camelotbob

I just read an L.A. Times article that says this sunscreen ban does not go into effect until January 1, 2021.

Well, isn't that interesting. Thanks for the tip!

That search phrase is a quality one. However I keep finding what some would refer to as "weird hipster" brands that might not work. The article from Consumer Reports had trusted brands listed though. From that information I've found that Hawaiian Tropic has several sprays that seem to meet the legal requirements. Although they are constantly selling out, maybe that's a good thing.

Since the law has changed, the types of have changed. They have banned anything with oxybenzone and octinoxate to protect the native coral.

It's a slow search to go through the ingredient lists for the different brands.

So my question is - Has anyone found an extensive list of legal sunscreens for Hawaii? I'm trying to avoid lax articles where they list the same high-end products they've copied from another web article.

Thanks in advance!

We're experienced snorkelers that will be in Belize on the Carnival Conquest in late May. We have our own snorkeling gear and aren't usually interested in being lead around by a guide. But Belize is new to us, so we'd prefer to stay with the Carnival excursion list this time. However it looks like there are only 3 excursions for snorkeling on Carnival's site.

• Snorkeling Wonders of the Barrier Reef
  
• Sergeant's Cay Snorkel Adventure
  
• Barrier Reef Snorkel & Starfish Island Getaway
  

Does anyone know which of these might have the best coral and fish for underwater photos? Do any of these require to you to stay with the guide?

Sergeant's Cay Snorkel Adventure seems to be open water with a little island break afterwards. But there aren't any decent photos on the Carnival site. Was the snorkeling good here? I noticed it was .5 hours shorter than the other two excursions, anyone know why? It is considered moderate activity and the other two are easy.

Is the Barrier Reef Snorkel & Starfish Island Getaway actually on a catamaran or trimaran? The photos suggest it might not be. It also seems to be a guided tour only, is that true?

The Snorkeling Wonders of the Barrier Reef seems to be a beginner snorkeling excursion, am I wrong about that?

They sent us out to cococay in 2 story metal boats in a lightning storm. There were few places to hide from the storm and the snorkel hut refused to allow people shelter. I don't really want to go back there. It was one of the worst experiences I've had on a cruise. People were huddled under trees because there was nowhere else to go, it was ridiculously dangerous.

We went on this excursion on July 3rd off of Freedom of the Seas.

Our catamaran had one of the better crews if not the best I've had the pleasure to deal with. I'm wretched with names but there were 2 girls and 1 guy. I think two of them were originally from the midwest like Ohio or something.

The safety talk was amusing enough to keep your attention. Later about mid trip the dark haired girl with a ponytail climbed up to the front of the cat on the rail and gave a not-boring lecture about the islands we were passing. It was a nice history lesson with plenty of amusing facts. She also talked about how much it costs to live on St. Thomas, how much she charged to rent her couch (yes she was serious) and which islands had the best parties for new years.

On the return they sold shirts in short and long sleeve. There was champagne, rum punch, cheese, bread and fruit for the return trip and of course water from the time you boarded the cat.

The excursion length is 4 hours and 30 minutes. It takes 30 minutes by open-air taxi to reach the boat from the port. Then it takes at least 30-45 minutes to reach the beach area. On the return they bring up the sails for part of the trip, it's very relaxing if the waves are calm.

They anchor the catamaran in about 30ft of water off of the beach. There is a small boat about dingy sized with an outboard motor and they will ferry you to the beach if you can't swim after the snorkelers have gone down the stairs into the water. Several people took advantage of the boat, more so on the return trip back to the boat.

The beach is nice. The snorkeling is so-so. There are indeed turtles, they feed on the sea grass. However they are in 10+ feet of water. Unless you enjoy going deep like I do, you'll have to wait for them to surface for air to get a good look at them. I did get some nice closeup shots of them eating because the turtles will pretty much ignore you. The ones I saw were 3ft to 4ft in length.

There were few fish but a lot of dead coral unfortunately. Be wary of the spiny sea urchins in the shallows near the house, it's where the little bit of coral is to explore.

I recommend meclizine for the taxi transfer to the boats.

I can now authoritatively answer my own question.

There is nothing to see for snorkelers along that beach. It's a man-made beach that must be rebuilt almost yearly based on hurricane activity. Beyond the sand, if you swim far enough out, is nothing but sea weed.

Thanks guys. Sorry for the previous confusing comment about St. Martin. I was in fact asking about St. Thomas, not sure why I mentioned it.

We liked the beach at Magen's Bay; however, it can get extremely crowded. We had to leave when chairs we're put so close together that we had a difficult to get out of them.

Agreed. And the water gets very cloudy. I'd search for a less populated alternative if you can.

Yes but if you are at St. Martin, then Coki beach isn't a viable option. What is better than Buck Island at this location?

I'm pretty sure they don't mind if you name the company.

Why don't you share that web site with us?

