Snorkeling on S. Caribbean cruise questions

[nutcrackers]

Hi! We're going on our first S. Caribbean cruise in January on the Emerald and trying to decide whether or not to purchase equipment now when it's available. Almost every port appears to have snorkeling excursions. Do we need to sign up for these in order to get the full wet suit/snorkeling equipment/getting to beach OR can we just buy our own snorkeling mask/fins and bring them with us and get to beaches easily where we can safely snorkel on our own (we've only snorkeled once, on an excursion in Hawaii, so we're not experienced)? Also, is the water warm enough for just swim suit swimming or is a wet suit/something else needed too? Economically on-our-own is appealing if it is safe/warm enough but otherwise, we would probably just do one or two snorkeling excursions through the ship. Do all the beaches have places to change from clothes/to swim suit or swim suit/back to clothes, etc. On the Emerald, do you bring your own beach towel or does the ship provide? Thanks!

[chrysalis]

No wet suit needed...ever.

 

Bring your own mask and snorkel....first, you will know that the mask fits you properly...second, you know that the snorkel mouthpiece is clean.:eek:

 

If you want to get your own fins, buy the short ones that are now available...they are light and easy to pack and transport.

 

You going to Bonaire on your cruise?...if so, take the Princess water taxi to Kleine Bonaire.... wonderful snorkeling, right from the beach. Snorkel right from the beach at Princess Cays.

 

In Dominica...take a cab to the Champagne Reef...you can also do that from shore.

 

St Thomas, take a cab to Coki Beach...very good snorkeling from shore.

 

Just wear your swim clothes.....and put coverups over top....just like everyone else

 

Yes, the ship provides beach towel.....blue stripe...they will be in your cabin when you arrive.

[DMaugle]

nutcrackers- It will certainly be less expensive to bring your own mask & fins with you. There will be no need for anything more than a bathing suit in the islands, regardless of time of year. That said I would suggest you visit the "Port of Call" board for your particular islands and do a search under snorkeling for each one. You will find both private excursions and info regarding best snorkeling beaches which will include how to get there, what you can find at the beach (food, rest rooms, etc). We have been lucky to do it both ways over the years with exceptional results. Best of luck. DMaugle

[Potstech]

There is not need for anything other than a swimming suit UNLESS you sunburn easly. The sun is a killer for those of us with light skin that do not tan. If that is a worry go to a nearby dive shop and ask them for a suit made by Hot SKins. It is a very lightweight coverall skin that is perfect tu use. I got one two years ago and has been a great benefit in that now I can go back to snorkling or swim on the beach and not worry about turning red as a lobster in 10 minutes flat. Just soemthing you might want to condsider instead of a full blown wet suit.

 

Have fun on your trip

[PescadoAmarillo]

Chrysalis definitely hit the high points. There is also snorkeling n Aruba (Baby Beach), but it is really not worth the taxi ride unless you're planning to sightsee anyways, and on Grenada, but you pretty much need to do an excursion there, as the best sights are reachable only by boat. Domnica and Bonaire are the snorkeling stars on that itinerary. On St. Thomas, you can also take the ferry over to St. John and Trunk Bay. It's very easily done on your own. Princess Cays also has some decent snorkeling.

 

We take a shorty wetsuit (DH) and a dive skin (me). The water can be a little chilly in January and we appreciate the protection from the sun and any fire coral we might get pushed into by a wave.

 

Costco and SAMs club have a decent snorkeling set for about $40 this time of year. Well worth it. We won't snorkel without fins from a safety perspective, and they are included in the sets, as well as a carrying bag.

[chamima]

Chrysalis definitely hit the high points. There is also snorkeling n Aruba (Baby Beach), but it is really not worth the taxi ride unless you're planning to sightsee anyways, and on Grenada, but you pretty much need to do an excursion there, as the best sights are reachable only by boat. Domnica and Bonaire are the snorkeling stars on that itinerary. On St. Thomas, you can also take the ferry over to St. John and Trunk Bay. It's very easily done on your own. Princess Cays also has some decent snorkeling.

 

We take a shorty wetsuit (DH) and a dive skin (me). The water can be a little chilly in January and we appreciate the protection from the sun and any fire coral we might get pushed into by a wave.

 

Costco and SAMs club have a decent snorkeling set for about $40 this time of year. Well worth it. We won't snorkel without fins from a safety perspective, and they are included in the sets, as well as a carrying bag.

 

Jeannie

Costco had the sunproof dive skins. I bought myself one because I never remember to reapply the sunscreen on my back when we're snorkeling. :o

Is it supposed to be tight? I figured it might stretch out when wet and didn't want to be in a "bubble" of water.

