ST Thomas Snorkeling

[cruisnfamily]

(1) Looking for calm waters and easy snorkeling. Doubloon Turtle Cove Sail and Snorkel or Castaway catamaran sail and snorkel versus the ST John champagne catamaran. Any recommendations?

(2)Also, I really can't see without my glasses...things are VERY blurry. What are my options when snorkeling? Will I be able to see anything?

(3)On a serperate note, where do we dock in ST Thomas? I am looking on Trip advisor and not sure what pier/dock we will be at.

Thanks!

 

[WeLoveStitch42]

We did the Castaway Catamaran Sail and Snorkel and had a blast. Great crew, gorgeous scenery, fun snorkeling, and rum punch on the way back.
Not sure exactly what the docking spot is called, but we walked to the catamaran and wandered around some shops before getting back on the ship.

 

[cruisnfamily]

I've been doing what research in can on trip advisor and cruise critic. I think I am leaning toward the
Castaway Catamaran Sail & Snorkel to Shipwreck Cove (ST29)

Any thoughts on this one?

 

[skylynx]

Just did the Castaway Catamaran Sail & Snorkel to Shipwreck Cove two weeks ago...enjoyed the catamaran ride to the site. I do feel there were too many people on the excursion which resulted in a VERY long wait to get off the catamaran at the snorkel site unless you were willing to jump off the side instead of using the ladder. If you are ok with that, no problem. Compounding the overcrowded issue is that there were a lot of small kids snorkeling for the first time who weren't sure how to put on their masks or how to breathe through the snorkel and were then dropped off the ladder into 50 feet of water. This was not the way to have your first snorkeling experience. There were kids crying and coming back up the ladder because they were scared before many of us could even get off, so we had to wait for them to take their fins off, climb up, etc. In retrospect I should have just jumped off the side. The end result was that by the time I finally got in the water and my "group" led by an excursion staff member took off, we had only about ten minutes over the wreck before they started to herd us back to the boat. Groups that got off first had at least twice as long in the water and got to go over the reef where they shared stories of nice fish sightings and even a sea turtle.
The wreck itself, and the story around it was cool, but I felt so rushed. If I had known had fast we were going to have to return to the boat I would definitely have jumped (it was about a six foot jump into the water, and I was a bit worried about losing my gear in the concussion of the splash and sending it down to Davy Jones' locker). If the boat hadn't been packed to capacity, with many small children on board who were new to snorkeling and understandably insecure in the deep water, it would have been a very different experience.

The rum punch on the return was free flowing but very watered down...I had about six and couldn't feel a thing. The crew was young and friendly and I did enjoy the boat ride. The only other thing that others might want to know is dependent upon where the Disney ship docks. When we docked, we were the very last ship (so furthest away from the first set of shops and the area where the catamaran boards.) It was a solid twenty minute walk the entire length of the dock, a bit tricky for some of the little kids in flip flops and others who hadn't' anticipated such a long hike.

 

[cruisnfamily]

Thank you skylynx! That was a very helpful review! Anybody else have info on snorkeling in St Thomas? All input appreciated. We will be 3 adults, 2 in our early 50s and one mid 70s.

 

[princessmommyx3]

We did a private charter (just my family) through Second Wind charters and snorkeled in turtle cove and over a shipwreck. It is pricey (prices are on their website) but allows you to avoid crowds and customize your day. They have a chef onboard who made us breakfast and lunch and there was an open bar. You can read about our day here: http://www.disneycruisemomblog.com/what-we-did-in-st-thomas/

 

[wjs3]

We did the Pirate Ship (Coolboats USVI) excursion to Turtle Cove and then honeymoon beach. Wouldn't do it again--repeating some comments above and some new ones...

1) We had a mechanical problem on the way over and in spite of what was nearly a utiny, the crew pressed on. We all made it safely, but it was a pretty non-conservative call (engine exhaust hose broke. Replaced with snorkel) that I didn't agree with.
2) Turle cove was nice, but if you do a lot of other snorkeling, not really THAT impressive. If you don't snorkel often, it's quite nice. If you're someone who has snorkeled in other parts of the Caribbean, etc, it's not bad--average, I'd say--but not really "wow"! in my book anyway. Can't speak for additional shipwreck spots, etc. as that was our only stop.
3) Per earlier notes Turtle cove is crowded--there were at least three large excursions there when we arrived and multiple charter boats too. In and of itself that's not so bad, but you can find yourself climbing over others to get in the water, and there will be a lot of people going at different speeds in your group. Some fast, some SLOWWWW.
4) Agreed. Rum drinks were watered down. All ice, lol!

All in all, if I had to do it again, I would do some kind of a private charter. I'd prefer (hopefully) more safety, (perhaps) more stops in the same time and (definitely) not having to climb over other people/wait for beginners or people who were slower/weaker snorkelers as I tried to enjoy the trip.

Kinda harsh, I know, but these things are expensive and so I get kind of picky...

Hope this helps!

 

[melwill530]

Thank you skylynx! That was a very helpful review! Anybody else have info on snorkeling in St Thomas? All input appreciated. We will be 3 adults, 2 in our early 50s and one mid 70s.

You can pick a cab up and go to Coki beach. Coral World is right beside Coki and there is some great snorkeling around toward Coral World from the beach. Also you can rent chairs and there are drink vendors that will bring your drinks to you. Much less expensive and you get to see a lot of locals. There are changing rooms and showers there at the beach. They are not very upscale but fine to change your clothes. We really enjoy Coki.