Where is the best snorkeling in St Maarten?

[nschille04]

Hello,

 

My husband and I will be visiting St Maarten in April and would like to go snorkeling. Last year when we visited we did the Rhino Riders excursion and while it was a lot of fun, the snorkeling portion was pretty lame. We went to beach and saw maybe two fish.

 

Can anyone recommend a better site or excursion? In St Thomas we did Captain Nautica and it was AMAZING, so we are hoping for something more like that.

 

Any advice would really be appreciated!!!

[sandinmypants]

I asked a lot of questions about snorkeling when we disembarked at St. Maarten - and all of the people pointed us to Dawn Beach - so that might be a place to research. It was raining and overcast when we were there, so we ended up not spending time at the beach anyway - but if we had decided to spend a day snorkeling, that's where I would have directed us!

[nschille04]

Thanks for the advice. I will research that beach.

 

The snorkeling in St Thomas was absolutely amazing. Is St Maartan's just as good if you find the right spot?

[butterflyfish]

I snorkeled at Dawn beach a few years ago. I had read that snorkeling in St. Martin is only fair, so I wasn't expecting too much. It was nice (saw my first stingray there), but not as good as what you will find on St. Thomas. There has been some development in that area over the last couple of years. I don't know if that has affected the small reef there or not.

 

Some other options you might want to look into are Pinel Island or a trip with Captain Alan. Both are on my to-do list next time I'm in St. Martin.

[sara mom]

my 2 cents....I've done Pinel Island and loved it!

[jkjmt]

....my two cents.....we did Pinel Island and wasn't impressed. The water was very rough and you had to swim a looooooong way. I saw maybe two fish.....but I didn't swim out as far as others......but I swam a loooooong way.

[Karysa]

Creole Rock has the best snorkeling that I have experienced on St. Martin.

[mobydog]

Just got back from St. Maarten this week. We went to Creole Rock in Grand Case and had a great time. We used Sebastien with Creole Rock Water Sports and I would highly recommend him. He provided us a very personal tour for me, my husband and two boys (ages 5 &10). He took the time to dive down and find sea creatures for the children to hold and spent time explaining what each one was. He only takes out 5 or less people at a time so I felt we really got our money's worth! The resort is also wonderful with hammocks in the trees and a beautiful private beach.

[nschille04]

Does anyone know if RCI does an excursion to Creole Rock?

[cruise pup]

I've been to Creole Rock with Captain Alan. Here's the link: http://www.captainalan.com/challenge/index.htm

[parasailor]

Captain Alan's description lists more than 3 possible islands for his 3 island tour (which seems excellent), so Creole Rock is not a certainty. Aquamania lists a Creole rock only trip.

[nschille04]

Have any of you done Captain Alan's trip? It sounds like that would be a good one!

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

Do you have a email address or info on Captain Nautica in St Thomas ?

How many stops did you do ? how long was the snorkel tour ? and what was the cost ?

 

Hello,

 

My husband and I will be visiting St Maarten in April and would like to go snorkeling. Last year when we visited we did the Rhino Riders excursion and while it was a lot of fun, the snorkeling portion was pretty lame. We went to beach and saw maybe two fish.

 

Can anyone recommend a better site or excursion? In St Thomas we did Captain Nautica and it was AMAZING, so we are hoping for something more like that.

 

Any advice would really be appreciated!!!

[nschille04]

I think there is probably contact info for Captain Nautica on http://www.viwatersports.com/captain_nautica/index.php

 

I believe we did three stops and I don't remember how long it was. It really was an amazing trip. We saw such a variety of fish and lots of sea turtles.

[giddy2travel]

Have any of you done Captain Alan's trip? It sounds like that would be a good one!

yes i would like more info on this like the cost of the 3island tour if anyone has done it

thanks