Snorkelling in the Caribbean

[Merly]

Hi, I will be on the Explorer in 3 weeks time and ports we will visit are St Maartin, Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados, Curaçao, Bonaire and Aruba. Although I have been to the Caribbean many times I have never snorkled there. Which is the best island (from above) to do this on. Do I need to book before hand or can we just get off the ship and find a tour?

 

Many thanks.

[steveru621]

My opinion, none of them are fantastic, but I thought Aruba was the best. We have always done ship excursions so no information on private trips.

[FLACRUISER99]

Hi, I will be on the Explorer in 3 weeks time and ports we will visit are St Maartin, Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados, Curaçao, Bonaire and Aruba. Although I have been to the Caribbean many times I have never snorkled there. Which is the best island (from above) to do this on. Do I need to book before hand or can we just get off the ship and find a tour?

 

Many thanks.

The snorkeling on Bonaire is excellent. However I've only stayed at a resort on land never by ship. I'm going there in January on EX though.

[GoldenDomer]

This past July, we sailed to Aruba and Curacao on a Southern Caribbean itinerary aboard the Jewel of the Seas. We found good snorkeling at Playa Porto Mari on Curacao [as well as a fantastic beach]. On Aruba, Baby Beach surprised us with some really good snorkeling. You can read about my experiences at the following thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2069703

 

as well as some other options available on Aruba.

Have a great time!

[erniesband]

I've snorkeled on all those islands, Bonaire is the best. Go to Klien Bonaire, it's an island near the port. You can take a ship's excursion or a water taxi over. There are no facilities so take snacks and water with you. The best way to snorkel here is to walk way up the beach and do a drift snorkel back to the main beach area. Some have gone all the way around the island but the current can get strong when you're trying to go against it.

Next best is St Lucia. we go to Anse Cochon every time we're in St Lucia. We use the day package offered by Ti Kaye and snorkel right off the beach.

http://www.tikaye.com/rates-packages/day-passes/day-pass/

Both sides of the bay are good, stay away from the deeper middle, to much boat traffic. This is where most of the big group catamaran excursions come for a short time. There is also good snorkeling between the Pitons, look at Cosol or Mystic Man for that option.

Next would be Barbados. Snorkeling with the turtles and over the shipwrecks is fun. Calabaza or Silvermoon would be my choice but they are most likely sold out by now. I've heard that you can find guys over at the Boatyard who'll take you out in their small boats for around $20. Or you can go from the beach if you're a strong swimmer.

Never found real good snorkeling in either St Martin or Antigua. Aruba was always too murky when we were there but there was one beach that wasn't too bad, can't remember the name but it's down the coast passed the high-rise hotels and nearer to the lighthouse. You can get there by bus or taxi.

We've only snorkeled once in Curacao and that was at Jan Theil Beach and that was so long ago I can't remember that much about it.

Hope this helps some.

[lacruiser]

We've snorkeled at all those locations. My favorite island (of these choices) for great snorkeling is Curacao. We always rent a car, drive up to the northern tip of the island, and work our way down, stopping at the little beaches along the way and ending up at Playa Porto Marie. The beaches are marked, and one (whose name I can't remember at the moment) was just spectacular. These are small places, except Porto Marie, and you would need your own equipment. Bonaire is also nice, and we've had good snorkeling in Aruba. You might check the Ports of Call boards for these individual islands; there's a world of info on each one.

[bigsky]

You can get more info going to ports of cAll and post at each specific port.

 

Have fun!!

 

 

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[ehfl]

Bonaire is probably best. If you can't do that, pick a flat/coral island. The mountainous islands have a lot more silt washing into the ocean which clouds the waters and reduces coral growth. The flat islands have clearer water and a wider variety of coral formations.

[Five5]

Hi, I will be on the Explorer in 3 weeks time and ports we will visit are St Maartin, Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados, Curaçao, Bonaire and Aruba. Although I have been to the Caribbean many times I have never snorkled there. Which is the best island (from above) to do this on. Do I need to book before hand or can we just get off the ship and find a tour?

 

 

 

Many thanks.

 

 

In Barbados we booked with this company to snorkel. It was an awesome day with great snorkeling and fantastic service.

 

http://silvermoonbarbados.com

 

 

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[cruiseapril]

We enjoy the small cove beaches in Curacao, such as Blue Bay. There are quite a few cove beaches. Check the snorkeling forum here.

[obnurse]

For me, Klein Bonaire is the place to beat. Every place we snorkel now we compare to Klein Bonaire. It was excellent.

[Merly]

Many thanks for all your replies. I will check your recommendations out.

[cruiseapril]

Probably a good idea to book a ship's tour or other tour beforehand and find out all of the details.