To snorkel or not to snorkel at these ports?

[YoPhilly]

I've been reading many threads on this board and I need some guidance in making our snorkeling choices for our 14 day Caribbean cruise this month. FYI, my husband and I are experienced snorkelers (me more than him!).

 

Don't have to snorkel everywhere....we'd be happy to snorkel 4-5 times, so I want to pick the best locations out of all our ports. We've snorkeled many places in the Caribbean and have been increasingly disappointed in the health of the reefs. Looking for healthy, active sites.

 

 

The ports I'm considering for snorkeling are:

• St. Lucia - This is our first day so I'm trying to decide between vegging-out on a catamaran cruise to the Pitons or doing some snorkeling. Are there any really good snorkeling sites here - or just so-so?
  
• Nevis - booked a sail & snorkel ship excursion
  
• Tortola - Brewer's Bay - heard the snorkeling is pretty good here
  
• Grand Cayman - tentatively reserved the ship's Reef & Wreck excursion - or should we do shore snorkels at Eden Rock/Cali/Cheeseburger?
  
• Aruba - How's the snorkeling here? Worth it or skip it?
  
• Bonaire - tentatively booked a 2-stop snorkel with Renee - or should we do on our own? If so, which sites?
  
• Grenada - we're only here from 12-6. How's the snorkeling here? Really great or just average? Worth rushing around for a 1/2 day stop?
  

I really appreciate any suggestions for sites, getting there, links, etc. Thanks for your help.

[Lsimon]

St. Lucia - you really need an excursion, private or through the ship, or a long ride to Anse Chastinet area or the beach at the resort near the Pitons. These are quite a distance away.

 

Nevis - we've snorkeled on an excursion from St. Kitt's to a beach in Nevis the snorkeling was in a cove off of St. Kitts and has been between Ok and very good depending on seas and conditions.

 

Tortola - we heard the same thing about Brewers Bay and went there on a day when conditions made snorkeling worthless. So it can vary. Friends took a private sailing/snorkeling excursion to Jost Van Dyke and other snorkeling spots and said it was some of the best snorkeling they've had.

 

Grand Cayman - I would snorkel from shore unless you wanted to do a sting ray city tour - these usually stop at a reef or two as well but do a private tour. Snorkeling at Eden Rock or other nearby areas is as good as it gets if conditions are nice.

 

Aruba - also dependant on conditions - the snorkeling sailing trips are a lot of fun - all go to the same spots: a wreck (Antilla) and a nearby reed. Must of the time it is pretty good but we've been there twice when the water was slightly cool and the currents we a little strong. Might want to bring along a long sleeve rash shirt in case it is cool. We enjoy the Midushi or Jolly Pirates for a fun day.

 

Grenada - We've been to Magazine beach, which you'll have time for and snorkeling was Ok. Bring your own equipment as they don't have formal rental place there. A guy on the beach who collects for the chairs had stuff to rent one of the two times we've been there.

 

If I were doing your trip I think the not miss places would be Bonaire (never been there but heard about it), Grand Cayman and Tortola (do a day-sail boat such as this one: http://www.patouche.com/guest_book.htm)

[YoPhilly]

LSimon, I read your posts about the ship excursion from St. Kitts to Nevis and that's why I booked it! Looks like fun.

 

Tortola - thanks for the link to the daysail. Problem is, the excursion is just a bit too long for the time we're in port. (Several years ago, we stayed on Peter Island, which had fantastic snorkeling. We took a ferry over to Jost Van Dyke which was my idea of heaven on earth....the softest, whitest sand I've ever seen.) I wonder about the ferry schedule to JVD - I'll have to take a look.

 

Grand Cayman - We don't want to swim with the rays - I say leave them alone. But that's just me on a soapbox!;) I haven't been able to find a good map that shows Eden Rock in relation to the cruise ship pier and Seven Mile Beach. Do you know how far? Or link to a good map? If we shore snorkel from Eden Beach, is it practical to take a taxi from there to Seven Mile Beach? (Husband will want to jetski.)

 

Aruba - I'll look at some sail/snorkel trips. Same thing here, though - husband will probably want to jetski after snorkeling. Best bet for jetskiing? - Palm Beach???

 

Grenada - I'm leaning toward Magazine Beach. I found some photos and it looks like there's a small reef right by the beach.

