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Best places to snorkel in: Bahamas, Antigua, St. Kitts, Grand Turks, San Juan?


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I will watch this topic too.

 

Not sure about the best, but we've seen nice fish right of the Escambron beach in San Juan. We walked there from the port for about 2 miles. Nice walk too.

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I've been trying to find out this info too, and it seems like there isn't a whole lot of activity in that direction on the Ports of Call board. Was hoping for a little bit more here.

 

It's also hard to gauge what others consider great snorkeling. Some look for the live coral, w anemones, octopus, rays, other large animals, as well as the smaller reclusive ones that hide in and around live corals. etc. Other people report fantastic snorkeling when they were swimming over dead coral or rocks, among the several species of more aggressive fish that respond by the droves to dog kibble being thrown in the water. The two are very different - it's all in the eye of the beholder.

 

I wonder how good any of the snorkeling will be on any of the islands now. The hurricanes that washed through, one after the other, must have had some direct negative impact on the coral and fish. Even those that didn't get the full brunt of the Cat 5's still had some significant rain. But I'm looking forward to checking it out.

 

For my contribution - On St Kitt's, we found Reggae beach to be quite interesting. It was calm enough to take your time and really look at what was there. We saw, among all the usual suspects, sea stars, octopus, lots of spny urchins and some cushion urchins, lobster, lionfish, some cool worms, butterfly fish, tangs, etc. One of our favorite spots.

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Thank you for the tip on St. Kitts. I couldn't find Reggae Beach, but found Reggae Beach Bar on Cockleshell Beach. Is that the beach where you snorkeled? How long ago were you there? I cannot find any info on snorkeling and I even got a full face snorkel and want to use it. If you get any tips on good places to snorkel, please pass them on to me. Good Day!

:)

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Yes, it's the Reggae Beach Bar I was referring to. We were there last January and are planning on going back. I'm quite fascinated w the full face snorkel and would love to hear how you make out. When are you going?

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My cruise is dec. 17-26. I will let you know how the full face snorkel works out. I ordered it from Amazon and it has a fold down top for easy travel and you can attach a go pro on it.

 

We’re on the same cruise! We’re also trying to find the best places to snorkel and best beaches.

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Hi Libbiroed!

 

Nice to hear from someone who is going to be on the same cruise as us! Perhaps we can combine efforts on finding the best beaches and snorkeling. We are a party of 5 and are into going to the nicest beaches that are free or low cost snorkeling. I am new to cruising and also new to Cruise Critic and not sure how to contact you privately. Perhaps we can connect and share beach and snorkeling info. I have been researching beaches and have an idea of what would be good, but you never know until you get there!

:)

Edited by Snorkeltheworld
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Hi Libbiroed!

 

Nice to hear from someone who is going to be on the same cruise as us! Perhaps we can combine efforts on finding the best beaches and snorkeling. We are a party of 5 and are into going to the nicest beaches that are free or low cost snorkeling. I am new to cruising and also new to Cruise Critic and not sure how to contact you privately. Perhaps we can connect and share beach and snorkeling info. I have been researching beaches and have an idea of what would be good, but you never know until you get there!

:)

 

There’s 10 of us total although I think we’ll be breaking off and doing things on our own. We just booked a snorkeling tour in Antigua. It looks fun! I’m also looking at Cable Beach and Saunders Beach in Nassau. I read on another thread St Kitts isn’t a great beach location. Rocky beaches and murky water? If you know something else I’d also love info!

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Hi!

 

We are considering either Cable Beach or going to Paradise Island on the Ferry. The beach there is called Cabbage Beach and is supposed to be beautiful, but there is a bad rip tide in the water.

 

We are looking at Cockleshell Beach or South Friar's Bay in St. Kitts. Snorkeling is supposed to be good at Cockleshell. There is also a place called Carambola Beach Club that has Shipwreck Beach Bar with hammocks and White House Bay which has sheltered waters which are good for snorkeling.

 

For Grand Turks I have read that it is cool to see the "wall" where the ocean drops off dramatically. There are excursions that go there, but I think that is more for divers.

 

Which excursion are you taking in Antigua?

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There’s 10 of us total although I think we’ll be breaking off and doing things on our own. We just booked a snorkeling tour in Antigua. It looks fun! I’m also looking at Cable Beach and Saunders Beach in Nassau. I read on another thread St Kitts isn’t a great beach location. Rocky beaches and murky water? If you know something else I’d also love info!

We had a wonderful experience snorkeling with Stuart's Cove in Nassau, you may want to check them out...

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Does anyone have recent updates on snorkeling (condition of reefs post hurricanes) in St Thomas, St Kitts, Antigua, Grand Turk? I am assuming St Lucia and Barbados were ok. But would love to know if we should even bother with snorkeling at the others. We are avid snorkelers and dead coral is not exciting for us. I too have a full face mask and really liked it the one time I used it, but can't decide if I like the small/medium or the large one I got to try next - It does take some getting used to and you can't hear someone trying to communicate with it on! ;p

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  • 3 weeks later...
There’s 10 of us total although I think we’ll be breaking off and doing things on our own. We just booked a snorkeling tour in Antigua. It looks fun! I’m also looking at Cable Beach and Saunders Beach in Nassau. I read on another thread St Kitts isn’t a great beach location. Rocky beaches and murky water? If you know something else I’d also love info!
WHERE did you snorkel in Antigua we dont want rough seas something from the beach.... i just had surgery and an in my 70 but love snorkeling Not ready to give that up yet THANK YOU
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I snorkeled in Antigua, St. Kitts, and Grand Turk. The very best snorkeling was at St. Kitts. We went to South Friar's beach. The van drops you off at Carambola Beach Club. The views of Nevis are amazing. Now, you need to know where to go to snorkel. You head all the way to the right, past the beach, and there is a rocky lagoon. The waters are calm and I saw glow in the dark fish, luminescent sea life, lobsters, little groups of fish, blue yellow. Rainbow colored fish. I just couldn't get enough of it! Stay along the rocks on the side to see the most sea life. The very best snorkeling, hands down. My kids walked down to the other end of the beach and saw wild monkeys, which made their day.

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I snorkeled in Antigua, St. Kitts, and Grand Turk. The very best snorkeling was at St. Kitts. We went to South Friar's beach. The van drops you off at Carambola Beach Club. The views of Nevis are amazing. Now, you need to know where to go to snorkel. You head all the way to the right, past the beach, and there is a rocky lagoon. The waters are calm and I saw glow in the dark fish, luminescent sea life, lobsters, little groups of fish, blue yellow. Rainbow colored fish. I just couldn't get enough of it! Stay along the rocks on the side to see the most sea life. The very best snorkeling, hands down. My kids walked down to the other end of the beach and saw wild monkeys, which made their day.
. We were there 2 years ago, and it appeared that the little lagoon there had been fairly recently built

It looked to have good potential as a snorkeling area but didn't appear to be there yet. Is this the area you are speaking of? There's a small pier/ dock there in front of the beach

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Yes, this is the lagoon I speak of. You can enter from a little sandy area and stay to the right going out along the rocks. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was! Grand Turks and Antigua paled in comparison.

When were you there? How much was a cab from the cruise port? Also have you been to Cockleshell for comparison purposes? Thanks[emoji4]

 

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Forums mobile app

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We paid $6 pp when it was just two of us to South Friars. Back to the ship we paid $3 pp, but shared ride with many others.

 

We liked South Friars better overall than Cockleshell , but haven’t snorkeled yet in any places

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