Snorkeling at St. John

[basketballmom]

DH has decided he wants to go snorkeling at St. John while we are in port at St. Thomas. Is it best to book a tour or just go on our own. We do have our own snorkeling equipment so that is not an issue.

 

Where are the "safest" places to snorkel (i.e, no undertown, don't have to swim too far)? Thanks for any info!

[richtersl]

If you're planning on going there this summer, how about Trunk Bay? There's a little bit of a swim to get to the snorkeling trail, but it's an easy one. I've been there twice and have not experienced an undertow. Trunk Bay is not crowded in the summer months. The fall and winter are another thing completely.

 

Should you change your mind and want to try snorkeling on St. Thomas instead, consider Coki Beach or Sapphire Beach. You don't have to swim very far at either of these beaches to see beautiful fish. Coki can get quite crowded during the fall and winter months.

[basketballmom]

Our original game plan was to go to Coki but then DH heard how great St. John is for snorkeling and decided he really wanted to go there (it is his 40th birthday cruise so I guess I have let him have his way!)

[MandyGirl]

On our last cruise, we rented a 12' dinghy from Noah's (near the ferry dock). We went "beach hopping" and visited several beaches for snorkeling. I think we went to Hawksnest, Trunk, Cinnamon, Honeymoon, and the cay off of Waterlemon. It was a terrific day, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We've also done a land vacation on St John and a couple other cruise visits, but we really enjoyed having the freedom of using the dinghy. We have our own snorkel equipment, so that helped.:)

 

If you're interested in the dinghy idea, here is a detailed review I posted about our day and associated costs. We were off the ship at 8:15 (Crown Bay), in a cab by 8:25, and on the 9:00 ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay (St John).

 

Dinghy rentals website: http://www.bookitvi.com/nla.htm

 

He has since removed the pricing on the website, so I don't know how much they cost now. This past November, it was $120 for the smaller 12' dinghy for the day (9-5). Not sure why prices are no longer advertised on the website.

[2Feathers]

Hey MandyGirl!! How have you been? We just got back from a land vacation on St. John! Didn't do the dinghy this time, but had a great trip!! The weather was great and we hit most of the beaches... Nine days, and it still wasn't enough to see and do everything we wanted!! We took our kids for the first time, and they decided Hawksnest is their favorite! I may just have to agree with them on that...

 

basketballmom... St. John is easy to do on your own, plus you can probably save a little money and have more time on the beaches. MandyGirl's suggestion about the dinghy is a great one, and would allow you to see a bunch of the famous North Shore beaches of St. John in one day. Make sure the seas aren't too rough before you do that, though. If you see a lot of white caps on the ferry ride over, and the winds are up, you might be better off to skip the dinghy. (I know this from experience!!) All of those beaches are typically pretty calm, though the weather will have a lot to do with sea conditions. Trunk is beautiful and has easy snorkeling. Hawksnest has snorkeling right off the beach, though not as much to see as some others. There is very good snorkeling just off the beach and around the rocks between Salomon and Honeymoon Bays, but you have to hike about 20-30 minutes to get there. (Easy hike and the trail begins near the ferry dock.) Also good snorkeling in Maho and Francis Bays, and both are much less crowded. You really can't go wrong with any of these. Do the dinghy, if you can, and hit them all in one day!! Have a great trip!

[basketballmom]

Mandygirl: Can you fit 3 in a dinghy? DH, 13 yo DD and myself. Sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Loved the review.

[beckers]

It was really easy to go to Trunk Bay on your own for snorkeling. Take a cab to Red Hook ferry on St. Thomas which is Northeast of Charlotte Amalie of where the ship docks. Try to be the first one off the ship so you get the first ferry. We caught the 8:00 o'clock ferry. We were off the ship by 7:00. Then when you are on St. John there will be cute open air truck cabs they will ask you where you are going tell them Trunk Bay. They will drive you there. We were the first ones on the beach by 9:00 am. Rented chairs and lockers had an awesome time snorkeling. We had bought our own equipment, but you can rent.

 

It was beautiful. We headed back around 1:30 and took the longer ferry back to Charlotte Amalie which brings you to your ship. The reason you can't take it on the way over is that it doesn't leave until 10:00, but it eliminates the extral taxi. I think the total cost was $60 - $70 but it was worth it because we were there longer and on our own and we weren't herded around in a group of people. We had packed a lunch from things on the lunch bar from the day before. But I think you can order room service same day and pack things also.

 

Enjoy.

[MandyGirl]

Hey! I've been on the other end of the spectrum... just disembarked from an Alaska cruise this morning. BUT... we did wear t-shirts and shorts one day in port!! (And I got a little sunburn - does that count?)

I can't remember if 3 fit in the 12-foot dinghy, but we did see 4 adults in the larger, 14-foot dinghy. Surely 2 adults and one kiddo would fit just fine in the smaller.

2Feathers - I'm jealous. I hope you enjoyed it enough for us, too! I'm starting back to grad school in the fall (should've done that years ago!), and just this week I was talking to hubby about HOW are we going to afford vacation AND tuition? He said we'd find a way. :D There are still unexplored beaches we need to see on St John and also enough AA miles for two Caribbean roundtrips. I'm hoping for a return in the near future!!;) I'm so glad your family had fun!!

