Best Southern Carib port for Snorkeling?

[rugerdog]

Next month I'm headed for a first time trip to the Southern Caribbean with stops in Barbados, St. Lucia, Martinique, St. John's, Antigua, and St. Kitts/Nevis. I want to choose one port to go snorkeling. I've read the individual port of call threads, but I'd love to hear from those who have had experience on these islands and can offer their suggestion for the top choice.

[Clarea]

I know it's not on your list, but I've never seen better snorkeling than at Bonaire.

[cb at sea]

Antiqua is listed on many google sites as having good snorkeling.

[rugerdog]

I know it's not on your list, but I've never seen better snorkeling than at Bonaire.

 

I'll ask the Captain if he'd consider taking a detour :D I've also heard great things about Bonaire. Perhaps on a future cruise.

[$hip$hape]

Next month I'm headed for a first time trip to the Southern Caribbean with stops in Barbados, St. Lucia, Martinique, St. John's, Antigua, and St. Kitts/Nevis. I want to choose one port to go snorkeling. I've read the individual port of call threads, but I'd love to hear from those who have had experience on these islands and can offer their suggestion for the top choice.

We bring our own equipment.

Knowing that, depending on conditions,

any of these ports may not be the best considering sea conditions(waves).

The alternative is, always selecting a site with a good Beach Bar.

[OCruisers]

From your itinerary BARBADOS would be our choice for snorkeling. :D

[capriccio]

We've snorkled in Barbados, Antigua, and St. Lucia (along with many others not on your list). Barbados was the best - we did a wonderful excursion on the Calabaza. Not on your list, and as others have said, Bonaire (with Woodwind) is by far the best snorkling in the Caribbean.

[renjrusa]

Would have to agree on the Calabazza in Barbados of the ports you have listed. Wonderful owner and crew and snorkeling with sea turtles..

[OCruisers]

Let's all keep in mind the OP is not going to Bonaire which has fantastic snorkeling but Barbados "ain't too shabby". :D

[sail7seas]

Next month I'm headed for a first time trip to the Southern Caribbean with stops in Barbados, St. Lucia, Martinique, St. John's, Antigua, and St. Kitts/Nevis. I want to choose one port to go snorkeling. I've read the individual port of call threads, but I'd love to hear from those who have had experience on these islands and can offer their suggestion for the top choice.

ave read a greatt many recommenxatations for snorkeling in bonn aire.

[sliderturk99]

Would have to agree on the Calabazza in Barbados of the ports you have listed. Wonderful owner and crew and snorkeling with sea turtles..

 

100% the best excursion for this island. Crew and catamaran are top notch and the food is damn good.

[rugerdog]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge, I really appreciate the information.

 

It appears my best choices are to either jump overboard and swim to Bonnaire, or enjoy a day on the Calabaza in Barbados :D

[PROCRUISE]

Would have to agree on the Calabazza in Barbados of the ports you have listed. Wonderful owner and crew and snorkeling with sea turtles..

 

Completely agree that on your itinerary, Barbados would offer you the best snorkeling. Must add, as other have noted, someday go to Bonaire for breathtaking snorkeling, only a few blocks from where the ship docks too!!

[renjrusa]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge, I really appreciate the information.

 

It appears my best choices are to either jump overboard and swim to Bonnaire, or enjoy a day on the Calabaza in Barbados :D

Contact them asap. They do fill up quick. Might also try your roll call, probably others on your sailing going...Enjoy:D

[pghsteelerfan]

I might be the oddball here, but I vote for St. Lucia. We've done a southern Caribbean cruise (same itinerary out of San Juan) twice recently (2013 and 2015). Both times in St. Lucia, we went to Jalousie Beach (via private tour) and that is the best snorkeling I've seen of all the places we've snorkeled at (Cozumel; St. Thomas; Trunk Bay in St. John; St. Maarten/St. Martin; St. Kitts). In Barbados we've done the turtle swim/snorkel and then out to a shipwreck, which we enjoyed. At the shipwreck, you're swarmed with fish as soon as the toss the chum in the water and it's so cool. But the the thing we loved about St. Lucia/Jalousie Beach is there is a variety of very colorful corals and also many different kinds (and sizes) of fish. Others have seen octopus and eels, but we haven't seen those yet, only in pictures. We have not been to Martinique since 1992 and we didn't snorkel then and we've never been to Antigua, so I really can't comment about snorkeling there.

