St. Thomas or St, John for snorkeling?

[krkheffe]

We will be in St. Thomas on March 18th from 10am-6pm on the Carnival Liberty. I was wondering if snorkeling is better in St. Thomas or St. John and if anyone knows a private tour operator that is good. I do not like taking the cruise excursions because there are just too many people. It will be myself and 3 teens ages 18, 18, and 16.

 

I snorkeled years ago in St. John and it was incredible. From what little I have been reading on these boards it seems people think St. John is better.

 

Any opinions and tour operator suggestions? I appreciate it!!!

 

Kelly

[O2B@Cagain]

Kelly: You don't need a tour operator. Once you pick a beach, you can get a taxi or a taxi-ferry-taxi to take you there.;)

[krkheffe]

Kelly: You don't need a tour operator. Once you pick a beach, you can get a taxi or a taxi-ferry-taxi to take you there.;)

 

Thanks! Do you know how much all that would be? I was there about 12 years ago and we went on a ship tour and went out on a boat somewhere. We don't have our own equipment either so thought maybe someone taking us out on a boat that provided the equipment and getting us there would be less of a hassle.

 

I am cost aware...but also do not want to stress out trying to find equipment to rent and having things done for me while on vacation if you know what I mean...especially taking 3 teens with me.

[jordan8201]

Where would you recommend for snorkeling? We have our own gear, so we plan to rent a car or take a cab. Thanks!

 

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[blue_water]

Depends on what type of snorkeling and day you are interested in. Some of the best off-the-beach snorkeling is actually right at Sapphire Beach and other beaches on STT. You will also find great snorkeling at Maho and Francis on STJ. But for the best snorkeling on STJ we would actually take a day sail like New Horizons or Yacht Nightwind (both out of Sapphire Marina on the East End of STT) which moor off the cays of STJ. We enjoyed a great day on the NH, $75pp but the tour is from 10AM - 4PM which doesn't fit your schedule unfortunately.

Because you are in port only 8 hrs I would highly recommend Sapphire Beach which is a $10 - 12pp taxi each way and you can rent what you want there at the dive center. Abundant shade and drink and food options, here's a webcam there -

http://www.sapphireinthesun.com

 

If you still want to go to a beach on STJ just taxi to Red Hook and take the 20 minute ferry tkat leaves RH on the hour like clockwork and grab a taxi from Cruz Bay to your beach choice. Roundtrip fare is about $50pp and gives you the most time for your excursion.

Edited December 7, 2013 by blue_water
Typos

[krkheffe]

Depends on what type of snorkeling and day you are interested in. Some of the best off-the-beach snorkeling is actually right at Sapphire Beach and other beaches on STT. You will also find great snorkeling at Maho and Francis on STJ. But for the best snorkeling on STJ we would actually take a day sail like New Horizons or Yacht Nightwind (both out of Sapphire Marina on the East End of STT) which moor off the cays of STJ. We enjoyed a great day on the NH, $75pp but the tour is from 10AM - 4PM which doesn't fit your schedule unfortunately.

Because you are in port only 8 hrs I would highly recommend Sapphire Beach which is a $10 - 12pp taxi each way and you can rent what you want there at the dive center. Abundant shade and drink and food options, here's a webcam there -

http://www.sapphireinthesun.com

 

If you still want to go to a beach on STJ just taxi to Red Hook and take the 20 minute ferry tkat leaves RH on the hour like clockwork and grab a taxi from Cruz Bay to your beach choice. Roundtrip fare is about $50pp and gives you the most time for your excursion.

 

Thanks for the info! Actually we are in port from 10am-6pm. I will check out the companies you mentioned..maybe they can work something out.

