Snorkeling St. John

[minniemouse]

8) Should we book a ship excursion to St. John for snorkeling, or should we just take a cab to the ferry and go on our own? If we go on our own, how far is it from the ferry dock to Trunk Bay?

Thanks guys,
Minnie.

[Donna]

Hi Minnie,
I would do whatever you are comfortable with. If you feel you want to do it on your own, its easy and you can most likely save a few dollars and go on your own schedule. Just be aware that the ferry runs every hour, so plan accordingly and watch the time, so you have plenty to return before the ship sails.

Once you are at St. Johns, its about a 10 minute ride to the beaches, its not far.

[selctsys]

Originally Posted by minniemouse

8) Should we book a ship excursion to St. John for snorkeling, or should we just take a cab to the ferry and go on our own? If we go on our own, how far is it from the ferry dock to Trunk Bay?

Going on your own requires multiple cab/bus/ferry rides. You could end up sitting around waiting for things quite a bit. I would just take the line's trip if the cost isn't too much for you. I like to keep things simple when I am doing things like this under a strict schedule.

If you decide to go on your own, the good news is that there is/was a Pusser's at the dock in Cruz Bay. Nothing like a "pain killer" to help pass the time while your waiting for your ferry. Just make sure you don't miss the boat!

You can also take the ferry from the heart of C.A. although the frequency is less.

[cacky]

The snorkeling at Trunk Bay at St. John's is great. There is an underwater park with markers.

[Sheffie]

Minnie, it isn't hard to get over to St. John on your own. If you are docked at Havensight, just take a taxi to Red Hook. ($10 pp. each way) The ferry leaves on the hour, and the taxi drivers know this and will get you there in time to buy your ticket. You then ferry over to St. John, where you will then catch another taxi to the beach of your choice. If you go to Trunk, you will pay an entrance fee. There is no fee at Cinnamon. We started packing up at 2 p.m. to catch a taxi back to Cruz Bay, and the 3 p.m. ferry back to Red Hook. The ferries run on the hour, so you know when they will be leaving. The last time when we returned to Red Hook we followed the locals up to the local bus, and it was only $2 pp back to near the pier area.

We like Cinnamon Bay better than Trunk - fewer people, and we think the snorkeling is much better there. There will be taxis there to pick you up, too.

If you check out www.vinow.com, you will find the info on the ferry from Charlotte Amalie if you are docked at Crown Bay.

The nicest things about doing it on your own are that you can leave earlier than they do, stay later, go to the beach of your choice, and not be in the middle of the herd.

[greenbird1225]

I agree with the other poster who said to skip Trunk Bay....cute beach, but crowded and why pay when there are dozens are great little spots to snorkel on St John? Hawksnest is nice, as is Cinnamon and Maho. Or you could be really adventurous and hike to Waterlemon, which has wild mongoose running around!

Enjoy your trip there...it's a beautiful island.

[dlm2005]

We are novices and did it on our own (at Cinnamon Bay) without much problem, except we had some trouble locating the reef area. There were no other snorkelers there that day and all we got at the rental shack was "its over by those rocks somewhere". We wore ourselves out just finding it. Make sure you get an idea where the reef is and that you are a strong enough swimmer to get out to it and back. Have fun.

[Sheffie]

Originally Posted by dlm2005

We are novices and did it on our own (at Cinnamon Bay) without much problem, except we had some trouble locating the reef area. There were no other snorkelers there that day and all we got at the rental shack was "its over by those rocks somewhere". We wore ourselves out just finding it. Make sure you get an idea where the reef is and that you are a strong enough swimmer to get out to it and back. Have fun.

We snorkeled out by the island, which was wonderful. Is the reef over to the right hand side of the beach as you look out? If so, can you give me an idea of where it is? We looked by those big rocks, and didn't find anything interesting. Maybe we weren't in the right spot.

[dlm2005]

We finally found some reef further to the right, but spent so long searching that we didn't spend much time once we found it. Next time I'll keep asking until I get a more detailed answer....or have the luck to follow a group that know's where it's going.