Should we snorkel in St.Croix,St.Thomas ,St Kitts,Antigua or St.Lucia?

[stipmom]

I told my adult children to make shore excursions my husband's holiday gift. My daughter says she'll take him snorkeling. Which of those ports is best for snorkeling?

[whootie]

Do not miss Buck Island while in St. Croix. This is a national park & the snorkeling is fantastic. Buck island can only be reached by boat. While in St. Thomas you can save money by getting your own transportation to the north end & snorkeling at Coki Beach. This isn't much of a beach, but you can just walk into the water here & see amazing amounts of fish. You can rent equipment here & purchase snacks. Don't forget to bring snacks from the ship for the fish. Small cereal box will do. We always bring some dog biscuits w/us as they last quite long in the water. Antigua has the best beaches with gorgeous white sand but we have not snorkeled there. Enjoy your trip!

[drb]

We did Buck Island a few years ago and will do it again when we return to St. Croix in December. It was magnificent.

I suggest checking out the forums for each of your ports and there is a forum dedicated to scuba and snorkeling that also has a lot of information.

[eandj]

You could head to St. John via ferry when at St. Thomas.

 

I suggest you go to the Caribbean ports of call board and you'll get lots more recs there.

[kelly kipper]

We had a fabulous time snorkeling with the turtles in St Thomas. It was really convenient, we actually booked through Celebrity for the Dancing Dolphin (check out their web site) Catamaran. They meet you at the dock right by the ship and take you direct to the bay by Catamaran. They give you a short instruction and then you can swim around the turtles and snorkel with them.

On the way back there is lots of music and rum punch! A great trip

[thepeacha]

Great snorkelling can be found on all these islands, no fear.

 

Of course I am a fan of Buck Island...

[ellbon]

i did Buck Island from st thomas. I have snorkle in all these ports. with these ports you should snorkel 2 or 3 times.

 

look for Eli's tours on Antiqua, Cosol in St Lucia- start there...

[Tmrlovesjr]

My hubbie an avid snorkelor, and ex scuba dude has done both at all, he said St. Kitts is the best, but don't feed the fish it messes up their ecosystem and makes them dependent so they don't hunt for theirselves anymore.

[barbels]

The snorkeling at Coki in St Thomas is great and easy; the water is always calm there. Eli's catamara tour in Antigua was wonderful. We had a very rainy day and he kept moving the boat to give us some clear skies.

[Fuzzyape]

If you have a party of 6 try the Rumbaba tour out of St. Thomas. It' a great tour. A little expensive, but worth every dollar. DW and I have done it twice and look forward to the chance we can do it again!

 

Good luck, and have fun no matter what you do!

[neilrr]

Stipmom - We cruise to the Caribbean all of the time and the nicest place is on St. John (you can take the ferry on your own, but watch the time or take the excursion -- which is what we usually do) and go to Trunk Bay. It is the most beautiful beach with great snorkeling off of the beach and there is an underwater trail to follow. There is a U.S. state park and there are changing facilities, snack bar etc.. You will not be disappointed. The snorkeling only lasts approx. 1 1 1/2 hrs. of the trip but you really get worn out from the sun and water. It is enough.

We have done Buck Island and Turtle Cove and were somewhat disappointed too few fish and litte area for fish to hide and for you to explore. Also, it is too deep and you are at the surface, so you really can't get down close to the rocks.

 

We have been to Coki Beach in St. Thomas - small beach and lots of good snorkeling. This beach caters to many of the locals. Last year we heard it was a bit dirty, but we did not find that when we were there last - some time ago. We love feeding the fish with the milk bones. The YellowTail Snapper are huge.

 

Have a great time...:)

Neil

[asrubin]

Neil,

 

We are thinking about taking the Celebrity excursion to Trunk Bay. Since you have done this, can you tell me if their is time to go shopping in St. Thomas either before or after the excursion? We will be on the Summit and will be in St. Thomas from 8-6.

