Snorkeling choices

[Xguy]

We will soon be on a cruise that will stop in Antigua, Barbados, and St. Lucia. Can anyone that has been to these islands advise us on which one offers the best snorkeling experience? We definitely don't want to choose an island that is regarded as poor for snorkeling. Thanks!

[texancruzer]

You did not say what level you are looking for.... are you a novice snorkeler, a sometimes we go, or a die-hard gotta see it ?

 

We were on the 11/26 Serenade sailing and visited all three of these islands.

 

We (dh, myself and our two best friends) all our divers but opted to snorkle instead which would allow us time to also see the islands.

 

We snorkeled at Trunk Bay on St. John (best location) Orient Beach on St. Martin(so so reef), Long Bay on Antigua (also so so reefs) and on the Land & Sea to Soufriere on St. Lucia (very windy that day so not much) and Barbados did land tour with snorkle planned at Folkstone (so windy they were surfing there on 4-5 foot waves that day)

 

So my point is, the weather can affect your plans regarding snorkling in a big way. Have an alternate plan if it is too windy or stormy etc....

 

We found the reefs all around the Caribbean to be o.k. but alot had either "TOURIST TOUCH" (people touching and stepping on them) or damage from storms last year. Still lots of fish (especially St. John) but all in all a disappointment.

[erniesband]

We've snorkeled several times on all 3 islands, and as Texancruzer says, a lot is weather dependent. We've lugged all our gear for the past 2 years for very little snorkeling. St. John has terrific, non "tourist touched" snorkeling at several locations, including Cinnamon and Waterlemon. We've avoided Trunk Bay, because of the tourist crowd. Or, a daysail will take you to great boat-access spots. In Barbados the best snorkeling is at Folkstone, but the past couple of years it's been too windy, rainy, rough (but we go in January and later months are better). Carlisle Bay has some wrecks to snorkel. For Antigua, your best bet is Eli's Eco-Tour (http://www.adventureantigua.com), which will take you to snorkeling spots. And in St. Lucia, the best snorkeling we've done is at Anse Cochon - very good to excellent.

 

Jodi