Grand Turk beach snorkeling - Jack's Shack or Governor's Beach

x-posted from Scuba/Snorkeling forum:

 

My husband and I will be at Grand Turk from 8-2:30 in September, and we would like to do some snorkeling from the beach.

 

My thought was to walk towards Jack's Shack along the beach and get the road to walk to Governor's beach (13 min walk from Jack's Shack per Google, and I'm guessing around 15 minute walk to Jack's from the port) for snorkeling, then stop at Jack's Shack for a light lunch on the way back to the ship.

 

Is there enough time for this, or should we just plan to spend the whole morning at Jack's and snorkel from there?

 

Thanks!

x-posted from Scuba/Snorkeling forum:

 

My husband and I will be at Grand Turk from 8-2:30 in September, and we would like to do some snorkeling from the beach.

 

My thought was to walk towards Jack's Shack along the beach and get the road to walk to Governor's beach (13 min walk from Jack's Shack per Google, and I'm guessing around 15 minute walk to Jack's from the port) for snorkeling, then stop at Jack's Shack for a light lunch on the way back to the ship.

 

Is there enough time for this, or should we just plan to spend the whole morning at Jack's and snorkel from there?

 

Thanks!

People do snorkel at Jacks and along the north beach but IMO it's not the best. Never snorkeled at GB but since there's nothing really there any more, you might give it a go. Could be more fish. People do find seaglass there from time to time. Head over early. You can always pack it in and head back to Jack's. Recommend one of you stay on the beach while other snorkels since you could well be alone.

 

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Thanks, crewsweeper!

Save out some time to snorkel along the "drop" where they dredged out the channel for cruise ships to dock. The bottom goes from 15 ft. to around 40, and we saw quite a few fish there. Visibility was stellar; we were able to see a cinderblock on the bottom (and of course had to try to freedive down to touch it....which we did. :) ) There's also a sunken cannon and an anchor inside the line in about 15 ft. depth.

This would be out by the safety line, a bit north of Margaritaville. Don't swim past the safety line as you'll be whistled back by someone riding a Sea-doo, or warned away by ship's crew members, as the ship is within 100 feet or so.

Thanks, Pellaz!

I agree with Pellaz about the snorkeling by the ship. It's great snorkeling right off the beach. I would recommend going in the morning because you could snorkel by the drop off. But, when we went snorkeling after lunch the safety line/buoys seemed to have been in further. But, I spent most of the time in port snorkeling right off the beach with very few breaks.

 

This video on YouTube shows part of the drop off with a barracuda and how close the ship is to where you are snorkeling at the end.

 

Watch the flounder that's hard to see:

 

Looks like general snorkeling:

Nice videos....how was geting in and out of the water?...i keep seeing about rocks but haven't seen them in the photos ......i swim like a fish but not so stable on land!

The rocks were not a big issue but there was a slight drop off that may make it difficult for some to get in and out. But I'm sure fellow cruisers would be willing to help. But now that you mention this issue, I'm wondering if the hurricane last year affected this so hopefully someone who has been there after the hurricane can give you a better idea.

 

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Save out some time to snorkel along the "drop" where they dredged out the channel for cruise ships to dock. The bottom goes from 15 ft. to around 40, and we saw quite a few fish there. Visibility was stellar; we were able to see a cinderblock on the bottom (and of course had to try to freedive down to touch it....which we did. :) ) There's also a sunken cannon and an anchor inside the line in about 15 ft. depth.

This would be out by the safety line, a bit north of Margaritaville. Don't swim past the safety line as you'll be whistled back by someone riding a Sea-doo, or warned away by ship's crew members, as the ship is within 100 feet or so.

 

 

Here's a view of the "drop" as seen from the ship!

Thanks for the info and the photo....looks like it will a fun port!

I agree with Pellaz about the snorkeling by the ship. It's great snorkeling right off the beach. I would recommend going in the morning because you could snorkel by the drop off. But, when we went snorkeling after lunch the safety line/buoys seemed to have been in further. But, I spent most of the time in port snorkeling right off the beach with very few breaks.

