Eight Island Possibilities....Which are the Best for Snorkeling?

[Kay and Hal]

Thanks in advance for your input. :)

 

In December my wife and I will be sailing on the Celebrity Constellation to the Southern Carribean. Our ports include the following:

 

• Curacao
  
• Aruba
  
• Tobago
  
• Barbados
  
• St. Lucia
  
• Antigua
  
• St. Maarten and
  
• St. Thomas
  

We would like to snorkel in at most three ports. With the exception of the last two islands listed, these are all ports we have never visited. We always book our excursions privately and are both pretty strong swimmers for our ages. :D

 

Of the islands listed above, which three would you choose? If you have any private tour operators you would recommend I would appreciate it.

 

Thanks again for your help!

 

Hal

[hockeyboy]

Aruba - Bad

St. Maarten - lovely island, bad snorkeling

Curacao - Excellent

St. Thomas - Good to excellent depending on where you go.

Try Sapphire Beach or Cinnamon Bay on St. John

[crule]

Barbados has a cool bay/marine park not far from where the ship docks. They have 3 or 4 small ships/boats that they'e sunk.

 

I dove the area last October, and there were lots of snorkelers in the area.

[10X]

Curacao

St. Lucia; we book privately here with Island Divers at Ty Kaye Resort

St. Thomas

[Islandbear]

Curacao - This is the best! MUST DO! :)

[TeenaDee]

Check out Octopus Diving in Grand Case St Martin - we are going with them in July. #1 rated activity on Tripadvisor for things to do in St Martin. Really friendly and helpful people.

 

http://www.octopusdiving.com/

 

Hope this helps

 

TeenaDee

[Kay and Hal]

Thanks for the replies - keep 'em coming, please!!!

 

Interesting to know that Aruba is not good for snorkeling. In 2006, we were in Aruba on the Constellation, and had a private snorkel booked. This was the first cruise we had taken where there was rain most of the port days, and Aruba was one of them - raining so hard the streets flooded. Obviously we did not snorkel (bought jewelry instead :eek:) and were disappointed because we thought we'd missed out on a great opportunity. Guess you learn something new every day, right?

 

We have snorkeled in St. Thomas before, and it was good snorkeling, as I recall. We've been to St. Maarten and booked the excursion from hell that didn't include snorkeling, but agreed that the waters and beaches were just beautiful there.

 

Appreciate all the responses and hoping for more. Thanks for the individual tips!

 

K

[Islandbear]

For Aruba, I like the beaches North of the Marriott heading to the Light House. I can't remember the names. They are an easy walk-in snorkelwith a shallow reef and OK beach to leave your things on. The quality of the Fish and Coral is average. A good fun afternoon with your face in the water as you move up the coast to the three major beachs.

 

Stay clear of Baby beach it is a long drive for a minimal payoff. They have baited the fish so much that only the most agressive reef fish thrive and you it is not much fun.

 

If I had my choice Aruba would not be a priority among the Islands you have listed.

 

Have Fun!!!

[rjscott]

We love St Thomas for snorkeling. On our visit this past Feb, we took a private sail with the Jolly Mon and had a great time. http://www.jollymonstthomas.com/ Some friends, however, went to Emerald Beach and said they saw a nice variety of fish. We also like Coki Beach, but it can get really crowded if there are a lot of ships in port.

On Curacao, we took a taxi to Playa Porto Mari and had a wonderful half day there. A beautiful beach and good snorkeling. http://www.playaportomari.com/index.html

We had an excursion booked on Antigua, but, due to high winds, our ship had to miss the port. Here's the tour we were planning to do, and which gets great reviews: http://www.adventureantigua.com/ They were very prompt in responding and when we could not make port, even refunded our (small) deposit, which I think speaks to their professionalism.

[ninkb]

Looked at your link for snorkeling on Curacao and am very much interested in it. Could you please share some details about the taxi? How much? Did you have him return to pick you up? And how does the entrance fee translate into US dollars?

 

I do appreciate all the info I can glean from these boards! Thankx!!!

:):):) ninkb

[bluecrush3533]

Which island would everyone recommend for a beginniger in scuba diving? I plan to get my scuba diving certificate this year and would like to plan an extended weekend to an island in the Caribbean.

[rjscott]

ninkb, there was a group of us, 6 I believe, from our roll call, so the taxi driver charged us each $10 US each way, and he waited for us. We spent about 2 1/2 hrs there, as some had afternoon excursions. The conversion of the entrance fee was about $2.00 US pp, which also included a soft drink (maybe also a local beer?). It's a very nice beach, and the concession stand has food for purchase in addition to beverages. There is a small charge for chairs if you want one. There are nice changing facilities, and there are showers. It's a pleasant drive there and you'll pass a flock of flamingos on the way.

[OCruisers]

:cool: CURACAO! :cool:

 

St. Martaan is our favorite island ... but must agree it's not the place to snorkel! :o