Snorkel with Sea Turtles?

[Mom2boyz522]

Did I see somewhere you can do this at St. Thomas?

If so, where and with who?

THANKS!

[Ms411]

Most of the ships offer this excursion. You have to get to Turtle Cove by boat, and there are a number of boats that go there. You have to take a taxi to get to most of them, though. I think Fury Charters is the only one near the Havensight dock that offers an independent turtle snorkel.

[Mom2boyz522]

Most of the ships offer this excursion. You have to get to Turtle Cove by boat, and there are a number of boats that go there. You have to take a taxi to get to most of them, though. I think Fury Charters is the only one near the Havensight dock that offers an independent turtle snorkel.

 

Thanks so much! I am going on Carnival-how do I know what dock we will be docking at?

[Ms411]

You should be docking at Havensight. You can check where ships dock at http://www.cruisestt.com (I think that's it. If not, google for correct web address.)

[cruiseguyinorl]

I was on a day charter with Lazy Island Charters not too long ago and had a great time snorkeling with the turtles.

 

Bret

[Mom2boyz522]

I was on a day charter with Lazy Island Charters not too long ago and had a great time snorkeling with the turtles.

 

Bret

 

Oh! Can you tell me about it? Did you book through your ship?

THANKS!

[cruiseguyinorl]

Oh! Can you tell me about it? Did you book through your ship?

THANKS!

 

No, it's not a ship excursion. I was referred to them through a friend. They do custom day charters. A little expensive if it's just two of you (as the boat is all yours) but it has room for 6-8 people if you have friends/family to help split the cost. I like the boat better than some of the others I looked at as there is both seating on the bow and in the back. Some of the back is even under shade.

 

Really your day is up to you. When you contact them, Captain Jason will ask what you'd like to do or see then take you to the appropriate places. He's a really nice ex-military guy and he mentioned that he gives military discounts.

 

Anyway, their web site is the same as their name.

 

Bret

[Mom2boyz522]

No, it's not a ship excursion. I was referred to them through a friend. They do custom day charters. A little expensive if it's just two of you (as the boat is all yours) but it has room for 6-8 people if you have friends/family to help split the cost. I like the boat better than some of the others I looked at as there is both seating on the bow and in the back. Some of the back is even under shade.

 

Really your day is up to you. When you contact them, Captain Jason will ask what you'd like to do or see then take you to the appropriate places. He's a really nice ex-military guy and he mentioned that he gives military discounts.

 

Anyway, their web site is the same as their name.

 

Bret

 

Great! Thanks again for all of the good info!

[TravlGrl]

No, it's not a ship excursion. I was referred to them through a friend. They do custom day charters. A little expensive if it's just two of you (as the boat is all yours) but it has room for 6-8 people if you have friends/family to help split the cost. I like the boat better than some of the others I looked at as there is both seating on the bow and in the back. Some of the back is even under shade.

 

Really your day is up to you. When you contact them, Captain Jason will ask what you'd like to do or see then take you to the appropriate places. He's a really nice ex-military guy and he mentioned that he gives military discounts.

 

Anyway, their web site is the same as their name.

 

Bret

I have a question about this too! Did he take you to Turtle Cove? Or, are there other areas to see sea turtles around St. Thomas that may not have as many snorkelers? My concern is going to an area inundated with tons of other people in the water at the same time.

[Ms411]

Turtle Cove is where you're most likely to see turtles on a cruise ship stop. There are other places where you may see them, but not as frequently as at Turtle Cove or as quick to get to.

[acharris1]

We booked through our ship, NCL. The boat to turtle cover was right at the end of the dock. Best excursion ever! Doing it again this year.

[TravlGrl]

Did you all find that you were swimming among the masses though? My concern is not really having any quality time in the water where I'm more worried about being kicked by another snorkeler than I am in being able to enjoy the experience. Was it not like that for any of you?

[acharris1]

I didn't have that feeling. There were lots of others around, but each group basically stayed around their own boat. And my face was in the water a lot of the time, so I didn't even notice people.

[TravlGrl]

I didn't have that feeling. There were lots of others around, but each group basically stayed around their own boat. And my face was in the water a lot of the time, so I didn't even notice people.

 

Ok, very good to know. Thank you! :)

[cruiseguyinorl]

I have a question about this too! Did he take you to Turtle Cove? Or, are there other areas to see sea turtles around St. Thomas that may not have as many snorkelers? My concern is going to an area inundated with tons of other people in the water at the same time.

 

Nope not Turtle Cove. We were actually somewhere near St.John but he said he sees them frequently there. Wherever it was, there were less than 10 snorkelers in the whole cove. Of course though, since they are natural marine life, sightings aren't guaranteed but he has been lucky.

 

Bret

[Barwick Cruiser]

We were in St. Thomas last week and took a cab to Sapphire Beach. We brought our snorkeling gear and went out on our own. We saw turtles as well as lots of fish, didn't even have to swim far from the beach. While there weren't lots of turtles it was really nice to just float along not worrying about getting smacked by someone else's fins. We watched the turtles feeding on the ocean floor and occasionally floating up for air. Was a very peaceful experience. We find the beach there nice and the water has been calm each time we've been. Just another idea for the poster who would prefer to avoid crowds of snorkelers.

[TravlGrl]

Nope not Turtle Cove. We were actually somewhere near St.John but he said he sees them frequently there. Wherever it was, there were less than 10 snorkelers in the whole cove. Of course though, since they are natural marine life, sightings aren't guaranteed but he has been lucky.

 

Bret

 

I love the area near St. John. Thanks for the tip on this.

 

We were in St. Thomas last week and took a cab to Sapphire Beach. We brought our snorkeling gear and went out on our own. We saw turtles as well as lots of fish, didn't even have to swim far from the beach. While there weren't lots of turtles it was really nice to just float along not worrying about getting smacked by someone else's fins. We watched the turtles feeding on the ocean floor and occasionally floating up for air. Was a very peaceful experience. We find the beach there nice and the water has been calm each time we've been. Just another idea for the poster who would prefer to avoid crowds of snorkelers.

 

Thank you for this idea. We like to be off the beaten path, and will consider this. Much appreciated.

[Denham33]

We did a similar independent trip last week with Captain Jim aboard The Jester. It is definitely more pricey than a ship excursion, but there are only 6 guests allowed. He sailed us over to St. John, making 1 stop before lunch (that he makes fresh & serves) and 1 after. There was almost no one in the water but us and we saw several turtles and rays at the second stop. As a previous poster stated, there is no guarantee what you will see since this is nature, but this is our second trip on the Jester and we saw turtles both times. For us it's about the lack of crowds and the flexibility of the schedule for being in the water. The boat has a place to lounge (a giant bean-bag type cushion) up front as well as seating in the back, plus the lunch and a variety of drinks. We would definitely sail with him again.