Snorkelling in the Caribbean

[florence11]

Hi,

We are booked on our 1st princess cruise to the Caribbean in March of 2023. The islands we are going to are St Thomas, St Kitts, Martinique, St Vincent, Barbados, Trinidad, Curacao and Aruba. We do like to snorkel and have done this on some islands in the past, most of the islands seem to offer this but can anyone give us some advice on the better places to do it. 

Thanks

[rabin1]

St Thomas Coki Beach NOT Megans Bay

St Kitts Carambola Beach

[ED49404]

In Cruise Critic, you can go to Cruise Discussions Topics at look for Suba & Snorkel.  They will have good ideas and recommendations for you there.

 

[capriccio]

22 minutes ago, ED49404 said:

In Cruise Critic, you can go to Cruise Discussions Topics at look for Suba & Snorkel.  They will have good ideas and recommendations for you there.

 

Another research suggestion:  check out the Caribbean Ports of Call board: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/456-caribbean/.  Each island has its own forum.

[dchip]

Barbados!!!

[better_at_sea]

That's a great itinerary! 

 

In addition to the recommended discussions, I'd also look for specific things you want to snorkel for.

For example Aruba has the biggest shipwreck in the Caribbean if you're interested in shipwrecks. St Thomas has a famous Turtle Cove to snorkel with sea turtles. Aruba has "Sea Scooters" which are motorized underwater vehicles to steer while you're snorkeling. Antigua has a "Stingray City." Bonaire has caves you can snorkel in. etc...

[MJC]

CC member mitsugirly posts extensively on her snorkel experiences, which I've found very helpful. Search on her name and the island you want and her posts will come up.

[topspot]

If you prefer to snorkel on your own, rather than in a group excursion, I can recommend taking the bus in Aruba to Arashi Beach.  Bus is 2.50 each way.  There are chairs to rent and bathrooms.  In Curacao, we take the local bus to "The Dive Bus".  They have a snorkelers plan where for 10.00 you can leave your things, and use their bathrooms and changing rooms.  The public beach is across the street from their location and they show you where snorkeling is best.  I feel comfortable leaving towels etc. on beach chairs in Aruba, but not in Curacao.  This is why we go to Dive Bus in Curacao.

[PORT ROYAL]

4 hours ago, rabin1 said:

St Thomas Coki Beach NOT Megans Bay

St Kitts Carambola Beach

St Thomas take an offshore trip.

Carambola?  No Way!  St.Kitts is known for it’s lack of interesting snorkelling, save your money for another island.

[rabin1]

19 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

St Thomas take an offshore trip.

Carambola?  No Way!  St.Kitts is known for it’s lack of interesting snorkelling, save your money for another island.

Apparently you have never been to Carambola Beach Club or don;t know what you are talking about as it is awesome. I go every time I am in St Kits and will be there in December.

 

[debsjc]

I found the snorkeling good at Carambola Beach Club, I saw a large turtle, and a lion fish.

 

In Curacao we had day passes for the Marriott, which also had good snorkeling. Bonaire is also good if you stop there. I think Aruba is too sandy to get good snorkeling from shore. 

[wowzz]

There was an interesting TV programme on BBC - "Amazing Hotels - Life Beyond the Lobby" - one particular hotel employed divers to trap as many Lion Fish as possible  (for obvious reasons) and the Lion Fish would then be served up that night in the restaurant. 

Ironically,  the fish was very tasty!

Edited September 1, 2021 by wowzz

[capriccio]

REEF.org and other entities organize lion fish derbies throughout south Florida.  Festivals with tastings follow the fishing tournaments.  They get a great deal of local news coverage.

[PORT ROYAL]

On 9/1/2021 at 8:06 PM, rabin1 said:

Apparently you have never been to Carambola Beach Club or don;t know what you are talking about as it is awesome. I go every time I am in St Kits and will be there in December.

 

As previously explained in some detail one has, but one no longer wishes to visit.

 

[KatPem]

On 9/1/2021 at 2:45 PM, PORT ROYAL said:

St Thomas take an offshore trip.

Carambola?  No Way!  St.Kitts is known for it’s lack of interesting snorkelling, save your money for another island.

I would agree with St Kitts not being great for snorkeling.  I mean, at Carambola, it is OK if you have not been other places (snorkel left parallel to the beach).   We saw several different kinds of fish and thought it was decent but that was before we went to places like St Lucia, St Thomas and Curacao.  St Kitts is a place I would do something else. We really enjoyed a tour with Javin with My Island Tours there.  

 

OP-We liked Coki beach on St Thomas, Calabaza's Catamaran Tour on Barbados is one of our favorite tours with the Boat Yard a good option that is less expensive (the other is worth every penny though).  Boatyard has a snorkeling trip you can sign up for included in teh entry fee.  Sign up when you first get there, they fill early!  We enjoyed renting a car on Curacao and just exploring a few areas snorkelin from shore.