snorkeling in St Thomas

[CCSSDRC]

My wife and I have snorkeled at Koki's beach several times, so she wants to visit Magens Bay on our up comming cruise. How is the snorkeling at Magens Bay? Are there any locations better than others? Or am I just going to get some excercise and not see much of any thing (not the worst day and certainly better than working:) )

[pabi]

We have been to St. Thomas several times and Coki beach is the best for snorkling. Magen's water is not as clear but try it anyways, at least once so

you can have a comparison.

Happy snorkling!

[feistytigger]

no desire to go to st. john, eh?

[CoNEY46]

Although i agree that Coki beach is the best for snorkling on St Thomas, our day at Sapphire beach was also very nice.

 

Last time there we took the the discover scuba with the Coki beach dive club and were simply amazed. I would definately recommend that you try this

[NancyJewel92]

We're looking to do snorkeling also. We'd prefer to go on our own at a beach, as opposed to taking a ship tour. Is equipment available for rent at the beaches Coki, Sapphire and/or Magen's Bay?

 

Also, wondering how are these beaches from the cruise port? I presume we'll be taking a taxi from the port. Just wondering that to expect in time and $$. Thanks!

[Dgonza]

Doing excursions on your own is the way to go IMO. I went diving at Coki Beach, my sister did a resort dive.....(shes not certified) so they give you a little class then take you scuba diving. Coki dive club picked us up at the dock. We had to get our own taxi back. It was $8 per person, and about a 10-15 min cab ride. Yes they do have equipment for rent. If you like snorkelling I would recommend getting your own equipment. For more info check out their website http://www.cokidive.com/

[NancyJewel92]

Dgonza -- Thanks for the link! Just what I was looking for. :D

[scubaduba]

I would contact Dwayne at ADMIRALTY SCUBA. The weather and wave conditions will have a great factor on where your snorkeling may be the best for that day. They do alot of free diving out of this shop and certainly know all of the best places to go.

[NancyJewel92]

Thanks! I'll check it out!

[Mark_from_Plano]

So we got to check out the beaches extensively. Here's our experiences:

 

Magens Bay: This is a beautiful beach and was one of our favorites, expecially since the house we were renting was very near there. However, the snorkeling is the worst here of any beaches in the USVI, primarily because it is a sandy bottom with no reefs. There are some boulders and a bit of coral on the sides of the bay (quite a long swim), but generally speaking, don't go to Magens for snorkeling.

 

Coki Beach: This has good snorkeling. However, it was always PACKED everytime we went there. We didn't like it that much primarily because of how crowded it was. However, we did do the snuba adventure there and that was AMAZING (we're not certified divers...so...).

 

Sapphire Beach: This was our favorite snorkeling on St. Thomas. Nice beach facilities. Decent snorkeling. The only downside is that it is on the windward side of the island (one reason it has decent reefs), so the prevailing wind is onshore, which means the water can get a bit rough at times.

 

HOWEVER: The best snorkeling we found on St. Thomas didn't even BEGIN to compare to the worst snorkeling we found on St. John. If you have the time I would recommend grabbing a taxi at the port and taking it to the Red Hook Ferry (about a 15-20 minute cab ride), then taking the Red Hook Ferry (about 15-20 minutes) over to St. John. From there, take your pick of any of the beaches on the northwest end of the island (Hawks Nest Bay, Cinnamon Bay, Trunk Bay, etc.). All are a fairly short cab ride away from the Ferry Terminal in Cruz Bay. The snorkeling on these beaches is WORLD CLASS. In each case, there are reefs or islands a short swim off the beach with amazing sea life and absolutely pristine clear water. If you have a chance at all, the snorkeling on St. John is not to be missed.

 

Good luck and have fun.

[wendya2J]

Hi -

 

Would someone be able to explain in detail how they went to st john to snorkel? my DH and i would love to do it ourselves to get more time in the water (those excursions are just too short) - but im a bit nervous.....thanks!!:)

[Mark_from_Plano]

Maps of St. Thomas and St. John, a few $, a very accurate watch and a sense of adventure.

 

1. Go online and get a map of St. Thomas and St. John. This will give you a sense of the geography that we're talking about here. Here's the best one:

http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/st/stmap.shtml

http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/sj/sjmap.shtml

 

2. The ship will dock at the Havensight pier just to the east of downtown Charlotte Amalie. Immediately on getting off the ship, you should see several taxi cabs. Find one and tell them that you want to go to the Red Hook ferry terminal. This is in the little town of Red Hook on the far East end of the island. I don't remember exactly but it shouldn't take more than about 15-20 minutes by cab (figure 30 if the traffic is really bad). I don't know the fares, but figure $10 per person each way just to be safe.

 

3. The ferry leaves Red Hook for Cruz Bay at the top of every hour and takes about 20 minutes to go from Red Hook to Cruz Bay. The fare is $5 per person if I remember correctly (each way).

 

4. At the Cruz Bay ferry terminal, again find a taxi driver (they're everywhere) and tell them that you want to go to ___________ beach. I would suggest either Hawksnest Bay, Trunk Bay, or Cinnamon Bay. Go online and do some internet research about each one. I remember that some have amenities (rental equipment, rental chairs, bathrooms, etc.) and others don't. One even has an underwater snorkeling trail with signs posted next to certain coral and things. However, I don't remember the details on which beach provides what. You won't go wrong in any case. The taxis are pick-up trucks that have been converted to carry seven or 8 passengers in seats in the bed of the truck, so the driver will likely try to get several passengers to go with you to make his trip more efficient (i.e. so he can make more money). Taxi rates from Cruz Bay to Cinnomon Bay (the furthest away) are about $5 each (each way). However, be sure that you negotiate your fare before you leave.

 

5. VERY IMPORTANT. Keep track of the actual times that it takes you to make the trip over. At the end of the day don't try to cut this return too close. There should be several cab drivers at the beach waiting to take people back to Cruz Bay, but you can also try to cut a deal with a particular driver to take you back at a specified time. Also beware that on the return you may run into long lines at the ferry terminal. Plan a bit for the unexpected so that you don't miss the ship leaving. You may also want to save a bit of time for shopping either in Cruz Bay or at the Havensight mall near the cruise terminal.

 

The website http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/ has lots of great information including ferry schedules and rates, taxi rates, maps, etc.

 

Good luck and have fun. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other specific questions.

[TRESE]

We have done St John from St Thomas on our own 3 times. Very easy, and very nice. Although one time the water was rough and you couldnt see to snorkel at Trunk Bay.

But the other times, it was truely awesome!!