snorkelling south Caribbean on a budget

[cruisingtaylor]

Our ports of call are Tortola, Antigua, St. Thomas, Barbados, and Dominica. We would like to do a few snorkelling excursions, and would also love it if we could sometimes get to a reasonable snorkelling site on our own. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Which spots are worth a 'splurge'?

[Deckhandoug]

St Thomas: Taxi to Coki Beach

 

Barbados: Local Bus to Paynes Bay, swim out to see the turtles, no need for excursion!

 

Dominica: Bumping tour with Levi with champagne reef snorkel

[searoses]

my thoughts exactly...in barbados you can get a quick boatride to the turtles and then get a cab to folkstone for some snorkeling. the turtles are great but nothing else to see. folkstone can keep you busy for hours. paynes is a picture perfect beach. after several so carib cruises there we recently spent 2 weeks and just loved every minute...

[Stevesan]

There's excellent snorkeling/diving at Georgetown a short walk from the pier.

 

http://www.edenrockdive.com/

 

You can do a shore entry at Champagne reef in Dominica. It will require a taxi ride, and the entry is a bit rough (rocks). I prefer a boat trip. My next cruise offers a boat trip for $39 with an hour and 45 minutes at the reef. It's only 15 minutes from the cruise pier.

[cruisingtaylor]

Coki Beach over Sapphire Beach? What is a bumping tour? I'll research the others.

Thanks, folks. We love taking local buses.

[vabchtraveler]

I agree that Coki is far superior to Sapphire for snorkeling. The walk-out snorkeling there is the best. Take a safari bus to save money.

 

Absolutely enjoyed my tour with Bumpiing (two i's) in Dominica. He has a website and is a delightful young man who will customize you're excusion. www.bumpiingtours.com Next time I am there, however, I'll be taking a boat to Champagne reef. I did not like the land entry AT ALL - very diffcult for me. So, if Levi has a boat set-up by then, I'll go with him. Otherwise, I'll have to take the ship's excursion.

 

In Tortola, take a taxi to Speedy's Fast Ferry (taxi is just a couple of bucks) and take the fast ferry to Virgin Gorda (Speedys has website with times and prices - includes bus transport). There you'll take the bus to The Baths! AMAZING _ DO NOT MISS! Climb, crawl, slither etc through the paths - maze to Devil's Bay. Very good snorkeling all around there - and completely fantastic even if you don't snorkel! Then go to the Top of the Baths for a cool drink and dip in the pool at the restaurant before catching your bus back. It's a day you'll never forget. And when you see the pictures in magazines or on tv later, you'll recognize The Baths and tell your friends -'Man, I've been there! You should have seen those boulders! Big as a house!'

 

In Antigua, we did a catamaran sail to a couple of nice snorkel spots - Wadali cats. Nice folks, good value. But, Antigua is supposed to have 365 beaches so you could just ask a taxi driver 'where's the best snorkeling?' That's how I found Coki Beach in St. Thomas. Have fun!!! That's a nice itinerary.:rolleyes:

[CRUISERTN]

I agree with all of the other posts regarding Coki in St. Thomas, Tortola, Barbados, and Dominica. Don't miss Champagne Reef...if you go on your own by car, make sure you have transportation arranged to get you back to the ship. I recommend you work it out to have someone stay and wait for you since taxis normally don't hang out there.

[cruisingtaylor]

sounds like there are some good trips to be had. I have tried emailing Levi, no reply yet. Same with Gordon.

thanks for all the great suggestions.

[Feelin' Nauti']

Our ports of call are Tortola, Antigua, St. Thomas, Barbados, and Dominica. We would like to do a few snorkelling excursions, and would also love it if we could sometimes get to a reasonable snorkelling site on our own. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Which spots are worth a 'splurge'?

In Barbados you have to snorkel with the sea turtles.

 

Sapphire Beach has a variety of fish to view.

 

Dominica - Champagne Reef is pretty cool to experience.

 

Cades Reef in Antiqua

[mamacruiser2012]

We are going to the above islands in March/April 2012 and am trying to decide where to try snorkeling for the first time. I am thinking maybe we would like to do it from a beach but not sure. I have heard that the coral reefs in some of these places are damaged so am trying to find the best places for a snorkeling excursion as well as a great place to snorkel from the beach!! Any help/suggestions are welcome!!:rolleyes:

[CRUISERTN]

I would take the open air safari bus taxi to Coki. Great for beginners...easy entry from the beach and water is fairly shallow. It is right next to Coral World. About $10 or $11 per person, each way, and no charge for snorkeling...they have equipment for rent there, and you can rent chairs and purchase some food and drinks. Do not bring valuables or leave valuables on the beach....take only what you will need and wear a plastic "water wallet" around your neck.

[lobodog]

Coki Beach over Sapphire Beach? What is a bumping tour? I'll research the others.

Thanks, folks. We love taking local buses.

Thanks for the info.

We are going on a South Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Summit on Dec 3rd.

Can you tell me more about Coki Beach? Do we need to take our own beach towels or anything else.

We would just like to spend some time snorkeling.

Are there any do's or dont's about this beach?