Is the snorkeling off Philipsburg's beach any good? I was told a few years ago the west side of the beach was decent snorkeling. Any truth to that or is it a waste or time to walk down to that end?

We'll be in St. Thomas the first week of July. We've never been to Buck Island and Royal Caribbean has 2 excursions that we're curious about:

Turtle Bay Sail & Snorkel Adventure - ST97

Buck Island Catamaran Sail & Snorkel to Shipwreck Cove - STO9

Does anyone have options on either of these excursions?

We've never swam with turtles, so that sounds like fun. But do these two excursions go to the same places at Buck Island? Both excursions mention turtles, fish and coral. Or is the description over-selling the experience?

We're experienced snorkelers with our own gear. The description of ST97 mentions pirate tattoos, is the excursion more oriented toward younger families? If so, did it affect your snorkeling?

We went to Magen's Bay a few years ago. It was packed out with people and you had to rent anything you wanted to use.. IE chairs.

Which excursion was it? Was it the catamaran or schooners?

I'd like to know the difference between this and the Turtle Bay Sail & Snorkel. Is the catamaran the only difference?

We're going to be in St. Maarten the end of June. Both of us are experienced swimmers & snorkelers. Can somebody recommend a good snorkel excursion thats not full of newbies and cloudy water?

I have a samsung galaxy s3 on verizon that is "global mode" capable. I can use phone and text with zero problems and without extra charges in st. thomas and puerto rico. I live in Nashville and do not have an international plan but we cruise or go to the caribbean at least once a year. It always works the same way for us. :) Never tried data, as I am not interested in app updates in those locations. Although there is no logical reason puerto rico shouldn't support data.

Support & access can sometime depend on your phone and I don't mean how new it is. Some phones come loaded with international software options or use different carrier bands (cdma vs gsm). Not all older verizon phone support these options. Your plan might support it but your older style phone might not.

Whats confusing is that the software update you need isn't always part of the operating system. There is sometimes a whole other layer of software that runs underneath the OS that controls that type of thing. Imagine the operating system on your phone is like Windows. But the bios on the motherboard might need to be updated.

Understand that most international locations use GSM while verizon uses CDMA in the continental usa. You are far mode likely to have GSM on a newer verizon cellphone if it's an android than an iphone. Examples include the Samsung Galaxy S3, S4 etc, Droid Razr & Razr Maxx, Droid 4 and the HTC Rezound. So unless you have a newer android smart phone, you might be out of luck.

At&t converted years ago to GSM in the usa, so thats why more of their phones (even non-smart phones) have less issues in international locations.

Now... Lime might use cdma but I couldn't swear to it. Just remember to turn your phone off if you Lime shows up as roaming.

I called Verizon and the young lady was very helpful. She sent this attachment to me not only detailing what coverage is in PR and USVI but other information I thought could be helpful for others on this sight.

 

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That document is very handy for folks. It gives you the codes on page 2 that force your phone to update it's knowledge of cell towers. Very handy indeed!

Didn't do RC but just went to Turtle cove last week on a Princess tour. Not much in the way of fish but we saw lots of turtles and a sting ray.

Lots of people in the water? 30? 60? 150?

Has anyone been on Royal Caribbean's St. Thomas "Turtle Bay Sail & Snorkel Adventure - ST97" in the last year?

Where did it take you? Was the snorkeling any good? Great fish & coral for underwater photos? Lots of people?

Just got back yesterday from Carnival Freedom. The excursion was on the Mystic II catamaran. I expected there to be snorkeling, there wasn't unless you work very very hard at it and at only 1 stop.

We only went to 2 beaches. Although they did go into every bay/inlet we passed and pointed out various resorts and the island home of a famous clothing designer.

Once the lobster lunch(they were tasty) started there was alcohol everywhere and passed out bottles of champaign like they was party favors. I have some hilarious photos of people standing in the ocean all holding their own bottle and raising toasts.

The crew took a lot of time trying to make sure people were enjoying themselves. They danced with a lot of the ladies including some grinding with a lady in a wheel chair, she seemed to really be enjoying it. They danced with any of the ladies who were interested, in fact there was quite a little mob of dancers for a while enjoying the music on the way back to the boat. At 45 minutes for the return I can assure you they had all the time they wanted to dance.

So....There was a BBQ chicken alternative for those who didn't like or can't eat shellfish. Plenty to drink after the first beach. Snorkeling can only be found where the birds are feeding at the first location but it's a dangerous spot, lots of fire coral that can sneak up on you fast because the water is cloudy. People who love beaches will enjoy it. People who enjoy a good drink will love it. People who get snookered and roll around in the catamaran nets will love it. *chuckle* :p

I think we're going in May, will give some feedback to you guys if we do.

I'd like to know about his excursion and not the creole one. I'm sure it's fine but we're not ready to venture out 3rd party yet.

I just got back today and I'm not sure which sandbar island you were on but ours had nothing sunken next to it. Several of us brought snorkel gear but found nothing. It was a bummer really.