 

Bonaire - to those of you who have snorkeled here, should I keep my reservation for a private 2-stop snorkeling tour? I've heard so much about the fantastic reefs, I don't want to miss it.

 

Keep your comments coming.....and thanks for your suggestions/tips.

[Lsimon]

Tortola - I'd call the excursions places and ask about the schedule. if that doesn't' work it might be nice to go to brewer's bay. I've heard great things about it - just wasn't nice when we were there.

 

Grand Cayman. When you get off the tender turn right (with your back to the sea) and go about 200 to 300 yards. The first place you pass is the Paradise which has food & beverage, 50 yards or so past that is the Eden Rock dive center - might have better facilities (lockers, gear tables and fresh water wash). Either place ask someone working there to point out the better snorkeling areas in relation to the buoys you'll see. The best areas require you to swim out 100 yards or more but it isn't a difficult swim and is interesting along the way. 7 mile beach is a 15 minute cab ride away but you might have to walk back to the tender pier to catch a cab.

 

Look at this: http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=19.29276~-81.384552&style=h&lvl=17&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&ss=yp.eden%20rock%20dive%20center~pg.1~sst.0&encType=1

 

Eden rock is identified (or close to there anyways) and tender pier is spot just to the upper right where the ocean goes almost to the road, just before you see the small piers jutting out into the ocean.

 

Aruba - both the Midushi and Jolly Pirates leave from places on Palm Island where you can hang out after the sail (I think they both end early afternoon), rent a chair and hire jet skis and such. If you book through the cruise line just skip the transportation back.

[YoPhilly]

Thanks Larry for pointing out Eden Rock in relation to the ship tenders - that's a big help. I'm surprised it's so close - that's great.

 

Anyone been shore snorkeling in Bonaire? I'm poring over Bonaire maps of snorkel sites, and there are so many sites - I'm overwhelmed. Any suggestions, tips, pointers, etc. would be hugely appreciated!

[silentz]

Here's a panorama shot taken from the Conquest last week. You can see the distance from the picture as I have labeled the Tender Port and Eden Rock. It is very walkable as I actually did it twice. Once to SCUBA dive with Eden Rock in the morning and then again with my wife while we were sightseeing. I will tell you that depending on the weather and seas there may be no snorkeling at Eden Rock. The day we went out there was a pretty good current and rollers coming in that stirred up the shallow reef and made it very hard to get in and out of the water for our dive. My dive buddy and I had planned on snorkeling with our wives in the afternoon there, but we called it off due to the conditions. That being said, I've heard from other people and read in many places that on a calm day the snorkeling at Eden Rock can't be beaten. The Eden Rock website can be found HERE. If I sound like a commercial for Eden Rock it's because I was very happy with the service, people, gear, and diving experience I had with them last week.

 

Don't be confused by this sign which is in front of Club Paradise which can be seen in the photo with a green roof

 

You are looking for this building...

 

Here is a good map from the Eden Rock site.

 

I hope all this helps.

[Middleager]

I've dove at Eden Rock. It was a very good shallow dive. There were some swim throughs, some hard coral growth. Near shore, there were lots of fish. Some people were bringing bread to feed the fish. We also saw lots of barracudas there.

 

For St. Lucia, it is a long drive to get to the pitons. If you like to see the pitons, you really need to be on a boat, looking from the sea. To do that, you'll need to be on an excursion on boat. We booked diving/snorkeling combo trip with Fair Helen, and requested to do the "Superman's Flight" site. That's by the pitons. If they agree and take you there or further south, you can see the pitons well.

[YoPhilly]

Silentz, thanks for posting your photos. They'll be handy for finding the site. Your comment about getting in the water -- at Eden Rock, is it easy to get in/out of the water for snorkeling? Do you have to walk over rocks or climb a ladder?

 

Middleager, tell me more about Fair Helen.

 

P.S. Just went to Eden Rock's site and I'm happy to see they rent lockers too.

[Miss Vickie]

We really enjoy snorkeling in St. Lucia, at Anse Cochon. We book through Island Divers (3 times now). They pick you up at the water taxi pier at Pt. Seraphine, offer a day that includes lunch, and the snorkeling is top notch.

[Lsimon]

We really enjoy snorkeling in St. Lucia, at Anse Cochon. We book through Island Divers (3 times now). They pick you up at the water taxi pier at Pt. Seraphine, offer a day that includes lunch, and the snorkeling is top notch.

