Snorkeling Question

misterpei · Post by **misterpei** » Sun Feb 10, 2013 2:18 pm

We are visiting St John for 1st time, March 24-31st and are very excited as we love
to snorkel and from what we have read both on these type of sites and a couple of books we purchased , St John seems like a great destination for us. Last year we stayed at Turks and Caicos and 2011, Cayman Islands , so we know that people said St John may even be better than these , so that would be unreal.
The question here is that there seems to be many beaches, are there some must do?...as we only have really 6 full days here.....it seems Trunk Bay, Hawksnest, Maho etc ....kids love to see turtles, so Maho seems to be mentioned often for this. Also, is there a need to take a boat and see other places for snorkeling?.....like what would you see different as it appears there may be lots to see right off shore for our 1st visit

Laura T · Post by **Laura T** » Sun Feb 10, 2013 2:42 pm

From my perspective, you can't go wrong with just about any beach in St. John.

The beaches you mentioned are all great and are in relatively close proximity to each other. We never had great luck seeing a lot of interesting sea life at Trunk Bay; however, the beach and water are spectacular and we never miss it (we usually go at 7:00 am and swim for an hour before the crowds arrive...then we head someplace else to snorkel).

I would recommend that you head to the other side of the island and go to Salt Pond as well. We always saw interesting things snorkeling over there (plus some fun hiking trails). We also saw lobsters out at Lameshur (never saw those at other spots). Another personal favorite of ours is Waterlemon (a bit of a hike to get to).

I would think there is enough on St. John to fill up 6 days of snorkeling without venturing out by boat, but certainly that is fun, too. Some of the beaches/bays are quite large and you can go fairly far out and see a lot.

I have not been to Cayman or T&C, so I can't say how St. John compares to them, but we have never been disapointed in the snorkeling at St. John.

loria · Post by **loria** » Sun Feb 10, 2013 3:10 pm

have you looked at gerald singer's book or pam gaffin's book? both have a good overview of snorkel spots among other things-- Gerald singer also has a good website/blog (seestjohn.com) -- that you might want to check out.
we'll be on island around the same time-- maybe we'll run into you.

mrscherry2000 · Post by **mrscherry2000** » Sun Feb 10, 2013 3:29 pm

You won't want to miss Waterlemon for snorkeling.

sherban · Post by **sherban** » Sun Feb 10, 2013 4:01 pm

misterpei- Welcome to the forum!

Is your party adults only or will you also have kids along? Which books have you read?

Waterlemon was my favorite, but it may not be best for youg kids or beginners because of possible sea currents....

I also liked snokeling around the little cay off of Cinnamon beach.

misterpei · Post by **misterpei** » Sun Feb 10, 2013 4:41 pm

thanks everyone for comments and tips, much appreciated....

Family of five, daughters 24. 21 and son 11.......the books we just bought
are St John-Off the beaten Tack and St John- Feet, Fins and Four-Wheel drive.....
I think both of the books Loria recommended......

Sure looks good today as we have been dumped with over a foot of white snow!!
Have not left house since Friday night, as live in country and no plows because of
blowing and drifting snow.....We love BBQ food as well and it looks like there is a couple of decent ones .....what about vegetarian options.....oldest daughter is one

islandjo2010 · Post by **islandjo2010** » Sun Feb 10, 2013 5:12 pm

Welcome misterpei to the forum!

My husband and I caught the snorkeling bug when we visited Provo, T&C for our 25th Anniversary and snorkeled for the 1st time! Fell completely in LOVE with it and knew we had to expose the kids to snorkeling too! Snorkeling was good off the beaches on Provo but the island itself was not at all what I had expected it to be and I felt not really where I wanted to take the kids unless we stayed at the Beaches Resort. So my search was on for a family vacation location!

Everything I read pointed me to St. John...we went in 2010 and all I can tell you is...the snorkeling on STJ is FANTASTIC! This summer will be our 3rd trip with the kids (ages 15 and 13). We love it so much that we stay for 18 days and really that's not long enough!

As others have recommended...Waterlemon is a MUST for us! We have read the snorkel around Waterlemon Cay could be a bit rough so use caution but we have never had a problem...thank God. We have seen octopus 3 out of 5 snorkels there! And last summer we were very fortunate to be there 1 day when the starfish were migrating...there were hundreds of dinner plate size starfish in knee deep water! We also enjoy snorkeling the reef between Saloman and Honeymoon. And a favorite day of ours is to go to Hansen Bay...there is a small per person fee...well worth it in our opinion to not have to pack the beach chairs or pack a lunch...call to make sure Vie's Snack Shack is open and when you get there place your order and she will have it ready and waiting for you when you want it!

