USVI-On-Line

Woke up to another beautiful morning in St. John- no need to travel to St. Thomas today so we intend to enjoy the island. 3 of the 4 college kids are still asleep. The 4th is up and ready for adventure. She is my island girl- never wants to waste a minute of the sunshine. We try to roust the others but soon give up. Today we are heading to Brown Bay. I hesitate to even tell you about this trip as you will then want to go and next thing you know this snorkel spot will be spoiled! But, unless you are interested in snorkelling, there is no reason to head here. There really isn't much of a beach. It is quite a hike. And the sounds from the shooting range can be a bit unsettling. Have I discouraged you yet? But if you love to snorkel- head this way. You will know you are almost there when you see the trail lined with conch shells. There was one young couple hiking the trail just ahead of us and as we left a group of 3 senior citizens showed up. Other than them- we had the spot to our selves. It is a bit wavy here and maybe a bit more difficult to snorkel than other beaches. You enter into a grassy field full of conch shells and if you head to the left you will soon find one of the healthiest coral reefs I've seen. We spotted several large rays, two turtles and the usual array of beautiful fish. Time to head back to see what the rest of the crew is doing.

Back at the villa we find two of the 3 happily splashing in the pool while the 3rd has a nose in a book. I always love to see how the love of reading has been instilled in my children. Each of us read at least 2 novels while on the trip and loved discussing and trading the books with each other. We had our own little Oprah Book CLub!

Time for lunch and more trips to the beach. The whole crew decided to head to honeymoon/solomon. This is still one of my favorite spots on the island. The beach is so beautiful and the water warm and soothing. The snorkelling is always nice and easy. Spent most of the afternoon there and then headed back to the villa for dinner, drinks, and some games of backgammon. The kids headed into town to find some "action"- I think they were a bit disappointed! I think we were all a bit tired and had our fill of the sunshine and hiking so off to bed early.

Tomorrow- waterlemon, another trip to St. Thomas and finally figuring out the taxi system.

Definitely doing Brown Bay next trip! I haven't been there yet. Is the hike to the beach relatively flat?

Well Polly, it sounds like I've been missing a great snorkel! We'll have to try that the next time we're on St John.

Last time we stayed in a villa above Hart Bay and decided to try a snorkel there. It's hard to enter since there are many urchins, but once you're in it's really worth it.

Sarah

One of the great things about St.John is that there are many snorkel spots.Our visits there in 1994,96,2000,and this last June proves that you can't see them all in a few visits!This last June is the first time I snorkeled Francis Bay.It now is my favorite beach!Have you ever tried a night snorkel?It's great!! Dan.

We want to try a night snorkel while we're here and stopped in at Hurricane Alley to try to book with a woman I spoke to last year, but she doesn't book through them anymore. Any suggestions on who would be a good guide for something like that? Thanks for your help

Splasher54 wrote:We want to try a night snorkel while we're here and stopped in at Hurricane Alley to try to book with a woman I spoke to last year, but she doesn't book through them anymore. Any suggestions on who would be a good guide for something like that? Thanks for your help

You can book a night snorkel through Maho Bay campground, I think.

I did a night snorkel at Hawksnest while a friend held a flashlight on the beach.This came in very handy because it was dark and I couldn't figure out where the beach was.I also had a nice underwater flashlight.It really is fun and a little scary for those of us that remember the Jaws movie!So you wouldn't need a guide if you had a spotter and a waterproof flashlight.Dan..

Thanks Dan, I think we'll try that.