Which island to snorkel??

[lusyrsgirl]

The ports we're stopping at are St. Johns, St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Maarten. If you could only choose one port to snorkel, which would it be and where is a good spot??

[rsmith55]

You are asking the right person. My wife and I have snorkeled many islands of the Carib. many times. Your question is not that easy to answer. First of all, how good a swimmer/snorkeler are you? Some beginners are happy with a few fish and shallow water. I like deeper water snorkeling. Secondly, if you want a good snorkel experience, one place doesn't guarantee it. My family and I have spent several weeks on St John snorkeling. St John is very beautiful and the snorkeling is often excellent. However, I visited there Jan 31 2006 and the waves were so high and the water so murky I didn't even bother to try. In any given place it can be good or bad, depending on the weather and other things. So its best to try snorkeling at several places and hope you get lucky. With all this in mind, you can usually find reasonably good snorkeling (or bad snorkeling) at any Carib island but you may have to look hard for the good spots. Now to answer your question: St John can be very good with snorkeling at Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay, waterlemon key or other places. I haven't snorkeled St Thos in a while but I hear that Koki beach is still good. I was just in Barbados and tried Folkestone park. It was OK but I also took a boat out to a near reef ($25pp)and it was much better (clearer, many fish). I haven't been to St Lucia. I spent two weeks on St Martin. I liked the James Bond type beach/reef called Bay Rouge but it was small. Then theres the nude beach snorkeling off Orient beach St Martin that wasn't bad. I think the best snorkeling I have seen so far was in St John, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize, and Roatan (not in any particular order). Each spot may have its own unique character. Thats what makes exploring them fun. If you don't have equipment it might be best to do a ships tour that includes equipment but they can be crowded at times. Best of luck. Hope this helps

[lusyrsgirl]

Thanks! Actually the only place I HAVE snorkeled out of my list of ports is St. Lucia and it was pretty good. I have only snorkeled in St. Lucia (good), Dominican Republic (Catalina Island - good) and Jamaica (awful!). I think I may give St. Johns a shot!

[techdiver]

I'll second the nomination for St. John.

[MichTraveler]

We did Trunk Bay on St.John in December and it was wonderful.

[shelling4life]

I would love to hear more about your snorkeling cruises. We want to snorkel but havent taken a cruise before. We have snorkeled in florida, and love it. Any info would be so appreciated. How about your reviews on ships, what are your fav;s.

Thankyou