Best snorkeling excursion in St Thomas/St John???

[mommyz]

Dh, Ds (5) and I are going March 2005 on a 7nt....

Trying to plan on which snorkeling excursion to take him on...dh and I love snorkeling and this will be his 1st time. Need some feedback...which one is the best offered?

We are looking for something that will excite him...saw some that include beach time...we don't want that b/c we will be "beaching" in Castaway Cay...want something where we will get to see a lot and where we won't be gone all day????

Help!

Any other advice will be appreciated.

Love this board!!!
MommyZ

 

[mommyz]

bump!

 

[jrabbit]

Well, are you going on an Eastern or Western Cruise?

If east - your best bet on snorkeling is St. Thomas / St. John. There are lots of excursions to choose from. We did the Barefoot Sail and Snorkel. It's about a 4 hour trip and you get over an hour in the water (which doesn't sound like much but when you're not used to being in the water (ocean) it's plenty). There are the excursions to Trunk Bay, Buck Island and others that all offer great snorkeling.

Snorkeling at St. Maarten is iffy. Lots of wind off of the open ocean that kicks up a lot of sand and visiblity goes down. It's hit or miss on whether you're there when snorkeling is ok.

If west - we've snorkeled at Key West. Took a catamaran out and snorkeled out on the barrier reef (DCL excursion). The reef was HUGE. Lots of places to explore. Lots of life to look at. Downside: it was a little stormy that day and the water was a bit choppy (up and down and up and down - and I'm getting a little motion sick just typing this ). DW liked this snorkeling trip the best. The kids and I liked Grand Cayman the best.

Grand Cayman we did the Shipwreck and Reef Snorkel. You snorkel in the harbor in front of where the Magic is anchored. The water was a smooth as glass the day we were there and absolutly clear. FIrst stop - the shipwreck. The guides tossed in fish food and we were swimming in amongst all sorts of fish - amazing!! We then got back in the boat and moved over a ways to the reef. No fishfood here, just the natural reef environment and all of the life that goes with it. These reefs were spectacular!!

Cozumel is supposed to be a scuba / snorkeling paradise - but we chose to do a beach day here.

 

[DadofLostBoys]

Me, wife, and 3 sons (11,9,5) did the Doubloon at St. Thomas. It is a 65' sailboat that picks you up at the main pier around 12ish. Motor sails out to Turtle Cove at Buck island. Snorkel for about 45 - 50 min. then sail back. On the way out, they provide soft drinks, water and music. On the way back, they provide soft drinks, water, music, and "adult drinks!" The crew of 3 made it fun, and since it was a DCL excursion, they "Disneyfied" it. Captain (Bert) let the kids take the helm, 1st mate (Billy) was applying screaming Jolly Rogers tatoos, and 2nd mate (Trish) was mixing up all the drinks - and plenty of them!

We had a good time, but a little advise - you said it would be the first for your son, try to have him try snorkling a little at the beach on St. Maartin. Our 11 & 9 y.o. kind of freaked out and got back aboard. Our 5 y.o. decided to come out then, which he did by holding on to my wife and sitting on a snorkling belt. Never put his face in the water, but he enjoyed being in the water.

Even if your son decides not to get in the water, two of the crew stayed aboard and entertained the now swimmers.

I can't vouch for any other excursions, but we had fun, the crew was great, and I really enjoyed Trish's Carribean Kitchen Sinks!

Check out their website www.doubloon.com

 

[mommyz]

Hey guys thanks so much for the advice.

We're going on the Eastern Caribbean cruise and we'd like to go snorkeling in St. Thomas...we have some property in St. Maarten so we can go there anytime.

I'll check them all out....thanks for the advice about being prepared w/ our son. We were thinking of taking him to the local pool this weekend w/ some snorkel gear and see what happens. He's chicken a lot of the time but when I least expect it he surprises me!

I was hoping we could snorkel where there was a lot of fish (of course) and some turtles...don't think he'd care too much for coral!

Thanks again!

MommyZ

 

[tinksdad]

I'm not a big fan of the snorkeling or diving in St. Maarten. It's OK, but not as good as other locations.

Try Coki Beach for snorkeling right off the beach in St. Thomas. The beach is fun and protected, reef and viewable fish and "stuff" is close and will make a good snorkeling experience for the kids.


The best advise I can give to anybody is to get a good mask and snorkel that fits and doesn't leak. THAT is the biggest problem with folks when trying to snorkel for the first time. They usually don't have their own and rent the crappy stuff at the site that has been used and abused for years. A leaking/fogging mask will make any underwater experience less than satisfactory!!