USVI-On-Line

I was reading Gerald Singer's blog today, and he was talking about how good the snorkeling is around the rocks at the mouth of Salt Pond Bay. I don't think I have been out around those rocks since 2003.

Looking at the google maps picture he posted, I started wondering if it might be possible to hike over to Blue Cobblestone in water shoes (which I have done before with no problems), then snorkel around the cliff edge and over to the rocks at the mouth, then back over to the side of the bay and in to the beach at Salt Pond. Has anyone tried this? I am curious about currents.

Here's a link to the picture he posted:

http://seestjohn.com/st_john_life/st-jo ... ps_700.jpg

Nice topic. Sorry I don't have an answer but your question spurred a question regarding blue cobblestone beach. We stayed at a privately owned little cottage on Kiddle Bay this past winter where I snorekeled several times. I noticed all the little rounded pebbles were bluish/ greenish/ grayish. I did a small amount of sea glass there while snorkeling. Is Kiddle Bay also known as blue cobblestone beach or are they different? In advance, thanks a lot!

lv2fish, they are different beaches. If you open the picture I linked to, Kiddle Bay is the furthest beach to the left, and Blue Cobblestone is the furthest to the right, with Salt Pond in the center. Kiddle and Blue Cobblestone do have the same types of stones making up their beaches.

liamsaunt, this still doesn't answer your question, but it reminds me that I've been meaning to ask you one about Blue Cobblestone Beach. Where we've always entered the water is probably down at the bottom of that picture - right in front of a stand of trees where we hang our stuff. I believe you've referenced entering the water "from the right", which would be at the north end of the beach, just around the corner from the point in the picture. Is that where you put in to snorkel there?

We go in from the furthest right as you are looking at the water. I don't know if that is north or south--I am horrible with directions/map reading. Then we swim around the rocks, usually continuing until we can see sand at Salt Pond. I am wondering if it is safe to just keep going. On the one hand it is against the current to return to Blue Cobblestone, but on the other it looks like there are some quite deep spots between the Blue Cobblestone cliff and the Salt Pond rocks, and I also wonder about the currents at the mouth of the bay.

On our sailing trip in April, we moored in Salt Pond Bay to snorkel.

We planned to snorkel the full oval in your picture, but only made it around the rocks closest to the beach. The current wasn't too bad, but it was rougher out by the further rocks.

I will say that it was a great snorkel.

Not sure if that helps or not.

I'm pretty sure anything is doable for you! You're....dah dah dah dah dun dahhhhh....Liamsaunt! (Be sure to take your camera with you!)

I plan on snorkeling from Blue Cobblestone around the point, down the shoreline then exit & walk back to Blue Cobblestone. Zoomed in on Google Earth & it looks great. Thought we'd leave our sandals at an exit point then drive back to Blue & do it. Is this a good idea? Will the current be with us?
Tim

it is totally doable--it is a relatively long swim though! and if it is rough then maybe not such a good idea.(check the current!)...maybe bring a noodle? go out a bit and then come back in towards shore so you could exit if you needed?

it can get really choppy out there and a spooky. but if you are good with long snorkels i think you'd be fine--i bet pickle has done this. wonder what she has to say.

this is not a problem, enter at blue cobblestone, snorkel around the edge back to salt pond, its easy. We've snorkeled around the edge from both directions, have never had bad currents but we only vacation nthere, don't live there.

The only issue is you have to walk back to get your stuff. I'd leave my stuff at Salt Pond and just hike to Blue Cobblestone with my flip flops, then tie them to my waste or something for the swim back.

By the way, we snorkeled Blue Cobblestone this past April, and it's always been a favorite of ours but we were disappointed this time, the reef didn't look healthy and not as many fish as in past years. Another good spot to hit is the reef(s) in the middle of the bay.

have fun!

This is one of our favorite snorkels! We always do it right from the beach -- there seems to be a shallowish "path" from the shore out to the rocks, so you don't feel like you're just swimming through all this deep water to get out there. They look FAR from the shore, and the shore seems far once you're out there, but from your snorkeling history, I'd say that it would be totally fine for you guys.

Love the underwater terrain out there; we always see something interesting. We usually do a "figure 8" to loop around the two main sets of rocks.

I imagine it's doable by hugging the shoreline all the way to the mouth of Salt Pond and then swimming over to the rocks. We've never done it that way since we always have to swim back to Blue Cobblestone for our belongings. It's easier for us to do it from Salt Pond.

Not sure about the general conditions of the water around the outer rocks. Whenever we were out there past the inner rocks, it got quite choppy so we didn't stick around for long. I suppose it depends on the day.

Surfnh, sorry to hear about Blue Cobblestone - it's been one of my favorites. I didn't get to snorkel there this past May/June due to the rather rough water.

Good topic...I just pray that I'm not 110% insane for planning to take the 8 year old out there in 2 weeks. She's a trooper so I think we'll be OK. The hardest part of the day may be waking up early to get staretd

We have snorkeled the rocks in the center of Salt Pond the last 2 years w/ very different results.

The first year was wonderful! Good, if not GREAT sea life, perfect water conditions and quite a delightful snorkel.

Last Dec we went out the right side from Salt Pond to probably about 3 o'clock position on the singer map, then crossed over to get to the rocks in the center. We knew the water gets deep on the way over, but this particular day it was really sloppy and we got disoriented finding the rocks due to current pulling us out toward the sea. We got pulled past the rocks as we tried to keep on the inside side of them. I got tired and a little freaked out. It was NOT a fun snorkel. We didn't attempt to return the same way and returned on the left side along the rocks over there.

You are an experienced snorkeler and I think what you want to do is very doable BUT you need to evaluate the water conditions better than we did. We have a healthy respect for the seas and We thot we had understood the conditions better than we actually had , but were deceived.