Thanks!

[Liz54]

I agree on having your own stuff. Also - the BEST excurion we ever had was snorkeling in Bonnaire with Rene. If you email me I can give you the details. martha at brucehouse dot org. Or do a search in the port of acll boards.

 

My sister was inexperienced and intimidated and came out a convert!

[PescadoAmarillo]

Is it supposed to be tight? I figured it might stretch out when wet and didn't want to be in a "bubble" of water.

Hi Karen, yes, pretty tight. I wear mine for the same reason. Worst burn I ever had was on my back from snorkeling. I also bring a rashguard (shirt) for the same reason, in case I don't want to carry the skin.

[chamima]

Hi Karen, yes, pretty tight. I wear mine for the same reason. Worst burn I ever had was on my back from snorkeling. I also bring a rashguard (shirt) for the same reason, in case I don't want to carry the skin.

 

 

Thanks!

Actually, maybe what I bought is a rashguard.

I don't dive so am unfamiliar with these terms. :o

[anteaters]

Thanks so much to all of you who have already written. We are making copies of the info we have been given about places to snorkel and how to get there. We will definitely buy the snorkeling sets at Costco--saw them there two days ago--and I'll see if they still have the rashguards too. We just booked a fun-sounding excursion in Aruba with a butterfly farm/tour and that with all the beaches/walking/snorkeling is already sounding like a wonderful 10 night trip.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I think you will be quite happy with the Costco/SAMs club sets. I've unofficially taught snorkeling for years at our neighborhood pool, all ages (4-78) and have recommended those sets many times. Everyone comes back and tells me the equipment worked great (the snorkels are actually quite nice) and that they're glad they practiced in smooth, non-salt water.

[Times Prince]

Chrysalis definitely hit the high points. There is also snorkeling n Aruba (Baby Beach), but it is really not worth the taxi ride unless you're planning to sightsee anyways, and on Grenada, but you pretty much need to do an excursion there, as the best sights are reachable only by boat. Domnica and Bonaire are the snorkeling stars on that itinerary. On St. Thomas, you can also take the ferry over to St. John and Trunk Bay. It's very easily done on your own. Princess Cays also has some decent snorkeling.

We won't snorkel without fins from a safety perspective, and they are included in the sets, as well as a carrying bag.

Totally agree that Dominica and Bonaire are the stars - some of the best snorkeling we've ever had. Definitely recommend Woodwind Snorkel Tours for Bonaire, as they provide different groups and guides for both experienced and novice snorkelers, and the reef off of Klein Bonaire is huge - even drift snorkeling can be exhausting and I needed that extra help to get back into the boat. The guides point out items of interest including sea turtles that I would have missed otherwise.

 

Champagne Reef was fine from the Princess Excursion, and that beach area looked really rocky. There are no local rental services visible from offshore.

St. John's Trunk Bay is a National Park with nice changing facilities.

 

We have our own equipment bought from a local dive shop, which takes about half of a 24" suitcase (including fins). Rental equipment has simple snorkels, and you can buy a nice snorkel with antisplash for not much cost before you go on the cruise. Having your own equipment can get you 15-20 minutes of extra time in the water at St.John's.

[PescadoAmarillo]

There are no local rental services visible from offshore.

There are rental services from a booth up closer to the road. While the beach is quite rocky, they have built a boardwalk that makes it accessible until you get toward the end where you enter the water, where it is a bit more difficult. We've done Champagne Reef from the water (through the ship) and from the shore. There is a considerable price difference, but I can highly recommend the ship's excursion for a first timer.

[Stevesan]

Thanks!

Actually, maybe what I bought is a rashguard.

I don't dive so am unfamiliar with these terms. :o

 

They were designed for surfers, but we snorkelers quickly adopted them.

Most brands are a tight fit, so it's best to try them on. Your local dive shop carries them.

They're available in both short and long sleeve.

If you want a "loose" fit, try BODYGLOVE with a 50UVP.

[chamima]

Thanks!

Actually, maybe what I bought is a rashguard.

I don't dive so am unfamiliar with these terms. :o

 

Jeannie

Costco had the sunproof dive skins. I bought myself one because I never remember to reapply the sunscreen on my back when we're snorkeling. :o

Is it supposed to be tight? I figured it might stretch out when wet and didn't want to be in a "bubble" of water.

Thanks!

 

They were designed for surfers, but we snorkelers quickly adopted them.

Most brands are a tight fit, so it's best to try them on. Your local dive shop carries them.

They're available in both short and long sleeve.

If you want a "loose" fit, try BODYGLOVE with a 50UVP.