If you decide to spend a day out at sea, Congo has some amazing reefs and is in US waters. The Indians are another favorite of ours, but a passport and a trip to customs is required to visit there because it is in BVI waters.

Your family is going to have a wonderful time! Just be prepared...there are so many beaches to snorkel off shore, you won't get to them all this 1st trip...so start planning a 2nd one!

All the best and have fun planning!

Jo

mindehankins · Post by **mindehankins** » Sun Feb 10, 2013 6:50 pm

We like Salomon around the point to Honeymoon alot, Maho in the middle over the seagrass for turtles, then the right and left side of the bay at Maho for coral and fish, the right side of Francis, the right side of Miss Vie's, and Salt Pond.
I have yet to do the Leinster drift, but plan to next visit.
Watch for current as you go out along the right side of Maho and Francis - look for sea fans bent over telling you there's a current. It's easy to get all the way out to the end and then have a struggle to make it back. There are a couple of sandy spots at Francis along the side, where you can get out and rest.
I have to remind newbies that Waterlemon can be dangerous - you must use caution and consider floatation devices. There was a snorkeling death there less than a month ago: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... 3&p=271680
Brown Bay is also a nice hike and a good snorkel to the left, and there are some more deep water snorkels at places like Pelican Rock over by Miss Vie's beach.
You're going to have the time of your lives!

luvinsun · Post by **luvinsun** » Sun Feb 10, 2013 8:33 pm

Welcome to the forum misterpei... You will learn a lot from this forum!

We hadn't been back to Trunk in at least 6 years, and last trip we decided we would do just that. We had a very nice snorkel on the left of Trunk (no one really goes over there, they usually stick to the snorkel trail), but I really liked it. There's some deep spots, and I saw some big fish... Around the one point on the snorkel trail, i saw the biggest barracude I've ever seen! That was pretty cool to see... As mentioned above, the middle of Maho in the seagrass is 100% guaranteed for turtles, and the right side of Maho is really good. I have seen nurse sharks there, lots of squid, and very colorful fish there the last time we snorkeled there.

Enjoy yourselves... you will have a great time!!!

strat62 · Post by **strat62** » Sun Feb 10, 2013 8:53 pm

we went to cayman in 2010 and had a great time but as far as snorkeling goes, st john is infinitely better. all the beaches have something offer and you can't really go wrong with any of them. the st john feet & fins book has a lot of good info......

hoosierdaddy · Post by **hoosierdaddy** » Sun Feb 10, 2013 9:24 pm

I agree with the others. I have been to Grand Cayman a couple of times and St. John is so much better I don't think you can even compair the two. We have by no means been to all of the beaches, but our favorites snorkeling spots are Waterlemon and between Honeymoon and Soloman. Trunk is fine especialy if you go off the snorkel trail. In my opinion it is worth the trip to say you have been to one of the top ten beaches in the world. If you do decide to go, check the cruise ship schedule and try to go when there are less ships and we try to go in the afternoon and stay for sunset.

Have fun.

dreamshark · Post by **dreamshark** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 12:08 am

There are 30-some snorkeling beaches on St. John. Some of them have sandy, gently sloping beaches and nearby parking. Others have difficult rocky entries with scary spiny urchins peeking out of the rocks. Some of them can only be reached by hiking. They all have shallow reefs teeming with sea life, so why not start with the easy ones?

Trunk, Cinnamon or Maho are great beaches to start out with. Trunk and Cinnamon are the only beaches that have facilities (bathrooms, changing rooms, snack bar). Trunk Bay is a big, beautiful beach and worth a stop, but if you want to see healthy coral and big fish avoid the sad little "snorkel trail" and head around to the right side of the cay. Cinnamon Bay is the national campground. It's a jolly place with lots of activity, a snack bar, kayak rentals, etc. Maho Bay is my favorite "beginner beach" (and it turns out that every time my husband and I go back to St. John we start out as beginners all over again). For a sandy north-shore beach that's a little off the beaten track, try Francis. The little reef off to the left side is always swarming with interesting fish and it's about 6 flipper kicks from the beach.

Some of the beaches that other posters have recommended enthusiastically require hiking to get to the beach or strong swimming skills to get to the best snorkeling spots. I certainly would not start with Waterlemon, which requires both. Same with Salt Pond, to a lesser extent. Saloman and Honeymoon require either hiking or paying for parking at Caneel Bay. Hansen Bay is a long drive out to the East End. Feel free to try any of these if you feel adventurous, but I wouldn't start there.

There is absolutely no need to use a boat to get to great snorkeling on St. John. In 6 days you won't even scratch the surface of snorkeling opportunities.

misterpei · Post by **misterpei** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 8:21 pm

Thanks so much for all the replies and tips! Now the countdown to March 24th is on.

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