as ports of call, do you have websites created for these two Islands too?

[candydane]

Yes. Links to my port webpages are listed across the top of my home page: Cruise.

 

There are also webpages about Florida and hotels that may be of interest to you.

[blue_water]

You will find excellent off-the-beach snorkeling at some of the East End beaches, Coki and Sapphire in particular. You can rent chairs and snorkel gear and find food and drink options at both. Sapphire is home to 3 condo properties and is our favorite beach for its "character", low key vibe, island views and water colors, and other folks prefer Coki because it's a livelier vibe with several vendors.

 

The thread The Gorgeous Beaches of St Thomas has brief descriptions of all the STT beaches and helpful input from several people. And there is a casual restaurant up the hill behind the marina at Sapphire Village, but on the beach you'll find a small beach shack between condo bldgs B & C called Banana Cabana that serves a great mahi mahi sandwich and cold drinks. The dive center may serve rum punches and beer a little cheaper. The restrooms have recently been updated as well. There is anundant natural shade along the short and behind the beach, you can plop anywhere as long as you aren't by the pool as that's reserved for condo guests.

 

With 8 hrs in port we'd stay on STT for a snorkel day to have more time to enjoy. It takes another 1.5 - 2 hrs of travel time to get to a good STJ beach for snorkeling.

 

 

Enjoy!

Edited July 24, 2014 by blue_water

[seashinesunshine]

Hi Everyone, I have a quick question about snorkeling and the beaches in St. Thomas. We are sailing this Saturday 7/26 on the Carnival Glory with a stop in St.Thomas on Tuesday 7/29 (10am-6pm). My question : Is there a good beach in St. Thomas where we can go to snorkel from the beach ? I have heard Sapphire beach is nice, but would appreciate any input. Also, if we decided to go to St. John would we have enough time to enjoy the beach and snorkel or would the timing be too tight ?

 

Thanks,

 

trek5500

 

Coki is really excellent for snorkeling from the beach, we also enjoyed Secret Harbor, very good there too.

[trek5500]

Many thanks to all for the information on Sapphire Beach. I will report back next week after our cruise to give a review.

 

Best,

Trek5500:):)

[blue_water]

Meant to add that you will undoubtedly see condo owners and guests there, they will have their own chairs. They can be helpful in guiding you to the best snorkel spots as there is both a reef and a sea grass area. The dive center can help too. For the reef just walk to the right as you approach the beach where you see the keep off the coral sign. The sea grass is to the left,,and the sandier swimming area is just to the left of the dive center.

And you will see runners on the beach from the Banana Cabana and the Sapphire Village restaurant taking food and drink orders. Taxis will be available for the return trip.

Enjoy!

[fishman620]

I have a couple of questions concerning taking a taxi to Saphire Beach. We will be docking for the day in Havensight (I believe that dock is used by RCCL?) and wanted to go to Saphire Beach, just wondering what the cost would be each way for 2 people to take a taxi. Do we tell the same cab driver a specific time to come back and pick us up or is it easy to flag one down at Saphire, we will be there on a Sunday, if that makes a difference. Do we go on the "Skyline" drive to get there, would love to see the island from a good view point. Thanks for any information.

[blue_water]

Your port depends on the ship, the Oasis and larger ships dock Crown Bay while the others dock Havensight. From Havensight the taxi fare is $10pp each way, you will find there are taxis ready to return you when you are ready. You should be able to negotiate a mini-tour on the return that includes Skyline Drive and the scenic overlook and possibly Drake's Seat. So you can ask when you get a taxi at the dock or again when you return.

[fishman620]

Thanks Bluewater (and thanks for the reply on TA too!) what would be a good negotiating price for the return trip to the cruise ship, we are on the Jewel of the Sea.

[blue_water]

We haven't taxied back because we rent a condo at Sapphire and rent a car while there. But others said the drivers offer the mini-tour because it isn't out of the way, and the folks we spoke to just tipped them for that. The driver may offer it for a little extra but if so not much.

 

I saw the recommendation on TA to take the ship excursionnand we would choose a self-excursion (taxi) over a ship excursion simply because you have more freedom and aren't having to leave when the group does. These drivers make these runs 6 days a week all year and no one ever misses the ship.

 

You can get a great mahi mahi sandwich at the Banana Cabana at Sapphire and take in the gorgeous island views and sapphire-colored water from your spot under the trees.

 

So relax and enjoy your time at Sapphire and just grab a taxi early enough to get back to port or perhaps give you an hour or 2 at Paradise Point for the view there. The taxi can drop you at PP and you can take the tram down and walk to the ship, just a thought! Either way enjoy the freedom of being on your own with no worries!