[tocruzagain]

We have done both while in port at St. Thomas...taxied over to Coki Beach and hung out there all day (Nice small beach, very calm water and lots of fish around to see if someone, or you, happen to be feeding them.) and done a private boat charter using St. Thomas as a jump off point to begin exploring other islands etc. Now, the day charter will cost you some money, but if you haven't been there in 12yrs and this is the teens first experience and want them to experience as much as possible...DO THE PRIVATE BOAT CHARTER!!!! You won't go wrong because you will taxi straight to the marina as soon as you can debark the ship, meet your captain for the day and head out. From there we have snorkeled off the coast of St. John, passed by Tortola, and hung out at White Bay on Jost Van Dyke. The water there is so crystal clear that it looks like a swimming pool...no joke! There are so many spots that you will never see via cruise ship that the private boat charters can get you too. Yes, you can go to Sapphire Beach and snorkel right there, but make the most of your experience and jump off and see LOTS of other places and things. We have used Captain Wilson with Island Wilson Excursions a couple of times while in port there and he is very knowledgeable of all the USVI and BVI islands, snorkeling spots, fish, beaches, etc. You will be the only ones on the boat for the day which gives you the total flexibility of going where you want when you decide you are ready to see something else. Everyone will need to have a passport to enter the BVI customs. It is sooo worth it. The BVI islands and beaches are just beautiful! Who knows when you may get to go back and do it again so make the most of your time there as possible and experience as much as you can. The kids will LOVE you for it trust me!!

Good luck!!

[blue_water]

tocruzagain the day you described is great but with just 8 hrs in port (and at most 5.5 hrs of time available) snorkeling the BVI isn't really a good option unless you're just going to the west side on a motorboat. But we would be the first to recommend an excursion to the BVI for someone with more time in port as we love staying in the BVI because it is so beautiful. Just a long trip to the Norman Caves and Indians for snorkeling.

A daysail or beach excursion via ferry to STJ is more doable with 5 hrs available and there are options if that is really desired. Water Island is another option, perhaps one of the excursions that do the turtle snorkels? We haven't done that but it is popular too.

 

krkheffe, there are several daysail outfits listed under daysails on the vinow dot com site if you want to check them out, just that your time is a bit limited when you allow for the debarkation, taxi time, and return to the ship. But I also know that some of these outfits are flexible and good at accommodating these schedules.

Edited December 8, 2013 by blue_water

[krkheffe]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I contacted captain Max with sailwithcaptainmax and she said she could take us to St. John...said we would get to her boat by about 10:45 and be back around 4:30-5:00 pm. This would include lunch and drinks and quoted me a cash price of $140 per person.

 

It sounds like getting to St. John might be more time consuming. Is the snorkeling and water that much better? Just wondering if we would be better off staying in St. Thomas and having more time.

[krkheffe]

tocruzagain the day you described is great but with just 8 hrs in port (and at most 5.5 hrs of time available) snorkeling the BVI isn't really a good option unless you're just going to the west side on a motorboat. But we would be the first to recommend an excursion to the BVI for someone with more time in port as we love staying in the BVI because it is so beautiful. Just a long trip to the Norman Caves and Indians for snorkeling.

A daysail or beach excursion via ferry to STJ is more doable with 5 hrs available and there are options if that is really desired. Water Island is another option, perhaps one of the excursions that do the turtle snorkels? We haven't done that but it is popular too.

 

krkheffe, there are several daysail outfits listed under daysails on the vinow dot com site if you want to check them out, just that your time is a bit limited when you allow for the debarkation, taxi time, and return to the ship. But I also know that some of these outfits are flexible and good at accommodating these schedules.

 

Thanks for the website suggestion...I will check it out!

[OCruisers]

St John! :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

[blue_water]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I contacted captain Max with sailwithcaptainmax and she said she could take us to St. John...said we would get to her boat by about 10:45 and be back around 4:30-5:00 pm. This would include lunch and drinks and quoted me a cash price of $140 per person.

 

It sounds like getting to St. John might be more time consuming. Is the snorkeling and water that much better? Just wondering if we would be better off staying in St. Thomas and having more time.

 

Snorkeling the cays off STJ is great and have read only rave reviews for Max. But with that amount of time we would just head to Sapphire Beach on the East End of STT to maximize our time. Great snorkeling off the beautiful beach and any amenities you'd want as well as abundant shade along the shore.

Whatever you choose have a great day.

[snc_cam]

Thanks for the info about Sapphire Beach. To take this a bit further, where would we catch the cab to the beach? And do they know where to drop us off for snorkeling, or is there something we need to tell them? Lastly, are there cabs waiting at the beach to return to the ship?

[blue_water]

There will be open-sided safari type taxis at the cruise dock and a taxi coordinator can help you find a taxi going to Sapphire. Just tell them Sapphire and they will drop you at the entrance to the condo lobby just yards from the ocean. Walk toward the ocean and you'll see seagrape trees lining the shore to your right and a dive center to rent chairs at to your left. There will be taxis stopping in so no worries there. If the driver tries to talk you into another beach just say NO! :p

Enjoy!

