Snorkel - St. Thomas or St. Maarten?

[SuntanD]

My 14 year old son and I are booked on the Explorer April 17th and I am trying to make a decision on the best place to snorkel. When we were on the Voyager two years ago, I had excursions booked at every port and my son lost interest because he wanted to stay on the ship with all his new friends.

 

So can someone suggest which is the better place to snorkel, and if so, what excursion they booked?

 

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

"D"

[nreilly]

St. Thomas is the best. If you want to book an excursion then do the St. Johns Trunk Bay. It is beautiful but you only get to snorkel for about an hour. If you want to go on your own take a cab to Coki Beach and rent your snorkel equipment there. You will see some amazing fish!!

[scsagh]

We have always had better luck snorkeling in St. Thomas. The water at St. Maarten has always been much cloudier when we were there.

 

Our favorite in St. Thomas was at Buck Island. One time we did adults only on the sail and snorkel. Just 6-8 people on a sail boat with a guide in the water. The other time we took our daughters who were 7 & 11 at the time and did the pirate ship the Doubloon to Buck Island snorkeling. They loved it! Saw a variety of fish and sea turtles. It is in deeper water, although you can get closer in part of the time. Also had guides in the water with you.

 

We also took a ferry to Trunk Bay another time. Both were great. Haven't tried Coki Beach yet, but always hear it is good.

 

Have a great time!

 

Sandy

[Host Jacquelyn]

We have snorkeled both in St Maarten and in St Thomas, and St Thomas is certainly superior for snorkeling. If you are willing to go out on your own without an excusion, my recommendations are:

 

If you head out to St John, try Cinnamon Bay - lots of fish, and nowhere near as crowded as Trunk Bay.

 

If you stay in St Thomas, we loved Sapphire Beach. It is also not too crowded and there is great snorkeling. The beach area is also very nice. I have never been to Coki, but heard that the beach can get quite dirty, and it is also crowded.

 

Have fun whatever you choose!

[SuntanD]

nreilly, Sandy and Jacquelyn, many thanks for your quick responses and for all the great info. Jacquelyn, I especially liked your detailed review of the Explorer - very well written and extremely detailed.

 

Happy cruising!

[MysticRhythmCruiser]

I also vote for St. Thomas. There's an excursion called the Captain Nautica Snorkeling expedition that we particularly enjoyed. It uses a speedboat to get around a number of islands including Buck Island. It's a fast and fun ride and we had a number of teens on the trip who had a great time. Great snorkeling spots, too.

 

Cheers,

Esther

[Heidict]

We took a cab out to Coki beach and the snorkeling was incredible. It was clean and not crowded at all. If you don't feel like doing an excursion and want to venture out on you own Coki beach is great.

 

We spoke with some of the locals before deciding to go to Coki beach

and they all said that it was the best beach to snorkel from on the island.

 

Heidi

[Psafer]

We've been to St Thomas many times and Coki Beach is a great place to snorkel. Secret Harbor is one of our favorites, too. They have a nice restaurant / bar on the beach and lots of fish to see. We'll be there next month on the Serenade of the Seas. Have a great time!

 

PS

[boingy300]

I have snorkeled both- twice! I can count the fish I've seen in St. Maarten- I've done 2 different tours. DON'T waster your $$ snorkelling in St. Maarten. St. Thomas is the second best in the carribean (Cozumel is first!) IN MY OPINION! Anyplace beats rainy Cincinnati today- though! Enjoy!

Karen

[SuntanD]

Many thanks to you all for the suggestions. That's what I love about these boards - the information is awesome, and it certainly appears that St. Thomas is by far the way to go.

 

Take care.

 

"D"