Where can my kids snorkel?

[bogino]

My 2 girls are 5 & 8. Any suggestions as to where the best place would be for them to try snorkeling (shallow water etc.)? They both swim well but have never snorkeled. Will on on 04/06 Magic cruise.

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Dawn Beach at St Maarten.
Coki Beach at St Thomas.

[mom2tiggers]

We took my 7 y.o. son snorkeling in St. Thomas last week. We all loved it. It was the St. Christopher excursion. The guys on the boat were fun & there were lots of kids there. The water was deep, but everyone has to wear a life vest so it isn't a big deal. Not to mention the water is very salty & seems to help (at least I thought it did).

You can also snorkel at Castaway Cay, but the water was pretty chilly by the time we saw everything. Disney has set up kind of a "pretend" snorkeling adventure. A lot of stuff is planted there so there is definately a lot of stuff to see. I think my son would've liked that much more actually. The water there is also very shallow.

[candleonwater]

I was hesitant to let my daughter (age 5) learn to snorkeling at first - so we saved it for CC... it was a perfect experience - now we're looking forward to Coki Beach.

[mog]

When we went with our kid in December (ages 3, 6, 9) we brought along a blow up raft/small boat type of thing. It had a little rope attached to the front so we could pull it along with us. We just took it out with us when we went snorkeling and the kids had something to hold onto (or get into) when they were tired or if they needed to adjust their mask/snorkel, etc. It wasn't too much trouble for us to hang onto the rope while we snorkeled and the kids were more willing to venture out knowing that they had somewhere to rest. This was especially helpful when we went on our own to St. John, since we didn't have snorkel vests.

[prymsu]

Although it was very clean and very beautiful, on the day we were there the water was pretty choppy and it was hard to snorkel. Could have just been this one day though...Also, Dakota got bit up by sea lice at Dawn Beach too. Just something to keep in mind.

[crackerjack]

We're going in March for the first time. Do they offer snorkel vests or life vests to rent with the snorkel equipment on CC?

[mog]

Yes,
On Castaway Cay, the snorkel vests are mandatory - even if you bring your own equipment, you have to use their vest. There is no additional cost for the vest - it's included in the rental cost and if you have your own equipment, it is free. Just ask the lifeguards - they have them right at the stands.

[3GuysandaMom]

Help! Sea lice - what are they and where are they?

[prymsu]

My son got all bit up at Dawn Beach. They almost look like the chicken pox. He literally had hundreds of bites...

[Jobro2]

We loved Coki Beach, the water is calm and there are wonderful fish to see, all snorkeling equipment along with waist floats are available to rent there. It is a beautiful beach!

[mollyw]

We loved Coki beach and you didn't have to swim or float to see the fish. You could stand in waist high water and see them without a mask or snorkel. Pretty Cool. Kids will love it.