[snc_cam]

thanks for the info... :)

[satex]

Trunk bay on St John is the best for snorkeling. We jumped on a taxi to Red Hook and a taxi to Trunk Bay once you get to St John. The cost was about $50pp round trip. The excision from the ship was $89pp and they were only there for a little over an hour and then went shopping for an hour.

[blue_water]

Great day trip Rich, that's the best way to get to STJ. I would recommend Sapphire over Trunk for snorkeling, although Trunk is beautiful and other more secluded bays on STJ are good for snorkeling. For off-the-beach snorkeling most people choose Sapphire, and for off-the-boat the cays off STJ.

:) Just our opinion though :)

[satex]

Great day trip Rich, that's the best way to get to STJ. I would recommend Sapphire over Trunk for snorkeling, although Trunk is beautiful and other more secluded bays on STJ are good for snorkeling. For off-the-beach snorkeling most people choose Sapphire, and for off-the-boat the cays off STJ.

:) Just our opinion though :)

 

Either way, you can't go wrong snorkeling in those waters!

[blue_water]

Either way, you can't go wrong snorkeling in those waters!

 

So True! ;)

[skrufy]

Went snorkling for the first time two months ago. Wife and I took the ships excursion to St. John. We had a great time, the excursion was with The Champagne Catamarne Snorkle. The excursion began around noon and returned about 5pm, which fits your time .The crew was great, interacted with the snorklers, giving us info about*all the nearby islands.

[smarks]

I have found snorkeling at Cokie Beach pretty good. I wasn't that impressed with St. John. Could someome post a link to snorkling with the turtles? I would love to do that. Thanks.

[orangewater69]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I contacted captain Max with sailwithcaptainmax and she said she could take us to St. John...said we would get to her boat by about 10:45 and be back around 4:30-5:00 pm. This would include lunch and drinks and quoted me a cash price of $140 per person.

 

It sounds like getting to St. John might be more time consuming. Is the snorkeling and water that much better? Just wondering if we would be better off staying in St. Thomas and having more time.

 

Thanks for this great suggestion. This was exactly the type of excursion I was looking for when we are in St. Thomas on the Carnival Freedom in March. All I was having luck finding was the same time frame as the ships' excursions. I am willing to pay more since it is more time and also includes a nice lunch and some booze. We are in port from 8am to 6pm so this is perfect and won't be crowded.

[Texas1966]

We just returned (late January) from a cruise on Celebrity and also stopped in St. Thomas. We booked a charter with Simplicity Charters. We have cruised many times and have been on many excursions. This private charter was by far the best off boat trip we have ever done. These guys (and Hinkley their sailing dog) were great. We went over to St. John and went to turtle Bay and Haws Nest Bay. Two very remote and beautiful bays for snorkeling and had the entire place to ourselves. I can't say enough about this boat and trip we had. The best day of our cruise by far!! http://www.simplicitycharters.com/

[OLQC]

My husband and I will be in St Thomas in April and plan on taking the taxi to Red Hook, ferry to Cruz Bay and taxi to Trunk Bay for the day. We are in port from 7:00am - 4:00pm. Since my husband does not snorkle we did not want to book the cruise excursion. Will there be enough time to do a snorkle excusion from Trunk Bay and do the excursions begin at Trunk Bay?

[augie]

My husband and I will be in St Thomas in April and plan on taking the taxi to Red Hook, ferry to Cruz Bay and taxi to Trunk Bay for the day. We are in port from 7:00am - 4:00pm. Since my husband does not snorkle we did not want to book the cruise excursion. Will there be enough time to do a snorkle excusion from Trunk Bay and do the excursions begin at Trunk Bay?

 

The snorkeling is done on your own, off of the beach at Trunk Bay (the same on both islands for snorkeling from shore, as opposed to off of a boat). Personally I don't think the snorkeling at Trunk is among the best (nor is Sapphire, IMO) but if you haven't done a great deal of snorkeling you are likely to find it to be very fun. One advantage that Trunk has over most of the other beaches is the fact that they have lifeguards on duty. Since your husband wants to stay on the beach this could make you more comfortable.