St. Thomas snorkel/Mariner Excursion

[flaka]

Hello -- I posted this on the St. Thomas Port of Call board, but there seems to be a lot less traffic over there than here... and I know there are many of you that have been to St. Thomas probably numerous times! So here goes...

 

 

Beach vs. Day Sail Snorkeling?

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Hello! I had a question regarding snorkeling at the beaches vs. on the day sails... is the snorkeling on the beaches just as good as where the sails take you? Just wondering... since we live in Florida we are not as much interested in the novelty of sailing (or the beach for that matter), as we are good snorkeling -- so I was thinking if the snorkeling at the beaches was just as good perhaps we shouldn't spend the money on a day sail?

 

Also, I see RCCL has a half day sail/snorkel excursion for a pretty reasonable price (compared to the prices I am finding with the locals) -- but should I assume it will be the whole cattle-herding experience vs. booking locally and getting 6 people on the boat?

 

Help?

 

Thanks!

[LLindaC]

Here's my experience with ship excursions. They cram as many people as possible in a boat. They require you to wear a life jacket, which makes it impossible to dive down. You get x number of minutes here, x number there, you are on their time. They take you to the same reefs as the other ships, so it's crowded. There are independant tour operators such as http://stjohnlinks.com/Charters/Sea_Gypsy/index.html

who take you to some areas around the BVI where the snorkeling is very good. However, in St John, the snorkeling is fine from the beach, such as Trunk Bay. It gets a bit crowded over there and they won't let you feed the fish, but there are lots of fish and you don't have to swim very far. Take the 15 min ferry over from Red Hook or the 45 min ferry from Charlotte Amalie and catch a cab in town. You'll save money by going on your own and you can come and go as you wish. Leinster and Haulover Bay reportedly have good snorkel spots as well, but not all have facilities. You can do an Internet search for good snorkel spots, or consult a book such as "Virgin Islands Off the Beaten Path" for maps and tips.

[Sailfish]

Most ship sponsored snorkeling shore excurions in St Thomas go to Coki Beach, which is next door to Coral World. You can easily do this on your own and avoid the crowds if you are able to get off the ship early.

 

Coki Beach is not much of a beach - I definitely wouldn't come here to spend the day. But the snorkeling is by far better than most areas accessible from shore on the island. We rent tanks here and go scuba diving. Fish are used to being fed in this area and are numerous. The key is to arrive before the crowds - before 10am.

 

One way cab fare is around $7pp. Once you finish, you can easliy get a cab back to the ship or into town. We were just there in February, and conditions were not the best. But visibility was at around 50 feet - for a snorkeler that's awesome. And there were tons of fish everywhere. You bring your own, or rent gear at the dive operation on the beach.

 

Hope this helps.