Tell me about Turtle Cove, Shipwreck Cove, and Honeymoon Beach

[mill4023]

I'm trying to decide on a snorkeling/sailing excursion for our St Thomas day.

There are 4 options I'm looking at through Princess.

One that goes to Turtle Cove, one that goes to Shipwreck Cove, one that goes to Honeymoon Beach, and one that is a full day and goes to both Turtle Cove and Honeymoon Beach.

 

They all sound great according to the Princess website, of course. :)

 

But can anyone tell me about these places? Which one's did you like best? Which are best for snorkeling? etc.

 

Or is there a better choice for snorkeling on St Thomas/St John?

 

We are open to doing something private and have looked at some of the private charters, but the timing may not work with some of them and some of them are a lot more expensive.

[travelin_nat]

I was not impressed with Turtle Cove. The excursion was a lot of fun, but there were many boats there, and not much to look at. We saw a couple turtles and some coral, but not what I expected.

[mill4023]

Looks like there is more than one Honeymoon Beach.

One of the excursions says it goes to Turtle Cove, then Honeymoon Beach on Water Island. Another one is listed as the St John Champagne Catamaran Sail, Snorkel, and Swim. It doesn't specify which Honeymoon Beach, but since it's got St John in the title, I asssume it's the one that is actually on St John and not Water Island.

[SuchAVirgo]

We did the full day excursion and went snorkeling in Turtle Cove but didnt see too much. After that we went to Honeymoon Beach and it was really nice. Ours was probably the Honeymoon Beach on Water Island (not st. johns)

[Ms411]

Since St Thomas is part of the US, some agency has banned feeding the sea life, so though the feeding prohibition is better for the environment, it's not as interesting for visitors because there's no guarantee you'll see sea life. I did a snorkel with the turtles in Puerto Rico, and they're under the same restrictions, but we did see turtles.

 

When I did the snorkel to Turtle Cove, I saw some turtles, but I was more excited about the fish I saw in the coral reef. The water was pretty shallow and very clear, so they seemed so close! Others on the excursion said 5 turtles swam within inches of their face, but I didn't see that unfortunately.

 

The cove is pretty small, so I think I would do this excursion if there was just one or two ships in port. If there are more, I think I'd look to snorkel from shore at maybe Sapphire, so you can go in the water and out on your own time instead of on a ship where the captain dictates where and when you go.

 

I've done the shipwreck snorkels on more than one island, and I've determined their not my favorite. You don't see many different types of fish, and the wrecks are usually so far down, you can't get good photos. I think the history buffs like those snorkeling spots, and I'm not one of those!

[dvan68]

Not sure if the Turtle Cove is the same as Buck Island? We did a half day with Fury charters, and saw lots of turtles, and the guide was in the water with us, and pointed out other interesting things - we did the afternoon tour - only one other tour boat was there- so it wasn't crowded - but it is deep water- just something to be aware of.