[snorkelman]

My wife and I just returned from cruising on Carnival’s Victory from June 12-19, 2005.

 

We did the Trunk Bay thing on our own and it was great. As you can tell from my username, I enjoy snorkeling, and the snorkeling in Trunk Bay was much better than Coki from our experience.

 

Anyway, unless you are obese and out of shape, the snorkeling is quite easy at Trunk Bay. There is only one "island" visible from the beach at trunk bay and it is about 100 feet from the beach - a very easy swim, especially since the water is very shallow for the first 40 feet (waist deep).

 

There are underwater signs that tell you to not touch the coral and what kind of fish are in the area - not that big of a deal.

 

I suggest simply snorkeling to the island and following it all the way around. The best sealife is on the left side of the island (left as you stand on the beach on Trunk Bay and look out into the water). As you stand on the beach the island is on your right as you look in the water, and the part of the island that you can see (the side closest to you) is the side that I am talking about. Actually, the BEST sealife is at the very back of the island - that is where we saw about 10-15 large Tarpon (4 feet long).

 

The earlier the better, because once the cruise tours arrive, there are A LOT less fish around.

[basketballmom]

Thanks for the tip Snorkelman! The snorkel gear is packed and ready to go!

[richtersl]

The earlier the better, because once the cruise tours arrive, there are A LOT less fish around.

 

Now that's funny...LOL. I guess word must get around.

[addicted to cruising]

Basketballmom:

 

Just in case you need that last min reasurrance.....Trunk Bay is awesome! In all my travels I believe it is the most pristine place Ive been. I was last there 2yrs ago in Oct and we almost had the beach to ourselves. There was a private yacht out in the water and a few couples. I sat in the water as the pelicans dove for the fish about 10 feet away. Talk about serenity!!

[snorkelman]

I agree. i live in Florida, I have traveled to over 50 countries and by my username you can tell that I enjoy to snorkel. Trunk bay is one of the nicest beaches that I have ever been on.

 

There are still a lot of fish around noon, when there are 200 cruise people there, but my point was that there are even more (a lot more) fish early.

 

If you have the option to go early or late, I suggest early so you can see more fish, less people and do not have to worry about the traffic jams getting back to the ship late in the day.

[Bru92]

==snip==

 

If you're interested in the dinghy idea, here is a detailed review I posted about our day and associated costs. We were off the ship at 8:15 (Crown Bay), in a cab by 8:25, and on the 9:00 ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay (St John).

 

Dinghy rentals website: http://www.bookitvi.com/nla.htm

 

He has since removed the pricing on the website, so I don't know how much they cost now. This past November, it was $120 for the smaller 12' dinghy for the day (9-5). Not sure why prices are no longer advertised on the website.

 

The prices are posted on this related page: http://www.viconcierge.com/noahs.htm

[sharbear508]

will i see sea turtles when snorkeling at trunk bay?? if not, where's the best place to see turtles?

[jmo1]

will i see sea turtles when snorkeling at trunk bay?? if not, where's the best place to see turtles?

I have never seen turtles snorkeling at the Virgin Islands. That doesn't mean they aren't there. I believe most of the turtles are in the southern Carribean.

[richtersl]

I think Hawksnest Bay may have them: http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/Hawksnest%20Bay.htm

[The Islander]

Hello,

 

I've not seen turtles at Trunk. I have seen them at Waterlemon Bay but not each and every time I have snorkeled there - more like 1/4 of the time. Turtles are here, they nest on several beaches; particularly on St. Croix.

 

--Islander

http://www.*****

[sharbear508]

Turtles are here, they nest on several beaches; particularly on St. Croix.

 

Islander,

 

I did some research on the net and it seems like they're mostly on St. Croix, like you said. Oh well...next time!

 

Thanks!

[Starz723]

I love St John.. I saw sea turtles at Francis Bay & Honeymoon bay.

 

Just recently on July 28,2005 I was in St Thomas at Secret Harbor and I saw a Sea Turtle there as well.

 

Waterlemon key is magnificent on St John.

 

I stayed 10 days at Maho Bay..Both big & little maho had nice snorkeling around the rocks.

 

I also snokeled off Flanagans Island. what a place that is!

 

Hope you get to see a sea turtle..Its a beautiful experience. :)

[erniesband]

will i see sea turtles when snorkeling at trunk bay?? if not, where's the best place to see turtles?

The picture in my avatar is from Waterlemon Cay on St John. That's not the only turtle that was there on that day. Didn't see any at Trunk or Cinnamon though.

[sharbear508]

Thanks everyone for the turtle sighting info! I did some research - these other beaches sound rather complicated to get to! I think on our first trip to St. John, we'll stick to Trunk Bay! Maybe next time we'll be more adventurous... :)

[rrh]

We were on the Carnival Glory Aug. 6, and did a private sail/snorkle with Capt. Max in St. Thomas. She took us to two great spots away from the crowds. My boyfriend saw a turtle, and my daughter and I saw a ray. We would have like more of each, but of course there are no gaurentees! It was a great trip though, includes lunch, gear and drinks. http://sailwithcaptainmax.com