 

This video on YouTube shows part of the drop off with a barracuda and how close the ship is to where you are snorkeling at the end.

 

Watch the flounder that's hard to see:

 

Looks like general snorkeling:

 

Thanks for the videos!

 

Here's a view of the "drop" as seen from the ship!

 

Cool picture:D

I agree with Pellaz about the snorkeling by the ship. It's great snorkeling right off the beach. I would recommend going in the morning because you could snorkel by the drop off. But, when we went snorkeling after lunch the safety line/buoys seemed to have been in further. But, I spent most of the time in port snorkeling right off the beach with very few breaks.

 

That's pretty much what I did last time, along with a visit down the beach to say hi to Topher at Jack's Shack. :)

 

It was weird, too. I've been to GT five times now and I've seen the safety or perimeter line WAY out by the ship, and also much closer to shore. Last visit was in October and it was pretty far out, and the drop to 40-ft and the dredged-out channel was within the safety line.

 

 

This coming October we're returning, and I'll probably do snuba for part of the day and snorkeling by the beach for the rest of the day. I will have earned a Guy's Burger by the end of the day. :D

Sorry to jump on this post... but for those of you that have snorkeled from the beach... do you think water shoes or fins are necessary (is it a sandy bottom or do we risk getting cut up and is current okay to not have fins?)

Sorry to jump on this post... but for those of you that have snorkeled from the beach... do you think water shoes or fins are necessary (is it a sandy bottom or do we risk getting cut up and is current okay to not have fins?)

 

I'd strongly suggest fins as there are some rocks near the shore....and out by the line the depth is 15 ft. (or more, past the dropoff) so fins are recommended.

For near-shore water-play, water shoes are suggested.

 

There is not normally a strong current there, as it is a sheltered beach. I did see swells of about 1.5 feet there once, but it was due to a hurricane receding into the Atlantic and it was almost windy enough to cancel the port-visit.

On that occasion all water excursions had been cancelled...but I still went snorkeling by the beach. It was challenging, but not too bad.

Can you rent snorkel equipment at the port beach?

Can you rent snorkel equipment at the port beach?

 

Yes, there has been a rental shack there in the past. I'm assuming it's still there post-Hurricane.

 

The rental equipment is only so-so, so I'd suggest bringing your own. The bottom of my drop-bottom rolling duffel bag has proved to be perfect for storing the gear.

Yes, there has been a rental shack there in the past. I'm assuming it's still there post-Hurricane.

 

The rental equipment is only so-so, so I'd suggest bringing your own. The bottom of my drop-bottom rolling duffel bag has proved to be perfect for storing the gear.

 

Has anyone been to GT recently and can confirm that the rental shack is still there? We bring our own masks and snorkels, but typically rent fins or use the ones provided on an excursion.

Does anyone know if Jack’s has snorkeling rentals and the cost?

Does anyone know if Jack’s has snorkeling rentals and the cost?

 

We ended up spending the day at Jack's, both snorkeling and napping:D:cool: We had our own masks with us so I didn't notice if the shop did rentals. They did have some basic masks and snorkels for sale, but I don't remember the price.

 

We took our fins, but didn't end up using them. There was plenty to see for us newbies just staying where we were so it didn't seem worth the hassle. If we were snorkeling from a boat we would take them.

 

Thanks again everyone for your input!

On 7/31/2018 at 2:23 AM, Pellaz said:

 

That's pretty much what I did last time, along with a visit down the beach to say hi to Topher at Jack's Shack. :)

 

It was weird, too. I've been to GT five times now and I've seen the safety or perimeter line WAY out by the ship, and also much closer to shore. Last visit was in October and it was pretty far out, and the drop to 40-ft and the dredged-out channel was within the safety line.

 

 

This coming October we're returning, and I'll probably do snuba for part of the day and snorkeling by the beach for the rest of the day. I will have earned a Guy's Burger by the end of the day. 😄

 

Wondering if you snorkeled by the ship and if it's still good,  access OK, etc.  Thanks!

On 12/6/2018 at 6:34 PM, RW_MI said:

 

Wondering if you snorkeled by the ship and if it's still good,  access OK, etc.  Thanks!