 

Can you provide more info?

 

How far is this?

 

What is the cost?

 

Ny info on the reefs and snorkeling there?

[cccole]

The only spot I will comment on is Grand Cayman. We did a dive/snorkel trip that included a wreck. It was o.k. for the divers but not very interesting for the snorkelers because most everything is down too far. Just my opinion. Cherie

[silentz]

Silentz, thanks for posting your photos. They'll be handy for finding the site. Your comment about getting in the water -- at Eden Rock, is it easy to get in/out of the water for snorkeling? Do you have to walk over rocks or climb a ladder?

There is a concrete path out to the ladder that you can see me on below. The waves added a bit of difficulty, but I was also wearing full SCUBA gear. It will be considerably easier for you guys snorkeling. You will need to put your fins on at the bottom of the ladder. There is about 3 steps and then a round step on the bottom.

 

Here is a pic my dive buddy took of me on the ladder.

P.S. Just went to Eden Rock's site and I'm happy to see they rent lockers too.

The lockers are very good. They are outside just left of the shop in the picture above. They are very large. In fact, one locker fit my dive buddies rolling duffel and my backpack. They give you the key on a float arm band which my dive buddy put in the pocket of his BC.

[silentz]

Can you provide more info?

 

How far is this?

 

What is the cost?

 

Ny info on the reefs and snorkeling there?

I can personally vouch for Island Divers. Check out their site for more details. We went to Ti Kaye Village on our honeymoon a year ago last week. Their dive shop is at the bottom of the cliffs at Ti Kaye and they are very friendly. They made special accommodations for me to do a shore dive on short notice. We dove the protected reef there in the bay. My wife and I also snorkeled there the day after I dove and she loved it. I've had several people tell me that this is one of the best spots in all of St. Lucia to dive. In fact, while we were there several other dive charters and a couple of cruise ship catamarans came with their divers and snorkelers. The transfer isn't that bad either. They will pick you up at the cruise ship dock in Castries and water taxi you over to Anse Chocon. It's WAAAY shorter of a transfer than going to the pitons. You can see this from the map on the Island Divers site.

 

Here's a shot of Island Divers' operation to the right of the beach bar at Ti Kaye.

 

Hope this helps!

[YoPhilly]

There is a concrete path out to the ladder that you can see me on below. The waves added a bit of difficulty, but I was also wearing full SCUBA gear. It will be considerably easier for you guys snorkeling. You will need to put your fins on at the bottom of the ladder. There is about 3 steps and then a round step on the bottom.

 

Here is a pic my dive buddy took of me on the ladder.

The lockers are very good. They are outside just left of the shop in the picture above. They are very large. In fact, one locker fit my dive buddies rolling duffel and my backpack. They give you the key on a float arm band which my dive buddy put in the pocket of his BC.

 

Silentz, thanks so much for the details and the photo. It's always much more relaxed when you know what to expect. I'm really looking forward to it.

 

Now, anybody have suggestions for Bonaire?

[Miss Vickie]

Can you provide more info?

 

How far is this?

 

What is the cost?

 

Ny info on the reefs and snorkeling there?

 

Anse Cochon is about 20-30 minutes by boat from Pt. Seraphine. It's one of the island's 2 premier snorkeling/diving locations, the other being Anse Chastanet/the Piton's area.

 

Island Divers is owned by the owners of Ti Kaye Resort, located at Anse Cochon, created to handle their diving/snorkeling needs. The informationm link is http://www.islanddiversstlucia.com/, the link to the page with their rates is http://www.islanddiversstlucia.com/schedule.htm. It looks like their rates have gone up a little (I don't remember exactly what we paid), and there used to be a separate rate if you didn't need equipment. If it were me, I'd ask them when you contacted them. Still, I thinks it's still very reasonable, considering it includes all transportation, equipment, lunch, and it's a full day.

