Snorkeling Trunk Bay or Coki Beach?

One of our ports of call is St. Thomas, we want to snorkel. We are considering going to St John to snorkel on Trunk Bay or should we stay on St. Thomas and go to Coki Beach, which has the best snorkeling?

You didn't mention which cruise line you were traveling on, but it doesn't matter much. We have been into St. Thomas twice, once on HAL, and the other on Carnival. They dock in different areas. On HAL we got off the ship and walked over to a ferry that took us to St. John. It was a very nice ride over, with a tour guide pointing out things of interest, and got a good look at one side of St Thomas. The trip from the ferry terminal to Trunk bay in St. John allowed us to see some of the sights on that island. The beach at Trunk bay is beautiful, long, and uncrowded. They had shower, and dressing areas for after water activities. Snorkeling the underwater trail was a hoot. All in all we loved the trip to Trunk Bay. :D We saw Coki Beach on our last trip with Carnival. We were not impressed with the beach, or the area. It was small and in a congested area, and seemed like you payed extra for everything. However, we did not snorkel there, so I cannot comment on that portion.

Everyone told us to go to Trunk bay, because of the "awesome snorkeling trail". We did, and it proved to be a miserable experience. The cost of getting there was high (two cabs and a ferry... each way!) and the snorkeling was sub-par at best. "They" say we were just there on a crowded day and the tourists already scared all the big fish away. I assume those touristy conditions exist whenever ships are in port... so we'll never go back.

Coki or Sapphire are your best bets... and they're both located a short walk from the local "Safari" bus routes. :cool:

Wow! Now I really don't know which one to choose from, two very different opinions, that's for sure...

Yes, to very different opinions of the same place. I can only guess that Armedaneian chose to arrange his own way over to Trunk Bay by his comments about two taxis, etc. I went with a small shore excursion group, and it was all provided. My best advice at this point is to Google both places, and make up your own mind which place. ;)

One of our ports of call is St. Thomas, we want to snorkel. We are considering going to St John to snorkel on Trunk Bay or should we stay on St. Thomas and go to Coki Beach, which has the best snorkeling?

Snorkeling is similar at both. The beach at Trunk Bay is more scenic, but the trip to Trunk Bay is a minimum of 90 minutes each way, and includes multiple cab and ferry rides. The trip to Coki is a single cab ride and youa re not dependent on ferry schedules.

If I just want to snorkel I always go to Coki that way I have time to do other things afterwards.

BTW the snorkeling is not so hot at either place, the bottom is too sandy, and there are not enough rocks along the edges.

We won't be doing this on our own, both would be excursions, St. John includes all-inclusive tour & snorkel (cruise excursion), the other on St. Thomas would be through Godfrey tours (including 2 hours @ Coki) We like to snorkel so want to choose which beach has the best snorkeling.

I have snorkeled at both locations. I had high expectations for Trunk Bay and must admit that it was disappointing, the reef is not in great shape, however the beach and surrounding area is very pretty. There was a decent amount of fish and good variety, but I was expecting much more.

Coki Beach on the other hand, I was surprised at how good it actually was. There are a few things about it though, most people just snorkel out 20 or 30 feet where it's sandy and feed the fish where huge schools of sergeant majors congregate and miss all the good stuff. If you swim further out along both the right side of the bay and the left the coral gets much healthier and you see a lot more variety of fish. The right side is easier to access and has some good stuff, but you are limited as to how far out you can go because the Aquarium has set up buoys you aren't supposed to swim beyond. The left side of the bay from the beach all the way up to mouth is incredible, lots of big healthy Elkhorn Coral and even areas of some healthy Staghorn Coral which I find is rare to these days in the Caribbean. The left side can be a bit tricky though as waves and currents can push you up against large boulders and Eklhorn Coral Formations. I recommend that you be a good swimmer if decide to tackle it, it's worth it though. The Beach area at Coki is not near as nice as Trunk Bay and will most likely be very crowded.

So my recommendation is Coki Beach, even though it is nowhere near as nice of an area as Trunk Bay, the snorkeling is far better if you are willing to swim out along the sides where most people don't venture.

I have snorkeled at both locations.

 

Coki Beach on the other hand, I was surprised at how good it actually was. There are a few things about it though, most people just snorkel out 20 or 30 feet where it's sandy and feed the fish where huge schools of sergeant majors congregate and miss all the good stuff. If you swim further out along both the right side of the bay and the left the coral gets much healthier and you see a lot more variety of fish. The right side is easier to access and has some good stuff, but you are limited as to how far out you can go because the Aquarium has set up buoys you aren't supposed to swim beyond. The left side of the bay from the beach all the way up to mouth is incredible, lots of big healthy Elkhorn Coral and even areas of some healthy Staghorn Coral which I find is rare to these days in the Caribbean. The left side can be a bit tricky though as waves and currents can push you up against large boulders and Eklhorn Coral Formations. I recommend that you be a good swimmer if decide to tackle it, it's worth it though. The Beach area at Coki is not near as nice as Trunk Bay and will most likely be very crowded.

 

When you refer to the right and left side of the beach, I just wan to clarify - the right side of the beach is adjacent to Coral World - is that correct?

Just want to clarify! Thanks!

That is correct Coral World is on the right side. Most people will likely be snorkeling along the right side.

