mavvie Posted December 23, 2012 #1 Share Posted December 23, 2012 I love to snorkel and usually DIY off the beach. A lot of websites recommend Sapphire Beach as a great place. I have seen some underwater pics and they show a pretty wide variety of marine lofe. My wife loves to sunbathe and the beach itself looks very nice which is a bonus. Then...... I read a few posts here saying the snorkelling isn't that good. People quote "a few baracudas and seaweed" or "schools of minnows". The conflicting reports are troubling. Any specific experiences with this location?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BillOh Posted December 27, 2012 #2 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I love to snorkel and usually DIY off the beach. A lot of websites recommend Sapphire Beach as a great place. I have seen some underwater pics and they show a pretty wide variety of marine lofe. My wife loves to sunbathe and the beach itself looks very nice which is a bonus. Then...... I read a few posts here saying the snorkelling isn't that good. People quote "a few baracudas and seaweed" or "schools of minnows". The conflicting reports are troubling. Any specific experiences with this location?? If you work your way back to the FRIENDS OF CRUISE CRITIC section and then find ARIZONA CRUISERS, there is a thread there for the 4/28 sailing of Allure of the Seas. I am on that cruise and a bunch of the AZ cruisers are going to Saphire beach, all for the 2nd time and they report enjoyable snorkeling there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mavvie Posted December 28, 2012 Author #3 Share Posted December 28, 2012 If you work your way back to the FRIENDS OF CRUISE CRITIC section and then find ARIZONA CRUISERS, there is a thread there for the 4/28 sailing of Allure of the Seas. I am on that cruise and a bunch of the AZ cruisers are going to Saphire beach, all for the 2nd time and they report enjoyable snorkeling there. Thanks, I will check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiepie43 Posted December 30, 2012 #4 Share Posted December 30, 2012 We go to Sapphire beach each time we are in St Thomas. My wife sits on the beach while I snorkel. The best areas are off to the Left and even better on the far right (if you are facing the water). Here are some pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mavvie Posted December 30, 2012 Author #5 Share Posted December 30, 2012 We go to Sapphire beach each time we are in St Thomas. My wife sits on the beach while I snorkel. The best areas are off to the Left and even better on the far right (if you are facing the water).Here are some pics Nice pics. It looks like there is some nice coral and bottom structure. Have you ever seen any sea turtles. I have read they can sometimes be found in the grassy areas. I am 99% sure this is where we are going in St. Thomas. How long was the cab ride from the pier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mitsugirly Posted January 7, 2013 #6 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I completely cracks me up when people say there is nothing to see here but a few minows or whatever. There's an entire reef there full of tons of stuff located right in front of the Sapphire Condo's. It's as soon as you walk in to the water and goes WAY out but yet it's still not deep. In the middle there is sand for those that just want to swim. There is some sea grass in areas and people have spotted sea turtles. To us, this place was paradise. The beauty, the water, the beach, the sea life, iguanas walking around and in the trees. It was the best of both worlds for those that like to snorkel and those that don't. I did a review on it...I'll link it here. At the bottom of the review is a link to all of my pictures from that day...you tell me if there's any snorkeling to be done. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1280889 Of course you can view all of my pictures at the link in the review. Also, you can check out their webcam any time day or night and see what it looks like there: http://www.sapphireinthesun.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribdiver Posted January 11, 2013 #7 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Sapphire Beach is a beautiful spot for a beach day and snorkeling when cruising the E. Caribbean. Most of the time you can easily see lots of marine life. And this beautiful beach is usually not that crowded. My wife and are divers, but when in St Thomas we are perfectly happy to enjoy a day of snorkeling there. We bring our own snorkeling equipment but they have a dive shop there where you can rent. If you have divers in your group they can arrange a dive there too. All in all I have to agree with the previous post.....it's paradise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisebird Posted January 20, 2013 #8 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Is there anywhere at Sapphire to rent chairs, purchase food...maybe rent a kayak? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mitsugirly Posted January 20, 2013 #9 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Is there anywhere at Sapphire to rent chairs, purchase food...maybe rent a kayak? Thanks! Yes, yes and yes. My pictures show the kayaks for rental. There is a small hut there that you can rent equipment for snorkeling and I assume that is also where you would rent the kayaks. We didn't do the kayaking, so I didn't ask about it. They also have some food there. I don't exactly remember what all they had because we didn't eat there (we were waiting to eat at Paradise later in the day), but I can tell you that the drinks were ICE COLD! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkiesue Posted January 21, 2013 #10 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Does anyone know the price of taking a taxi there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mitsugirly Posted January 21, 2013 #11 Share Posted January 21, 2013 When we were there (and others have reported the same pricing recently), it was $10 pp one way. So $20 round trip. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkiesue Posted January 21, 2013 #12 Share Posted January 21, 2013 When we were there (and others have reported the same pricing recently), it was $10 pp one way. So $20 round trip. :) Great. Thanks. love your pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mitsugirly Posted January 21, 2013 #13 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Great. Thanks. love your pics. Thanks. I have a bunch of them here if you are interested in viewing more: There are a bunch of snorkeling on that page. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkiesue Posted January 21, 2013 #14 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Thanks. I have a bunch of them here if you are interested in viewing more: There are a bunch of snorkeling on that page. :D Thanks they were awsome. I hope we get to go there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueBabe Posted January 22, 2013 #15 Share Posted January 22, 2013 When we were there (and others have reported the same pricing recently), it was $10 pp one way. So $20 round trip. :) Was the taxi close to the port and how long did it take to get to the beach? Thanks, Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sckal Posted January 24, 2013 #16 Share Posted January 24, 2013 When we were there (and others have reported the same pricing recently), it was $10 pp one way. So $20 round trip. :) Is this price from Havensight or Crown Bay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mitsugirly Posted January 24, 2013 #17 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Is this price from Havensight or Crown Bay? Havensight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sckal Posted January 27, 2013 #18 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Havensight Okay thanks! I'm guessing it's higher from Crown Bay since that's on the other side of downtown. I'll see if there's a website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocontom Posted January 29, 2013 #19 Share Posted January 29, 2013 We did Secret Harbor in the early morning and Sapphire later in the afternoon. It was amazingly beautiful, and the snorkeling was definitely better at Sapphire, but there were under 50 people at Secret Harbor versus crowds at Sapphire. I did see one turtle at Sapphire. The lady on the far left hand side makes a phenomenal rum punch and Painkiller (and she does it right, with freshly grated nutmeg- the Banana Cabana uses jarred). The food was good at Banana Cabana though. One warning- do not feed the iguanas. I decided if one of them would eat out of my hand, it could have a potato chip. My hand dropped and that sucker rushed me so fast, there was no way I wanted my hand near it! And another one apparently jumped onto a guy's chair, knocked over his plate, and carried off his sandwich (or just tried to, we were snorkeling when it happened). They definitely are not more afraid of you than you are of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neptuno Posted April 7, 2013 #20 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Does anyone know the price of taking a taxi there? The tourists pay $10 each way from Havensight. We are a family of four, so instead of paying $80 round trip to Saphire, we walk out to the road and flag a safari for $2 and $1 for kids. It drops you on the road and you walk down the drive through the condos to Saphire Beach. Going back, the Safari travels in the same direction, it makes a loop through Red Hook, and will drop you right in front of Yacht Haven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avatheps Posted April 7, 2013 #21 Share Posted April 7, 2013 OP, I have not yet cruised and have never been snorkeling, however, I have been interested and planning for several months now. I have spent many long hours on many online sites including CC. I have drawn the overwhelming conclusion that Saphire is about as good as a newbie like myself is going to get. Oh I am sure there are more colorful or exciting places to go, but probably not on short duration visit like you are going to get on a cruise ship. I hope you enjoy Saphire. I know I am going to. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicagal Posted February 2, 2014 #22 Share Posted February 2, 2014 I completely cracks me up when people say there is nothing to see here but a few minows or whatever. There's an entire reef there full of tons of stuff located right in front of the Sapphire Condo's. It's as soon as you walk in to the water and goes WAY out but yet it's still not deep. In the middle there is sand for those that just want to swim. There is some sea grass in areas and people have spotted sea turtles. To us, this place was paradise. The beauty, the water, the beach, the sea life, iguanas walking around and in the trees. It was the best of both worlds for those that like to snorkel and those that don't. I did a review on it...I'll link it here. At the bottom of the review is a link to all of my pictures from that day...you tell me if there's any snorkeling to be done. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1280889 Of course you can view all of my pictures at the link in the review. Also, you can check out their webcam any time day or night and see what it looks like there: http://www.sapphireinthesun.com/ Read your full post...you said you guys went to Sapphire Beach then headed to Paradise Point. We are going to St. Thomas in March. We are at port from 730am - 4pm. What would you recommend for time at each place? After the beach did you take the cab right to Paradise Point? And what was the cost / time frame from Paradise back to the port? Want to do both, heading to beach first since like you said they don't open til 9. What did the full day cost you guys? Your help/opinion is greatly appreciated. Thanks so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parasailor Posted February 3, 2014 #23 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Check whether Sapphire has rentals, bathrooms, etc--several have posted it does not now because the resort went bankrupt. If so, try Coki Beach and use Coki Dive Club for gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mitsugirly Posted February 3, 2014 #24 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Read your full post...you said you guys went to Sapphire Beach then headed to Paradise Point. We are going to St. Thomas in March. We are at port from 730am - 4pm. What would you recommend for time at each place? After the beach did you take the cab right to Paradise Point? And what was the cost / time frame from Paradise back to the port? Want to do both, heading to beach first since like you said they don't open til 9. What did the full day cost you guys? Your help/opinion is greatly appreciated. Thanks so much! There have been a lot of post about Sapphire Beach closing the dive shop and the bathrooms there to the public and roping off the entrance to the drop off for people. Check whether Sapphire has rentals, bathrooms, etc--several have posted it does not now because the resort went bankrupt. If so, try Coki Beach and use Coki Dive Club for gear. I don't believe there is a report about the condo's going bankrupt. ;) http://virginislandsdailynews.com/news/secret-harbour-sees-boost-in-tourist-traffic-1.1621621 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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