 

The package we get is the day package (without gear, we carry our own), that has us snorkeling at Anse Cochon and gives us lunch. The dive boat picks you up at Pt. Seraphine. If you're on RCI, or Celebrity (I would imagine, since we've always been on an RCI ship), you dock directly adjacent to the Pt. Seraphine shopping plaza, and you meet the Island Diver rep in the reception area of the shopping plaza, and then go as a group over to the boat. You then go over to the other side of the harbor to pick up folks from who ever is docked on that side. They take you over to Anse Cochon. They have their dive facility right on the beach, you pay your fee, get any gear you might need, and then have the option of staying there for the day or getting back on the dive boat to go to the Pitons to snorkel there. If you stay at Anse Cochon your package includes lunch in the restaurant attached to the dive facility. You order off the menu, but the cost is included in your day rate. It's not open bar. If you want a drink while you're lounging on the beach, you pay for it.

 

Also included in the day rate is the use of the lounge chairs, umbrellas, kayaks, etc., that belong to the resort, and the resort/dive staff on the beach attend to your needs. If you have your own gear, you can rinse it it in their equipment sinks.

 

This is the area that the ship excursions bring snorkelers, but they generally aren't there for long, and stick to one area. It's easy to avoid them. And they aren't allowed to use the chairs, etc.

 

The snorkeling is primarily near the rocky areas on either side of the cove. Facing the water, and heading to the right, there are more mature fish. The area along the left side is called "the nursery." We've seen squid, flat fish of various types, all kinds of things. You have to look in the nooks and crannies. We like the left hand side better, but the right hand side is good, too. The excursion folks all go toward the right hand side.

 

There are some vendors on the beach, they tend to pay more attention to the excursion folks, and do take a polite no for an answer.

 

They take you back to the ship after they're done diving, middle of the afternoon, and have always had us back in plenty of time. If you're on a ship that leaves port early, you'd probably want to check with them when to you contact them to make sure they can accomodate your needs.

 

Have fun, have a Piton for us!

[YoPhilly]

Anse Cochon is about 20-30 minutes by boat from Pt. Seraphine. It's one of the island's 2 premier snorkeling/diving locations, the other being Anse Chastanet/the Piton's area.

 

Jodi, Pt. Seraphine is where the ship docks in Castries, right?

[Miss Vickie]

Jodi, Pt. Seraphine is where the ship docks in Castries, right?

 

Royal Caribbean (and Celebrity, I'm assuming) docks at Pt. Seraphine. I've also seen a couple of other lines on that side of the harbor. Emerald Princess was on the opposite side of the harbor last time we were in. Queen Mary sits outside the harbor and tenders in. I've been told she's too long to fit at the docks.

[YoPhilly]

Thanks. I sent an email to Ti Kaye, so we'll see what they have to offer.

 

Now.....anything for Bonaire?

[Miss Vickie]

Thanks. I sent an email to Ti Kaye, so we'll see what they have to offer.

 

Now.....anything for Bonaire?

 

We're making our first trip to Bonaire this January, and have been doing a lot of research. From what I read, nearly any place you dive in is good. I keep reading about Renee (check the Bonaire board). There's supposed to be a really good drift snorkel off of Klein Bonaire. We've got all of our own gear and have actually booked our ship shore excursion that is actually just water taxi transportation over to Klein Bonaire (seems the ships usually book the water taxis for the day and it isn't easy to get there on your own). Once there we plan on snorkeling on our own. I bought a Lonely Planet guide that lists and describes all the diving and snorkeling locations.

[jimw]

Silentz, thanks so much for the details and the photo. It's always much more relaxed when you know what to expect. I'm really looking forward to it.

 

Now, anybody have suggestions for Bonaire?

 

 

As a manytime diver/visitor over the last 20some years, the diving and snorkeling can be great. The island was affected somewhat by Hurricane Omar a few weeks ago and some sand is now on coral, etc. Some sites have been affected more than others. I have not used her, but Renee has a great reputation on bonairetalk. I would tend to go with her or something similar since the operator will likely take you to the best available sites. Check for current conditions on http://www.bonairetalk.com

[YoPhilly]

Thanks to all for suggestions, directions and photos. Here's my plan -

• Bonaire: two-stop morning snorkel with Renee, then a taxi to Windsock/Airport Beach for more snorkeling.
  
• Grand Cayman: snorkel at Eden Rock, then maybe Cemetery Beach
  
• Grenada (1/2 day call): snorkel at Magazine Beach
  
• Tortola: Brewer's Bay and maybe Smuggler's Cove if we rent a car
  
• St. Kitts: catamaran snorkel excursion to Nevis
  

Sounds good to me!

 

Thanks again for sharing your photos and advice. :)