USVI-On-Line

We’re making our first trip to STJ in 2 days and we are planning to do a lot of snorkeling. We are advanced snorkelers and have done some diving in the past and we have studied multiple posts and books regarding the best snorkel spots on the island.

One common theme is that appropriate snorkel spots will depend on the weather and which direction any wind is blowing. I’d prefer not to drive and hike to a particular spot only to find that waves make snorkeling poor to impossible.

Is there a reliable website I can use daily to check wind/water information to facilitate beach and snorkel choices?

Give "Crabby Doug" owner of Crabby's Watersports a call. He rents kayaks & snorkel gear, he is very knowledgeable about these things, ask him if there's a way to get a daily update on snorkel conditions.

Crabby's Watersports: 340.714.2415.
In Coral Bay, on Rte 107 directly on the waterfront next to Lily's Market.

RickG has posted a site with some kind of markers/bouys... I'll go look for it.

Try these:
http://www.windfinder.com/forecasts/win ... an_akt.htm

http://www.windfinder.com/forecast/st_thomas

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.ph ... 001&zflg=1

This is the buoy site that RickG posts. I don't know how to use it, though:
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

Cheryl: the view is awesome. I can just barely contain myself over the thought that in just a few short days, my family and I will be enjoying a cold one at "The Tourist Trap" enjoying the fabulous views, friendly folks, and evidently, even the Blue Moon on NYE. WooHoo!!

Thanks for these tips. Will come in handy when having that morning cup of coffee and planning the day's beach activities.

This is what Exit Zero said to a similar question last February.


Exit Zero
Location: virgin islands
PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:20 pm

"The first visual indicator is the level of white water on Johnsons Reef - but even that can be deceptive depending on the direction - often Francis and Maho don't get too stirred up - Giboney,Hawksnest ,Scott and Honeymoon are less susceptible as you move west and Solomon can be fine when Trunk,Cinnamon,Jumbie etc are raging.
The time saving aspect -- are you on island time here or what?? -- use www.ndbc.noaa.gov and enter buoy 41043 - get the swell graph and wave graph -- if it above 6'-7' and going up - the swell is on the way or there already. Today I was all over the N. side of STJ - swell reading at 41043 was 6.2 - waves6.6 and steady -- great snorkeling at Mary Pt. , Giboney, and Scott by my personal WET observation.
I am quite sure Francis and Maho would have been clear - likely Little Cinanamon, Peter,Trunk, Jumbie,Hawksnest were cloudy but swimmable."

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=41043

example of wave graph:
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/show_plot.php? ... _label=AST

example of swell graph:
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/show_plot.php? ... _label=AST

We're pretty unscientific about things when we're vacationing in the tropics. There's nowhere that I have to be by any particular time for a week or more and nothing that I have to do, so I don't bother planning very much. We just kind of let the island pull us around. We'll have a very general plan when we're starting out for the day, then either stick with it or completely change it on a whim. We decide which beach we'll hit first. When we get there, if there's some reason we don't want to stay (weather, surf, people, whatever), we'll move on to another beach. The island is small. Another beach is always close by. If there's weather on the north shore, we'll head to Salt Pond or Lameshur. That's about as systematic as we get.

We've spent enough time in the tropics that we shift over to Island Time fairly smoothly and quickly . Every trip we do less and take longer to do it. I think we miss less that way. When we're in the islands, the only time that I consider wasted is the time I spend sleeping. This does not include napping, which I think is important.