usvi-on-line
SNORKELING
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tincansailor
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:42 pm
- Location: Leesburg, VA
SNORKELING
We're down to 4 days and a wake-up before we leave for STT. And snow is forecast for Friday/Saturday here! Figures....
My wife will probably not join me in snorkeling and I am not the strongest of swimmers.
Any recommendations on places that are relatively safe on both STT and STJ would be appreciated.
My wife will probably not join me in snorkeling and I am not the strongest of swimmers.
Any recommendations on places that are relatively safe on both STT and STJ would be appreciated.
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toes in the sand
- Posts: 994
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 2:21 pm
Water and wind conditions are always a big factor with safety. For a solo snorkel on StJ I would suggest:
Trunk- lifeguards on duty, populated.
Hawksnest-close to shore and within view of anyone on the beach, populated, but can be shallow and surf conditions can drive you onto coral when present,
Little Lamshur-calm water, rocks in center are within view of beach but a bit far out, isolated.
Trunk- lifeguards on duty, populated.
Hawksnest-close to shore and within view of anyone on the beach, populated, but can be shallow and surf conditions can drive you onto coral when present,
Little Lamshur-calm water, rocks in center are within view of beach but a bit far out, isolated.
"got a drink in my hand and my toes in the sand"
I highly recommend that you wear a swim vest, especially if you are going out alone. Lots of people wear them and it could literally be a lifesaver for you.
On St. John, I recommend the following for a beginning snorkeler:
Hawksnest Beach: the reef is literally right off of the shore. You won't need to go out more than 20 feet to see some of the coral and schools of fish. Take caution to stay on the outside edges of the elkhorn coral. Do not swim over the reef....it gets very shallow and you could end up getting scraped or damaging the coral. There's plenty to see on the edges.
Caneel Bay's public beach. Follow the right side of the beach out as far as you feel comfortable. The water will remain quite shallow if you stay near the rocks. Take your time and look in the various crevasses to see what you can find. I have found octopus, moray eels, peacock flounder, and crabs all within 30 feet of the beach here.
Maho Beach. Very shallow, no current to speak of. Try the rocks on both sides of the beach, and check out the center of the bay also, where you might spot a turtle or two.
Have fun (and don't forget the swim vest!).
On St. John, I recommend the following for a beginning snorkeler:
Hawksnest Beach: the reef is literally right off of the shore. You won't need to go out more than 20 feet to see some of the coral and schools of fish. Take caution to stay on the outside edges of the elkhorn coral. Do not swim over the reef....it gets very shallow and you could end up getting scraped or damaging the coral. There's plenty to see on the edges.
Caneel Bay's public beach. Follow the right side of the beach out as far as you feel comfortable. The water will remain quite shallow if you stay near the rocks. Take your time and look in the various crevasses to see what you can find. I have found octopus, moray eels, peacock flounder, and crabs all within 30 feet of the beach here.
Maho Beach. Very shallow, no current to speak of. Try the rocks on both sides of the beach, and check out the center of the bay also, where you might spot a turtle or two.
Have fun (and don't forget the swim vest!).
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
personal flotation device
I second the recommendation for a personal flotation device....we used the belts, which we rented at Cruz Bay Water Sports for $5.00 per day. They were very comfortable and made our snorkling much more relaxing and enjoyable. This allowed us to do some more adventuresome and remote snorkels with no worries.
Vie's beach & Salt Bay Pond are other "easy" snorkles that I would recommend in addition to the others mentioned.
Vie's beach & Salt Bay Pond are other "easy" snorkles that I would recommend in addition to the others mentioned.
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BuffaloGal
- Posts: 307
- Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:48 pm
- Location: Buffalo, NY
I second the recommendations of Hawksnest and Caneel. You can also have an extremely nice snorkel from Honeymoon or Salomon beach around the reef between the two. Little Lameshur is nice (look for squid) and Trunk is always a good bet. If waters are calm Francis Bay can be a good spot as well. Lots of options, but stay safe!