USVI-On-Line

We have read several nice trip reports about how neat it is to snorkel in the mangroves. We wanted to rent a dinghy from Crabby's but he said he only rents kayaks now. Not sure I can kayak all the way to/from Hurricane Hole. Has anyone done that? If its really windy across the bay, you could be paddling for a loooonnnnnnggg time.

I thought I read about someone snorkeling the mangroves at South Haulover. I seem to recall its a challenge getting in because you have to walk across the roots and through the mangroves to get into the water there. Any hints on how to navigate this successfully?

On my trip with Long Distance last year, they stopped in the afternoon in Princess Bay and we snorkeled around some mangroves. Not sure if this is a regular stop on their trips, but you might want to ask if you are going with them.

There is a section in Off the Beaten Track that specifies where to snorkel the mangroves with shore access. I have done that as well. Its definitely a different experience from any other snorkels on island. Entry wasn't that tricky, but bottom is mucky and you do not want to wear your fins!

Hi. Depending on the the time of year and weather (of course), you can paddle across Coral Bay no problem and end up in Hurricane Hole in no time. We brought the tandem to HH on my truck. It saved us maybe 20 minutes of paddling. We did see a couple who set off from Crabby's. They have dry bags, etc. You can pull up to a secluded beach and enjoy a picnic and snorkel the mangroves. I would highly recommend it and plan on doing it again this summer.

Enjoy!
Seagrape

Hi B&J- I mis-spoke in previous reply. Long Distance stopped in Hurricane Hole when I was with them. I think Princess Bay is the name of the mangrove snorkel listed in the OTBT Book. Sorry...

Both are an interesting perspective on the mangrove habitat.

We have snorkeled Princess Bay (rented the Dinghy at Crabbys a few years back) I believe it was the first bay we came to out of Coral heading to the left.

Anyway, mangrove snorkeling is interesting cause the mangroves are like little nurseries for the sea life (baby fish, baby sharks, baby everything).

It's altogether a different kind of snorkel and Princess was best accessed IMHO by the water. There are even moorings to hook up to.

I imagine you could Kayak there without too much difficulty.

Keep in mind that certain times of the year it can be a bit stinky and you might want to bring a flashlight even in the daytime so you can see into the nooks and crannis of the mangroves.

As Sun4MySoul said, no need for fins. The bottom is easily stirred up, which makes the water murky.

Here are some Princess Bay photos:

GREAT shots Pickle!

Did you lighten these or did you just have great sun that day?

We found it was MUCH darker and hard to see everything...

Great pictures, Pickle!

We like the snorkeling at Princess Bay. We don't so it every time, but it can be fun for a change of pace. We make sure to go on sunny days so that the visibility is good. I know I've shown this before, but it is my favorite picture from Princess. A starfish eating a sea cucumber. Yum!

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/738427881/" title="Princess Bay starfish and sea cucumber by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1185/738 ... 18f87c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Princess Bay starfish and sea cucumber"></a>

I like this one too:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/738323905/" title="baby mangrove fish by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1282/738 ... 0fdab4.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="baby mangrove fish"></a>


Shore entry is easy and you can see the opening from the road. We wear water shoes to combact the mucky bottom. Fins would definitely be a mistake. It's not deep enough.

Here's what it says in OTBT:
" Sttarting from the intersection of Centerline Road (Routes 10) and Salt Pond Road (Route 107), near the Coral Bay Moravian Church, proceed east 1.8 miles on th East End Road (Route 10) to the mangrove-lined Princess Bay. The bay is close to the road. Enter the water at any convenient spot and once in the water head east (left), where the mangrove roots grow in water deep enough to comfortably accoomodate snorkeling."
The book also says there's a small grove on th Northeastern side of Haulover.
Hope that helps!

I enjoyed Princess Bay back in '07.As you can see here I am about to steal a seastar to take home with me. O.K......I'm kidding! I brought The creature up from the water for a very quick photo and back in he/she went. This was a fun snorkel.Parafins

Thanks for all the great info and pics too! I realize now I could have looked it up in my book. Didn't think of that
Definitely going to try it for something different. It must be Princess Bay I was thinking of that is right along the road in East End. We've seen people going thru the mangroves to get to the water.
Noted: don't wear fins; wear water shoes so I don't touch icky bottom; don't kick much or it will stir up sediment; take dive lights; go on a sunny day.
Can't wait to get to STJ in two weeks!

Gromit wrote:GREAT shots Pickle!

Did you lighten these or did you just have great sun that day?

We found it was MUCH darker and hard to see everything...

Some of those photos are lightened up a little but not much. They were taken on a very bright day in well-lit spots at Princess. Like liamsaunt, we pick sunny days to snorkel there – usually after our morning snorkel, around noon or early afternoon. But even on the brightest days, it's still rather hard to see deeper inside among the roots, and what you see could look as eerie as these in some (or many) spots.





By the way, it's good to see you, parafins .

Why thank you Pickel! Parafins.........