We won't be doing this on our own, both would be excursions, St. John includes all-inclusive tour & snorkel (cruise excursion), the other on St. Thomas would be through Godfrey tours (including 2 hours @ Coki) We like to snorkel so want to choose which beach has the best snorkeling.

BUT I believe we were the only ship in port that day . Coki has a reputation for being

crazy crowded when there are lots of ships in port . This time visiting on the Regal ,

the port was packed with more then 20 000 cruise visitors . We went to Sapphire instead .

It was not crowded and the scenery was great . The snorkeling was not as good but still fine.

We made the right choice.

Back from our cruise....wanted to touch base on our snorkel to Trunk Bay. It was just okay, the beach and water was beautiful but not many fish the coral was okay. Next time we will head to Coki to compare.

I do totally agree about Coki vs Trunk Bay. I'm an avid snorkeler. I usually go to Coki on my own, but this past January I went to Trunk Bay. I found Coki to be much better in terms of both fish and coral, especially on the left side. But as previously pointed out, you need to be a strong swimmer because that side can have stronger currents and higher waves. I have some spectacular coral photos hanging on my wall from the left side of Coki. BTW, if you rent a lounger they will give you dog biscuits to feed the fish. I found that they also enjoy cereal, so I simply take some with me from the ship. And even as a single female traveling by myself, I've never felt uncomfortable at Coki. The new restrooms are wonderful, there are plenty of options for food and drink and I've never waited more than 10 minutes on a taxi to get back to the ship. The only downside is that Princess docks at Crown Bay so the taxi ride is pricier than those docked at Havensight. Hope this helps.

I have never been to Trunk Bay, so I can not comment on it.

I have been to Coki and the snorkeling there was amazing. I seen things there that I had never seen before and the purple coral just blew me away. I have a full review of our day there with tons of snorkeling pictures listed in my signature line if you are interested. :)

I've been to trunk bay when I spent a week on St John, I would say that it's a very beautiful place to visit but I would never go there if a cruise ship was in port on St Thomas. If you could bump down to different beach on St John while you're there I think you'd have a better experience.

I have snorkeled at both beaches and while Trunk Bay is in a lovely setting and is rather a fun adventure to get to, it is a white coral sand beach which get stirred up went the wind blows....such as it did on the day we were there and you couldn't much at all. I probably have snorkeled at Coki 8 times including 3 times this January and I have always been rewarded with some of the best snorkelling I have enjoyed. It also has white coral sand when you enter, however once into the water move to the right around the rocks toward Coral World. A word to the wise, the beach can get busy so be early off the ship and grab a cab as quickly as you can, the cab fare is about $11 to $12 p/p each way. Enjoy!

It would be nice if people who say they love snorkeling would stop recommending dog biscuits and cereal for feeding fish. Fish feeding destroys reefs and promotes aggressive species. Just Stop Feeding Fish!

It would be nice if people who say they love snorkeling would stop recommending dog biscuits and cereal for feeding fish. Fish feeding destroys reefs and promotes aggressive species. Just Stop Feeding Fish!

Although it would be nice for people to follow these rules and understand the meaning behind it, you have places like this (Coki) that actually hands you dog biscuits to feed them...from the locals that work there themselves. Also other places will take food such as bread and stuff to feed them when on the excursions. It's hard for people to comprehend what it's doing when they see the locals and tour guides doing just that.

It would be nice if people who say they love snorkeling would stop recommending dog biscuits and cereal for feeding fish. Fish feeding destroys reefs and promotes aggressive species. Just Stop Feeding Fish!

Yes, I quite agree and when I see it I move as far as I can from the feeding frenzy.

COKI Beach!!! Top Notch! You will not be disappointed, all gear, lockers and snacks are available on beacg

We were on NCL and went to Coki beach and enjoyed it very much. Snorkeling was very good.

We have been to Trunk Bay twice. Had to swim further out to get to the underwater trail. And the second time, the water was rough, couldn't see anything!! Coki Beach is our favorite. Have been there at least 4 times. Have always snorkeled on the right side, near Coral world. One time, a dolphin swam up to us and swam around for a good half hour, under our feet. It was amazing!!! Love going there, will always go there when at St. Thomas. Next time I will try the left side!! Beach is not half as picturesque as Trunk Bay but we go for the snorkeling and I feel its better at Coki

Everyone told us to go to Trunk bay, because of the "awesome snorkeling trail". We did, and it proved to be a miserable experience. The cost of getting there was high (two cabs and a ferry... each way!) and the snorkeling was sub-par at best. "They" say we were just there on a crowded day and the tourists already scared all the big fish away. I assume those touristy conditions exist whenever ships are in port... so we'll never go back.

 

Coki or Sapphire are your best bets... and they're both located a short walk from the local "Safari" bus routes. :cool:

I agree totally, but the poor snorkeling at Trunk has nothing to do with timing. Its that too many people have kicked and damaged the reef structure there and the fish simply left the area. It is barren and gray, signs of reef death. At least Coki still has the fish and Sapphire is gorgeous too.

Neither--Sapphire Beach on St. Thomas--much less crowded than Coki and much easier/cheaper to get to than Trunk. BUT--Coki Diver Center is a great place to learn how to scuba from the beach in one day.