Best beach for snorkeling in St. Martin?

[Stvandon]

Where is the best place to snorkel on your own in St. Martin and what is the best way to get there?

[sun_seeker]

My husband and I are booked to go on the snorkel excursion to Shipwreck Cove. I found this on the board - it is from 2001.

cruise pup vbmenu_register("postmenu_1323301", true);

Cool Cruiser

Join Date: Apr 2001

Posts: 959

 

 

Just did Shipwreck Cove Snorkel Tour

I thought this was terrific and the staff is great. The boat leaves right from the cruiseship pier by the ferry dock. The boat is a converted military landing vessel so instead of a ladder you just slide of the boat when they lower the landing ramp into the water (the current pushes you back onto the ramp when you reboard). Immediately upon boarding we lined up for snorkel gear and they made sure your fins were the right size. Same for dive mask. We were divided into groups based on snorkel experience. I went with the expereinced group and our guide in the water was terrific. We saw all of the wrecks. We were each given fish food to guaranty lots of sealife. We also visited a shallow area with lots of coral and beautiful fish. I'm not the greatest swimmer but I still managed to cover the entire area with time to spare. There was also a group for snuba and the couple I met who chose that said it was wonderful. After we finished snorkeling the rum punch flowed and we were given a tour of part of the island. Saw some incredible yachts. After the tour the music was turned up and we partied (well sort of) on the way back to the dock. We were asked to fill out rating forms which, quelle suprise, turned out to double as tip envelopes. This approach was an improvement over the guides that say, "If you have any complaints, write them on a twenty dollar bill and hand it over on the way out." I gave the excursion high ratings but suggested that a crew member be posted at the landing ramp to assist people reboarding. It wasn't impossible but it could have been easier if someone was there to hand over the equipment as you remove it. Hope this helps.

 

Where is the best place to snorkel on your own in St. Martin and what is the best way to get there?

[10X]

As far as I'm concerned, Shipwreck Cove is a rip-off. The boats are small (15-20 feet) drug running boats that were intentionally sunk, not real shipwrecks. There isn't any coral growth on them and there wouldn't be any sealife either if they didn't resort to feeding the fish.

 

St. Martin is not known for its snorkeling or diving. Probably the best available is at Pinel Island. I heard that the back side of the island might be the best and I plan to check it out in February.

[$hip$hape]

Yesterday, 11:26 PM

YoPhilly vbmenu_register("postmenu_8644495", true);

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Join Date: Dec 2006

Location: Philadelphia, PA

Posts: 2

 

 

Pinel ... must read.

We are avid snorkelers and were excited by the description of Pinel Island snorkeling excursion. The tiny island is frequented by locals, and our cruise group (2 full buses) simply overwhelmed the beach. Imagine 60-70 people donning masks and fins and snorkeling over a relatively small area. The snorkeling was very poor....the reef was dying - probably as a result of the cruise lines' shore excursions. Upon leaving the island, our tour leader herded us onto the ferry ahead of the local folks. My husband and I were totally embarassed. It was one of the few times I've ever complained to the cruise line about a shore excursion.

 

I must say, though, that the swimming was exquisite. Very calm, crystal clear.

 

To X10,

(I imagine you have already read the above)

First of all, thank you and everyone on CruiseCritic for the tons of information.

Cathy & I have booked the Shipwreck Cove snorkeling expedition through RoyalCaribbean because it was one of two "Sporting Adventures" recommended by them. We will be there Feb.13th, and will try to make the most of it. I've just read some sad things about dead coral all over the Caribbean and how the tourist are doing it in. This is our first cruise. If we get "ripped off", we may never complain, we just won't return.

Mike

[jimw]

We were on St Martin for a week last April. Snorkeled a little and it was ok, but as others have suggested not the best. Having said that, I would try in front of the Divi Little Bay Resort which is the other side of Phillipsburg from the crusieship docks--about 2-3 miles and a cab ride. We did not do that, but would if we go there on a cruise.