hiho322

We will be in St. Martin in the middle of June and have heard on these boards and elsewhere that snorkeling there is not the best. What about Anguilla? We'd certainly be open to either taking the ferry over there and snorkeling straight off a beach or maybe going on a snorkeling boat. Anyone?

lauren27

We found the snorkeling in Anguilla to be very poor. We went last May and visited many beaches on the island as well as Sandy Island. There was some ok snorkeling at Shoal Bay East and at Sandy Island. We also took a boat trip to Little Bay and another snorkeling spot and were not impressed. I have heard that a day trip to Prickly Pear has better snorkeling, but we didn't go there. The snorkeling on Anguilla is nothing compared to islands like the Virgin Islands and Curacao. I wouldn't make a trip to Anguilla just for the snorkeling, I think you would be disappointed. But with that said, Anguilla has the best beaches I have ever seen in the Caribbean. The sand is so soft and white and the colors of the water are more vibrant than any other Caribbean island I have visited. If you want to visit a very laid back, uncrowded island with amazing beaches, then I would suggest a visit. It was one of our favorite islands in the Caribbean and is very different from St. Martin.

TPAYT

Ditto-- lauren27

ljv

Hi!
Our family was in St. Martin/Anguilla 5 years ago. Loved Anguilla for the beautiful beaches and the relative quiet. Also, excellent dining opportunities.

Unfortunately, the snorkelling wasn't that impressive:the best we did was off the gorgeous beach at Shoal Bay East.

You might want to consider a day trip to Saba from St. Martin....very unique and beautiful island. No beaches, but phenomenal diving . The dive shops also offer snorkel excursions to some of the shallower dive sites. My husband and daughter said it was the best diving they've done to date in the Caribbean. Saba also has an opportunity to hike in a rainforest. Our trip to Saba was definitely a highlight for our family.

Hope this helps you...have fun!

jecrow

Hiho:

You seem bound and determined to get in some snorkelling while you are in St. Martin. Your best bet is Shoal Bay in front of Gwen's Reggae Grill. There is some sea grass and coral right in front of the restaurant where people snorkel but truly it won't be spectacular. Go to Anguilla anyway, just for the great beaches and gorgeous water.

StanKase

I concur. It has no real reefs and therefore just several small schools of fish but boring after 15 minutes.

angelicajin2

Snorkeling and Scuba diving in Anguilla is a great experience with those bright colored fish, little caves and holes, plus there's a lot of things to do in Anguilla! http://articledirectory365.com/trave...etaway-169507/ ^_^

StanKase

Angelica's comments must be based on not having visited St. John, Grand Cayman, Bonaire, Curacao, etc. It really is not worth the trip if snorkeling is your objective, trust me.

MissKWilson

Shoal Bay IS a wonderful place for beaching, and right offshore from Gwen's Reggae Grill (where you should enjoy their EXCELLENT ribs) is some underrated snorkeling. BUT: We found that the BEST snorkeling in Anguilla, and somewhere it looks like none of the haters on this page went, was Savannah Bay. It is pretty difficult to find, as it is not marked, so you'll have to ask a local how to get there, but the beach is GORGEOUS and the snorkeling AMAZING. We saw trunkfish and squid and puffers and angels and staghorn coral and gorgonians and on and on! The best reef formations on the island, I'd say. PLUS, there's hardly anyone there, which is REALLY nice. Good luck!

hiho322

Thank you so much, MissKWilson, will def check it out!!!!

candace12

Look at the tripadvisor.com turks and caicos forum -- island girl has posted underwater photos. Great snorkeling, snuba and scuba there.

blamona

"Haters" is a little harse don't you think?
Anguilla is one of my favorite islands, I've had a blast in St. Martin, but wouldn't go to either to snorkel. I find it the worse snorkeling in the Caribbean, and I've been to about 70% of the islands, including sub-islands. Despite the no snorkeling, Anguilla still ranks as a favorite, especially for glorious beaches and excellent restaurants.

I consider Stankase an expert on snorkeling on these boards, he's like the "Mr. beach" of snorkeling.

sassy_cat

I found the snorkeling in Anguilla was OK.. the water really is incredibly clear so visibility is great
but although we saw huge shoals of fish they were mostly very small and not particularly diverse.

The places we saw the most fish were Limestone Bay and Captains Bay followed by Shoal Bay East.

hiho322 is back home by now though... !

StanKase

sassy_cat is maybe mixing up seeing fish and snorkeling. Good snorkeling would be where there is healthy coral outcroppings of different varieties i.e. staghorn, elkhorn, brain at least 20+ species of different fish, possible sea turles and sea fans normally in purple and green. Anguilla has just a few fish species and very limited coral types.

sassy_cat

Stan, I described Anguilla snorkeling as OK, not 'good' and I described what I saw (very small fish/ little diversity). We saw very little healthy coral (brain) but we did see sea fans.

Your description of 'good snorkeling' above is what I would refer to as 'very good' snorkeling. You have high standards obviously.

Did you read MissKWilson's post above?

StanKase

Yes, we were to Savanah Bay on a day trip from La samana 3 years ago. I must have been in the wrong part of the bay. I am using St. John, a few spots in the BVI's the WEST END of Curacao as my standard of the few remaining good to very good spots in the often referred to Caribbean. Belize and Roatan though are really considered the Caribbean and they trump almost every spot in the Caribbean. There are a few spots on the reef off Andros Island in the Bahamas that rival the few places I find the best in the Caribbean. Andros actually has the third largest barrier reef after Australia and Belize. But Belize and Honduras do not offer resorts to rival the traditional Caribbean, in my opinion.