 

Thanks,

Ann

[neilrr]

Neil,

 

We are thinking about taking the Celebrity excursion to Trunk Bay. Since you have done this, can you tell me if their is time to go shopping in St. Thomas either before or after the excursion? We will be on the Summit and will be in St. Thomas from 8-6.

 

Thanks,

Ann

 

Asrubin - Ann - The Trunk Bay excursion is approx. 3-4 hours. We usually like to go in the afternoon 1-5 P.M. It is warmer and we don't like to rush to excursions in the morning unless really necessary (like the Vatican, or the Winter Palace in Russia, etc..)

We usually have a light breakfast in the morning and then go shopping, as the Celebrity ships dock at Havensight Mall; much better docking area than Crown Bay on the other side of St. Thomas - the industrial end where Princess docks. All of the shopping (jewelry, etc..) is right there -- no need to go downtown and the liquor stores are there too. We come back about 11:30 - noon to the ship and have a light lunch and change and get our things for snorkeling. You can bring your own equipment or they supply it and provide a short snorkeling lesson for newbies. They also supply the fins which we do utilize (don't step or rub against the fire coral - it burns). The boat ride is very nice and relaxing; snorkeling in Trunk Bay - the best. We have been to Trunk Bay 4 times before..

Have a great time...:)

Neil

 

 

[kitkat9438]

I agree with Trunk Bay on St. John, but we went on our own with no problems whatsoever. It's very easy to find the ferry schedule over and back. Be wary of the taxi drivers though, because they will try to steer you to a different beach. We had to insist several times that Trunk Bay was where we wanted to go. There is also a wonderful little restaurant right there at the ferry stop on St. John that has awesome food for great prices. It was really nice following the underwater markers and knowing what you are looking at. The water is simply gorgeous.

 

We also snorkeled at St. Lucia after our excursion with Cosol, which was one of the highlights of the trip. He tooks us over by boat to a spot near the Piton Mountains to snorkel.

 

Trunk bay was definitely the best though.

[County Fair]

I've scuba and snorkeled many of the carribean islands. I would suggest you Google dive shops in the islands and ask about local conditions and suggestions. Many will offer their own excursions and advice about independent snorkeling. Wading in from shore can be a bit prickley due to an abundance of sea urchins. Sometimes different beaches are assaulted by jellyfish and other nematocyst bearing creatures. These vary with the seasons so check with the locals. Buck Island in St. Croix is reached by boat and is a great trip. Consider getting scuba certified if possible.

[GophersMN]

DW and I booked a snorkle tour while on RCL last Feb. They contracted with an owner of a sailboat called Island Girl. It's a one man and assistant operation. They only take a few people so you get real personal attention. We had only us and another couple. The assistant took photos of us, took us around in the waters, took photos of us in the water. They then offer a CD with all the pictures for a mere $15....well worth it. If you did a yahoo search on yacht adventures, you'd probably find their website where you could book directly......

[jakedoc]

We have snorkled in all but St. Croix. The best in our opinion was St Lucia. The beach is located between the Pitons. I'm pretty sure the name of the beach is jalouise. Beautiful setting and the clarity of the water is great. Lots of coral and Tons of fish. Interesting bottom near the Pitons with rock slides from the cliffs.

[CruisingEasy]

I told my adult children to make shore excursions my husband's holiday gift. My daughter says she'll take him snorkeling. Which of those ports is best for snorkeling?

 

Manalapan rocks!! I lived for there 21 years. You were probably my neighbor.

[Texed]

Eli's tour in Antigua was wonderful.

 

I agree. :)

[cruising in mn]

I told my adult children to make shore excursions my husband's holiday gift. My daughter says she'll take him snorkeling. Which of those ports is best for snorkeling?

Do Buck Island from St Croix for sure! I have been to all of these ports, they all have outstanding water clarity. You cant go wrong no matter where you choose. However BI is by far a great great easy place to snorkel. I wouldnt miss that while in the VI's. But if you go from St Thomas, its pretty far. Much closer to go from St Croix. Enjoy!!!