St. John Crowds
 

Hi. Just wanted to see if you all had any input on the crowds in St. John in Jan-May......as well as the weather. I was hearing a lot of people talk about the winter swells and the roughness of the water. The only time I've been was in May, and it was beautiful, calm water nearly every day......and hardly any crowds.

I know winter (Jan-early April) is high season, but are the beaches all crowded during those months.....or is it basically that the prices just double.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

We have been there twice in March.
Some days were a bit windy - but we were able to take boat trips, snorkle and enjoy the beaches with no problems.

Some beaches are more crowded than others. Maho Bay and trunk Bay I remember being quite crowded, but some of the smaller beaches are mostly empty. My recommendation would be to rent a jeep and get the book "fins, feet and four-wheel drive" and check out some of the smaller beaches if you're looking for peace and quiet.

When we went in January 1999 the water was very rough. You could surf in Cinnamon Bay!

By May, the swells from the winter storms to the north have receded, and you'll have pretty calm water. The high season crowds will also be lighter.

We were in STJ in march of this year and the water was not calm like I was hoping due to north swells. It was much worse the week before we were there but sea conditions still were not ideal. Plus the water was too cool for my liking. The air temp and wind (light breeze) was absolutely perfect though. And we still had rain and clouds during the driest month of the year. This is the first time we have ytraveled in high/winter season and will porbbaly be the last. The higher cost, rougher/cooler water and more crowded conditions make it not worth it. May/June is the time to go.

The beaches definietly were more crowded than in low seaon. it wasn't terrible but definietly noticeable.

Good Morning,

We always go 2nd Week in May. We can always avoid the more crowded areas by not going to Trunk or Cinnamon on days when the Cruise Ships are in at CA, St. Thomas. If the swells do occur, which they did for a couple days last year, we will go to the Coral Bay area. Salt Pond Bay and Lameshur Bay are excellent areas to go. We like to snorkel and will always have a back up plan in mind.

I would recommend the book ST.JOHN FEET, FINS & FOUR - WHEEL DRIVE by Pam Gaffin. Some very good tips and ideas for your trip.

Cheers