 

Yes, in fact I spent about three hours in the water out there close to the ship and out from Margaritaville, after making a pilgrimage to Jack's Shack.   The sunken cannon is still there, as well as an anchor that's easily spotted and another anchor that appears to have been partly melded into the bottom; it's harder to spot.   I also freedove down to the deeper part, maybe 35 or 40 feet.  I was out there with one of the lifeguards from the ship, pretty cool guy, and he freedove to perhaps 60 feet, but he wanted me to "spot" him for safety reasons.  🙂  

 

We saw quite a few small squid (first time ever for that at Grand Turk, for me) and also a small octopus in a hole not far from the aforementioned cannon.  There was a guy feeding fish out by the safety line also, and so we didn't lack for fish at all.  

 

Underwater visibility was great until toward the end of the day, when it degraded somewhat.  Not sure if it was caused by a receding tide or something else.  

 

Edited December 9, 2018 by Pellaz
added info and clarified portions

4 hours ago, Pellaz said:

 

Yes, in fact I spent about three hours in the water out there close to the ship and out from Margaritaville, after making a pilgrimage to Jack's Shack.   The sunken cannon is still there, as well as an anchor that's easily spotted and another anchor that appears to have been partly melded into the bottom; it's harder to spot.   I also freedove down to the deeper part, maybe 35 or 40 feet.  I was out there with one of the lifeguards from the ship, pretty cool guy, and he freedove to perhaps 60 feet, but he wanted me to "spot" him for safety reasons.  🙂  

 

We saw quite a few small squid (first time ever for that at Grand Turk, for me) and also a small octopus in a hole not far from the aforementioned cannon.  There was a guy feeding fish out by the safety line also, and so we didn't lack for fish at all.  

 

Underwater visibility was great until toward the end of the day, when it degraded somewhat.  Not sure if it was caused by a receding tide or something else.  

 

 

Thanks - all very good to know!  None of the ship's excursions got very good ratings, and I usually enjoy snorkeling from shore better than being on a tour anyway.

On 12/9/2018 at 4:45 AM, Pellaz said:

 

Yes, in fact I spent about three hours in the water out there close to the ship and out from Margaritaville, after making a pilgrimage to Jack's Shack.   The sunken cannon is still there, as well as an anchor that's easily spotted and another anchor that appears to have been partly melded into the bottom; it's harder to spot.   

 

Thanks for the update!  We will be there the 23rd!

I was going to start a thread about this too 🙂  My husband and I have tried snorkeling, but we just can't get the breathing right and if there's one thing I can't handle it's water up my nose - ugh...

 

We know that Grand Turk is pretty much the best place in the world to snorkel, so we've invested in a couple of the Full-Face masks from Tribord/Subea (the good ones, not the dangerous knock-offs) so we can still do it and not worry about that - I'm really looking forward to it now!!

 

We are looking at an excursion on Carnival that has good ratings and is $61, that seems pretty reasonable - there are two locations (one being the big 'wall' dropoff to 7000 ft which is apparently the bomb).  I'd like to be able to say that we'd be comfortable enough to do it on our own, but until we get used to the masks I'd rather be around people and get a snorkel vest.  We can both swim fine, but I'd just feel more comfortable with a group.  We're going to play around with the masks in the pool at Disney the week before we do the cruise too.

 

Does anyone have any experience with any of the excursions?  This is the one we're looking at.  And after doing this one, is Governor's Beach still worth doing or is that too much?

 

https://www.carnival.com/shore-excursions/grand-turk/ultimate-snorkeling-adventure-and-beach-getaway-440002?b=456D4C594B6246786164504B79516F4E5448633755673D3D#

 

I like how it ends at the Reef Shark because we actually wanted to go to Jack's Shack for a couple of drinks that day anyway.  

On 12/18/2018 at 11:15 AM, WorkerBee74 said:

Does anyone have any experience with any of the excursions? 

 

I've only done the snuba excursion there (and I have rated it highly on Carnival's site, too).   I recommend it; Big John is a great divemaster and snuba is fun, especially if you're loathe to deal with snorkels and getting water in.  🙂