 

 

 

 

I already bought one at Costco. It fits tight and I was just asking if that was how it was supposed to fit since there's no one at Costco to ask. ;)

[DrSch]

I already bought one at Costco. It fits tight and I was just asking if that was how it was supposed to fit since there's no one at Costco to ask. ;)

 

 

Couple of notes here.. did the tour your're doing in Feb last year. Brought my own snorkle and fins and mask.

 

If you are going on a tour, most of the tours have equiptment for use. It is included in the cost on many of them. Check the descriptions.

 

Aruba.. just lie on the beach and relax.

 

Bonaire.. amazing snorkeling.. can reccomend a tour that we went on that was run by a eco-friendly group called Woodwind snorkle. We were in the water for 2 - 3 hours on that tour, and in Bonaire at that time of the year, the water temp is cold. If you have some extra body fat, you will be fine, but if you are thin, you will need to wear something,especially on your hands..

 

Grenada.. the diving was ok.. nothing special. We went on a tour offered by Princess that I wrote a long negative review on. There was some nice marine life, but it paled when compared to Bonaire and..

 

Dominica... Champagne area is amazing for diving. Look for a tour group called Bumpiingtours (or something along that li.. Great tour of the Island first, and then a dive at the end.

 

St Thomas... Whatever you do, do NOT go on the tours offered by Princess. They all offer things like "Sunken Ship, or Turtles, but they all end up going to this one overcrowded cove (there were about 10 tour groups when we went), and while there are some nice sights, you can probably do better.

 

As to buying equiptment.. make sure you test the mask and fins. Not sure if costco is the place to buy them. If you have never bought snorkle or dive equiptment before, note that most of the prepackaged sets tend to run small.. so if you have wide feet, the fins will probably not fit well. I had brought my equiptment with me on our tour, but by the end of it, I was using the fins offered by the tour groups. Snorkle is the most important piece for me, as it goes in my moulth and I don't want one that someone else has used..

 

As for Mask, if someone in your party has facial hair, make sure you bring some vasaline, which will help the mask seal over it.

 

Look at Costco, but also go onto Amazon.com.. good prices and great selection.

 

 

Have a great trip!!

[LoriPhil]

We took this cruise in February and thoroughly enjoyed it. Our friends had sets from Costco which worked well for them, though DH and I had higher-end masks with prescription lenses which fit much better (not surprisingly). Echo what's been said above. In Dominica we took the ship's excursion to Champagne Reef and were very glad to do so - dove directly into the reef without having to deal with the rocks along the shore - one of the boat-staff provided a running description of the sea-life we were seeing and swam down to the vents to fill his snorkel with hot water so we could all feel the water temperature as it flowed out of the reef.

 

Be warned - because of this cruise we've signed up for scuba lessons. This could happen to you.;)

[caribill]

Couple of notes here.. did the tour your're doing in Feb last year. Brought my own snorkle and fins and mask.

 

We only bring our snorkles and masks. Fins weigh too much and take up too much space. We use the tour provider's fins.

[Tyskie]

I think you will be quite happy with the Costco/SAMs club sets. I've unofficially taught snorkeling for years at our neighborhood pool, all ages (4-78) and have recommended those sets many times. Everyone comes back and tells me the equipment worked great (the snorkels are actually quite nice) and that they're glad they practiced in smooth, non-salt water.

 

LLBean is another alternative, little more pricey but if anything goes wrong they replace it. Love their new short flippers! Packs nice in it's own tote bag that has room for lotion, personal items, etc. Just another option. I'm really pleased with my set.

[nutcrackers]

I certainly appreciate all your suggestions. This is sounding fun! By the way, I've never heard of any shark problems in the Carribean.....am I correct that this is no worry with snorkeling (asked by a coward)? Thanks!

[PescadoAmarillo]

If you're lucky you may see a nurse shark, but it's pretty rare for a snorkeler. Jellyfish are the biggest issue, but they're generally not the really scary kind (I say generally because a friend was snorkeling off a sailboat in the BVI, was stung by a school of jellyfish and ended up hospitalized for several days on Tortola). That's another reason I like to wear a dive skin or at least a rash guard.

 

If you're booking all your snorkel trip through excursions, their fins work great (assuming they fit). But carrying your own allows you the freedom to snorkel on your own. And even on an excursion, it saves you the whole "fin fitting" process.

[pakarinen]

<bump> and a slight hijack

 

How is the beach snorkeling on Curacao and Aruba?

 

My fiancee can't snorkel (bad ear canal) so she would likely shop or lounge when / if I snorkel, and I don't necessarily want to be cabbing or taking an excursion boat while she's "stuck".

 

Thanks!