[Ms411]

The return to the ship will be $10 if you go directly back to the ship. It may be difficult to get a taxi to take an alternate route, because the taxis hold up to 25 passengers, so it probably won't just be the two of you in a taxi.

 

The driver will tell you how much, if anything, he/she will charge to return by a scenic route.

[Ms411]

Not all RCI ships dock at Havensight. You should check the ship calendar on popular websites that tell you where your ship will dock.

[clb09]

Hmm getting mix info. So does Sapphire washroom and dive center open up again? So we can rent snorkel equipment at Sapphire now? Thanks.

 

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[blue_water]

Many cruisers have reported taking the scenic route as part of the return, no mention of added cost. But they may have been going to Crown too so just ask the drivers for the most accurate info.

 

Yes the dive center and newly-remodeled public restrooms are open and there are food & drink options as always. You can rent snorkel gear and other things there.

 

As I mentioned the port depends on the ship and there can be last minute changes as well. But you can see the scheduled port for your ship under the cruise ship calendar at vinow dot com.

[clb09]

 

Yes the dive center and newly-remodeled public restrooms are open and there are food & drink options as always. You can rent snorkel gear and other things there.

 

Thanks, I was debating Sapphire and Coki. Now that the dive center is reopened, Sapphire it is for sure! I'm assuming it won't be a problem getting taxi back to port then as I heard previously it can be bit of a problem since lesser ppl go there

 

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[blue_water]

I'm assuming that since tours are going there as well as many cruisers on their own taxis will routinely stop in as they go by. But you can also ask your driver what the situation is too to be safe.

Enjoy beautiful Sapphire beach!:)

[CTKay]

If you decide to stay on St. T. you must snorkel at Coki Beach -- taxi will take you there. If is adjacent to Coral World, and they put feed out for the fish -- you will be amazed. Do not be put 0ff by the many venders....just smile and say, "No, Mon..."

Saphire is pretty but the snorkeling can be disappointing.

 

StJohn is do-able, but you will cry because you are not staying there!!

[SteakMama]

This is fantastic information! Do you have something similar for other parts of the Carribean?

[blue_water]

If you decide to stay on St. T. you must snorkel at Coki Beach -- taxi will take you there. If is adjacent to Coral World, and they put feed out for the fish -- you will be amazed. Do not be put 0ff by the many venders....just smile and say, "No, Mon..."

Saphire is pretty but the snorkeling can be disappointing.

 

StJohn is do-able, but you will cry because you are not staying there!!

 

Actually the snorkeling at Sapphire can be quite good! There's a reef and also a seagrass area where rays and sea turtles can be spotted. And abundant natural shade along the shore as well as gorgeous sapphire-colored water and pretty island views. Sapphire has it all!

 

Coki is a pretty little bay with good snorkeling but gets very crowded due to the small size of the bay.

 

You really can't go wrong with any of the snorkeling beaches on the EastbEnd of STT including Coki, Sapphire, and Secret Harbor.

 

Cinnamon on STJ is very nice as well for a beach day. For snorkeling you'll want to look at other beaches, or take one of the excellent daysails off the cays of STJ for the ultimate snorkeling.

[blue_water]

This is fantastic information! Do you have something similar for other parts of the Carribean?

 

What areas are you interested in?

[rlyans]

We are going to be in St Thomas in about 3 weeks. We have rented a car for the day. We have been to Coki and Sapphire beaches. What can you tell me about Secret harbor? What is the beach like there compared to Coki and Sapphire? Also how is the snorkeling there? Thanks for your help ...

[blue_water]

We are going to be in St Thomas in about 3 weeks. We have rented a car for the day. We have been to Coki and Sapphire beaches. What can you tell me about Secret harbor? What is the beach like there compared to Coki and Sapphire? Also how is the snorkeling there? Thanks for your help ...

 

Secret Harbor is a very pretty beach in a smaller, very calm bay with good snorkeling, a dive center that rents chairs and snorkel gear, and a great on-site beach restaurant. Chairs are somewhat limited (as compared to Coki and Sapphire) but you should be ok if you get there early, or you can call or e-mail ahead and reserve them. We prefer Sapphire, but SH is our second choice and is also a gorgeous beach that is home to a condo property (Secret Harbour Resort).

 

aadivers dot com

 

There is also a live web cam at their site that shows a small section of the beach.

[rlyans]

blue_water, you seem to have been to both beaches and it sounds like you have driven there also. Where is the best place to park at both Secret Harbor and Sapphire Beach? Which road (roads) are the best to get to those beaches? Thanks