[rugerdog]

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

 

I contacted Gina at Calabaza, and naturally she is booked, but she did put me on her wait list in the event of a cancellation. She did offer a few other companies to try.

 

I will look into St. Lucia. Maybe I will consider two snorkel excursions! pghsteelerfan, which tour company did you use?

 

And since I'm going on a Disney cruise, the roll call here is nearly non-existent. It seems they tend to use other sites and social media.

 

A couple of people have told me I can just walk off the ship and find a boat that hasn't filled yet and join that tour. I don't know if I'm that adventurous :o

[SuiteTraveler]

In St. Lucia, you can see Seahorses.

 

The Belize Coral Reef is the second largest in the world - second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

[pghsteelerfan]

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

 

I contacted Gina at Calabaza, and naturally she is booked, but she did put me on her wait list in the event of a cancellation. She did offer a few other companies to try.

 

I will look into St. Lucia. Maybe I will consider two snorkel excursions! pghsteelerfan, which tour company did you use?

 

And since I'm going on a Disney cruise, the roll call here is nearly non-existent. It seems they tend to use other sites and social media.

 

A couple of people have told me I can just walk off the ship and find a boat that hasn't filled yet and join that tour. I don't know if I'm that adventurous :o

 

The company we used was Spencer Ambrose tours and we did their "Jalousie/Sugar Beach Break" tour (they offer several different tours). With the beach break, it's about a 45 minute speedboat ride to Jalousie Beach (arrived around 9:30AM) and we were first group to arrive and first dibs on the free loungers (shaded by trees/palapas) in front of the snorkeling area. The beach is gorgeous and set between the Pitons. The tour includes a home cooked Creole lunch which is served buffet style on the beach (very good, btw). There will be unlimited beverages (water, coke, diet coke, Piton beer, and rum punch). You'll have 4 - 5 hours at the beach, which was what we wanted to allow for plenty of time for snorkeling, swimming, kicking back with a drink, getting pictures and just taking in the scenery. You'll have to be at the dock at 2PM to head back to the ship. On the way back to the ship you'll get the sea tour, which includes several stops at points of interest in addition to some really great photo opportunities. The tour cost $90.00 USD per person and we felt it was well worth it. Another plus being first group there is that there is great clarity of the water in the snorkeling area before other tour groups start showing up.

 

On our second visit to St. Lucia, we used Spencer's tours again but did the land, sea, beach adventure. We wanted to see more of the interior of St. Lucia but still had two hours at Jalousie Beach, arriving at 11:30AM that time. Although there were a few other tour groups there by that time, water clarity was good. My snorkeling pictures came out better that time since I've gotten a little better at getting underwater pictures. I did two reviews of those trips and I'll attach links to the sections that cover Jalousie Beach so you can get an idea of what the snorkeling will look like through the pictures.

 

Valor review (May 2013). Attaching link to open up where our tour in St. Lucia starts. If not, it's Page 10, Post #187

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1917645&page=10

 

Liberty Review (September 2015). Attaching link to open up were the Jalousie Beach/snorkeling section starts. Page 21, Post #413

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2275573&page=21

Now if you want to see some really, really good snorkeling pictures at Jalousie Beach, I'm attaching the link to Mitsugirly's Carnival Fascination review (August 2016). She does very detailed reviews of their port stops and also did Spencer's Jalousie Beach Break. She also includes many pictures, some of the best I've seen here on CC. I don't think she'll mind me adding the link to her review. Page 34, Post #671

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=51026591

 

Edited March 17, 2017 by pghsteelerfan

[rugerdog]

Thanks for all of the detailed information and for taking the time and effort to submit pictures and reviews. I really appreciate that you shared the links for these, as well as for Mitsugirly's (WOW).

 

After seeing all of these pictures, I can't wait to go!

[pghsteelerfan]

Thanks for all of the detailed information and for taking the time and effort to submit pictures and reviews. I really appreciate that you shared the links for these, as well as for Mitsugirly's (WOW).

 

After seeing all of these pictures, I can't wait to go!

 

You are very welcome and glad to help. Mitsugirly's pictures, I know!!! Hers put mine to shame but I decided if I was going to add the link to her review that I should probably add mine too. I need more cruises so I can get more practice with snorkeling pictures. :)