Scuba or snorkel in St Johns?

[shadow750]

Understand the snorkeling in St Johns is great ... would a Discover Scuba course be even better and worth the extra money? We will be in the eastern/southern Caribbean next January and will also stop at St. Martin, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Barts & Virgin Gorda. Would any of these also be good candidates for Discover Scuba courses?

[scubadiver888]

Understand the snorkeling in St Johns is great ... would a Discover Scuba course be even better and worth the extra money? We will be in the eastern/southern Caribbean next January and will also stop at St. Martin, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Barts & Virgin Gorda. Would any of these also be good candidates for Discover Scuba courses?

I've been to St. Martin, St. Kitts, St. Lucia and Virgin Gorda.

 

St.Lucia (#1) and Virgin Gorda (#2) would be good places for Discover Scuba.

 

St. Martin would be hit or miss. Some times it is okay but sometimes it is not. Depends where they take you and what time of year it is. January is a hard to predict time.

 

I don't think they have Discover Scuba in St. Kitts. There are three shops on the entire island. Every time I have been, they don't meet the minimum requirements of the cruise line (Princess or Celebrity). I've talked to people who booked there privately and it was very good. If your ship offers Discover Scuba at St. Kitts I would rank it #3.

 

I've heard and read good things about St. Barts but don't know where I'd rank them.

[TheVegasMan]

Are you asking about St. John (no s) USVI or St. John's Antigua?

[shadow750]

Thanks for the info. It's St Johns, USVI.

[scubaran]

Thanks for the info. It's St Johns, USVI.

 

Just get over to the island by ferry (you can go on your own or through the ship) and snorkel at Trunk Bay (I did in Feb) or Cinnamon Bay. You'll need a taxi to the beaches but the water's nice and they're U.S. parks. Trunk has changing rooms, lockers, showers, concessions and snorkel rentails plus an underwater snorkel trail and life guards.

 

Randall

[travelite]

Understand the snorkeling in St Johns is great ... would a Discover Scuba course be even better and worth the extra money? We will be in the eastern/southern Caribbean next January and will also stop at St. Martin, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Barts & Virgin Gorda. Would any of these also be good candidates for Discover Scuba courses?

 

St. Johns is very good to snorkel right off the beach. In the National Park area there is a snorkel trail worth doing.....very easy but it can get crowded. There is also some boat snorkeling available. I didn't find the snorkeling good in St.Martin, St. Kitts, or St. Lucia, but that depends on what you are comparing it to. They may be better spots for scuba.

[TheVegasMan]

Thanks for the info. It's St Johns, USVI.

No, It's St. John (No S) USVI. The snorkeling at Trunk Bay is good at best. Cinnamon and Maho Bays are supposed to have better snorkeling.

[shadow750]

I finally get it ... ST JOHN! Thanks for all the info. I think we'll save our money in St. JOHN and do a Discover SCUBA in St. Lucia. I really appreciate all the help and info you can get on these boards. I'll try to return the favor after our cruise next year.

[DEwoman]

On St. John, we've been to Hawk's Nest, Trunk, Cinnamon, Maho Bay, Salt Pond, even Miss Vi's beach...you name it- any beach from Cruz to Coral Bay and beyond on that side of the island. As a rule, the further you go towards Coral Bay, the less crowds you will see. We didn't really see much different undersea wild life from one area to the other. Trunk is nice for the underwater trail- it's fun and a good time for the kids. We did see a nice spotted moray eel there once and the water is super calm. Maho and Salt Pond are probably too far away and are more rustic- ie no facilities. We saw sea turtle at Maho and a small black tip shark at Salt Pond. In general, a boat ride gives a better snorkeling trip for seeing more live coral and more than the usual fish anywhere in the US or British Virgin Islands. ( and the usual fish are great!) But then, you don't get to sit at a gorgeous beach like all of the beaches are on St. John. Here's a website for you to compare beaches: http://www.calabashviews.com/. Go to the Local Beaches link. We also like Crystal Cove- serene and sea turtles and Coki Beach- friendly fish and funky atmosphere in St. Thomas. Have fun wherever you decide to go!

[cpa cruiser]

I understand that snorkeling is better on St John than St Thomas. We are docking in St Thomas from 7am to 6pm with 2 other ships (3 total ships, so I expect crowds everywhere).

 

Would like to go to Trunk Bay, but I'm afraid it will be too crowded. How does the snorkeling compare between Trunk bay, Cinnamon Bay and Waterlemon Bay? I hear that Waterlemon Bay has the best snorkeling, but would we even have time to get to Waterlemon Bay and have time to snorkel and explorer? I assume I would need to pay to have the taxi stay at Waterlemon Bay to return us to the ferry, or is it easy to get a return taxi?

 

Thanks for any help you can offer.

[travelite]

I understand that snorkeling is better on St John than St Thomas. We are docking in St Thomas from 7am to 6pm with 2 other ships (3 total ships, so I expect crowds everywhere).

 

Would like to go to Trunk Bay, but I'm afraid it will be too crowded. How does the snorkeling compare between Trunk bay, Cinnamon Bay and Waterlemon Bay? I hear that Waterlemon Bay has the best snorkeling, but would we even have time to get to Waterlemon Bay and have time to snorkel and explorer? I assume I would need to pay to have the taxi stay at Waterlemon Bay to return us to the ferry, or is it easy to get a return taxi?

 

Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

Trunk Bay always seems to have a crowd. The underwater trail is marked. It is a nice spot and experience. It is wonderful for a first time snorkel experience and kids. It is rather easy to do from a cruise ship. BUT..... If you have done lots of snorkeling in top snorkeling spots, is this for you?

Waterlemon Bay: try through the internet to find a snorkeling guide in St.Thomas or St.John that will do all the arrangements for you....meet you at the cruise terminal, arrange transportation to and from Waterlemon Bay, and snorkel with you....perhaps a boat or drift snorkel. They may even have a better location or offer to take you to more than one spot. It will be well worth it. You'll save time having a local snorkel guide that knows where to go and what to look for in each spot. They'll identify exactly what it is you are seeing at the moment. Let them watch the time for pacing and getting you back to the ship on time.....no worry about will there be a taxi available. I am not suggesting a snorkel cruise with 25 plus participants. You should find a guide that will do it for 2 to 6 people. You can always post on your ship's C.C. Roll Call if you would like to find other passengers to join you and share the cost. I have found some guides charge per person and others charge a flat fee without regard to the number of people. You can also look in dive publications, dive shops, dive resorts, Virgin Islands tourist info., etc. to find a guide or a company that will refer you to one.

Enjoy!