<i>Days 1-7. Coral Bay Villa, ST John, VI.
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First would like to thank the advice/experiences of previous Caribbean posters such as <font color="blue">Christiegr</font> and <font color="blue">Tuxedocat</font> for sharing their experiences. We previously have visited most of the Hawaiian islands and hope the comparisons are helpful. Based on the previous excellent ST John Trip Reports, we were sure to bring enough $) to avoid ATM’s and were surprised that some gas stations were cash only or accepted credit cards only during 9-5.

Day 1:
Arrived in ST Thomas and shared a cab to reach the Red Hook Ferry to ST John. The cab ride through downtown ST Thomas was an eye opening experience through the narrow, crowded streets and I was glad we were not driving through the chaos of traffic, shops, and businesses. While waiting for the ferry to arrive someone down on approached just about everyone waiting to board the ferry inquiring if they could spare 3-4$). To our surprise our Verizon cell did not work here or on ST John. The only functional cellular service we saw was Cingular. Finally we boarded the ferry and although our large suitcases had wheels it involved some effort to haul them up the steep angle of the ramp from the dock to ferry. Once onboard the ferry departed promptly to ST John through the active harbor while small sargent major fish were visible swimming in the water below.
Upon arriving at Cruz Bay in ST John, we noticed the ferry accommodations were more pleasant than <font color="red">Hook</font> ST Thomas, as there were sheltered benches to sit at providing relief from the near 90 degree heat or passing . We proceeded to rent a Suzuki Vitara and were quite amazed at the dramatic inclines and descents with blind hairpin turns on our way to pick up groceries in Coral Bay. Upon reaching our villa we were most impressed with the private yet ocean front location, and amenities including outdoor hot tub/jacuzzi and charcoal grill, and we promptly unloaded our luggage so we could get in an afternoon snorkel inspired by the beautiful, calm seaside expanse. We headed off to a <b>Lameshur</b> bay at the suggestion of our villa owner, and getting there was quite a rustic driving experience! To our surprise after negotiating the awkward remote backroads a few other jeeps were there with a group of snorkelers in wetsuits and instructor, who were concluding there trip. The beach had a picnic table and a nice sandy area and the water was cooler and calmer than I expected, similar in temp. to waters off Hawaii, definitely cooler than the waters off Cancun which we previously visited about the same time of year. Underwater the most noticeable difference was in the flora in terms of variety of coral, large <font color="purple">sea fans</font> and sea grass vs Hawaii, though the numbers and types of fish present were not that different. After exploring the rocks and reef on the left side, swam back parallel to the beach and was shocked to see a spotted yellow stingray sitting on the bottom a few feet offshore! As dusk approached we headed back to the villa where upon nightfall mucho mosquitos/no see ums &gt; arose to a chorus of tree frogs.

Day2.
Headed over to <b>Caneel Bay</b> Resort which we bypassed initially because of no signage, and parked alongside the many open-air taxi’s in the parking lot. Walked down to the beach and far right to the rocks for snorkeling. Only about half a dozen guests were utilizing the beach and we enjoyed sharing the same access to this relatively empty beach that like most beaches on ST John and in stark contrast to Hawaiian waters, had no surface waves. We initially snorkeled alone past the rocks on the right where a good variety of hard corals including brain, staghorn and particularly impressive <font color="gold">elkhorn</font> coral were host to a variety of fish, some which we had not seen in Hawaii include the small Bluehead, and the reddish squirrelfish and snapper, as well as schools of minnow-like “baitfish”. Spotted an unusual looking “sand diver” fish propped on its fins on the bottom. Later we drove back to Coral bay Connections to arrange an excursion to the British Virgin Island of Virgin Gorda.

Day 3.
Arose early to a cloudy sky to catch the all day snorkel trip to the caves at Norman Island and the Baths on Virgin Gorda aboard Limnos V power. This trip @ $100 per person was a great activity though it did require thorough customs forms to be completed for the few hours . On our way to Cruz bay it rained heavily in the hills and the overcast conditions shrouded ST John until about ½ way to Virgin Gorda where we were again greeted by skies. Upon docking an open air taxi transported the dozen of us to the Baths. Our guide led us through the neat improvised trail under, between, and over the giant boulders and seaside caves to swim in the <font color="turquoise">waters<font color="black"> off the beautiful sandy beach at the baths. Upon returning to the Limnos V we ate a generous lunch with coldcuts and potato, macaroni salad, cookies and complimentary as we headed to the caves at Norman Island. Once moored offshore, we snorkeled in and out of the three caves in the area, which was a unique experience. Other than swimming inside the caves prospecting for treasure, the snorkeling was not much different from what we saw snorkeling off the beaches of ST John. However as the captain signaled the conclusion of the snorkeling a scary 5-ft barracuda was sighted around &amp; under the boat.

Day4.
Went early (before 7:30 AM) to <b>Trunk Bay</b> to beat the $4p.p. admission fee. We enjoyed what seemed to be the finest, whitest sand on the island here and did not find it to be too crowded despite the parking lot later filling up. The short underwater trail was minimally informative, but an interesting way to present oceanic ecological info.
The snack bar had great veggie burgers and pistachio nut ice cream .
Snorkeling highlight was swimming with a mixed school of <font color="blue">surgeonfish<font color="black">, trumpet fish, trunkfish and parrotfish. Later was surprised to encounter a 4 foot tooth baring barracuda near the farthest float of the underwater trail, which a lifeguard assured us was a “harmless” resident. Trunk Bay was definitely our favorite sandy beach on the island. Saw a few large hermit crabs scurrying in and out of small holes on the beach beside us. Few people swam along the rocky shoreline to the right of the bay, where I was rewarded by swimming alongside a small honu (turtle).

Day5.
Checked out <b>Cinnamon bay</b>, because parking lot was full at Trunk Bay. This is a good swimming beach. Snorkeled out to the small island where the variety of fish improved somewhat, but not better than the island in Trunk Bay. Tried snorkeling to the right of the beach near the rocks and most notable was a large French Angelfish in addition to the other usuals. While walking back parallel to the beach something nabbed two of my toes leaving cuts that were slow to heal. While heading back to Coral Bay, we drove down the muddy road to Francis Bay but decided it was too late in the day to snorkel there. Headed into Cruz Bay for some souvenir shopping at Sparky’s for duty-free . Parking was hard to find, but after driving around in circles enough times we found some spaces a few blocks away. Picked up some mahi-mahi and ahi for dinner at the Starfish market, both were delicious.

Day6.
Last full day on the island, we decided to try the hike to <b>Waterlemon Bay</b> based on the advice given at Crabby’s. <font color="blue">Mrs JohnD<font color="black"> did not appreciate the clumps of <font color="red">ants</font> that appeared on the trail every few feet after the road ended. The sign at the entrance stated the hike was about 0.8 mile but it seemed longer to reach the sandy beach where a couple dinghy’s had come ashore from the boats moored in the bay. I snorkeled from within the bay along the rocks to the right where people were swimming from the rocky beach to the island across. There was more of a variety of coral types here than anywhere else on ST John, including a large vase-like coral, that I have not seen anywhere else. There were a couple of turtles hanging out on the bottom. As I returned swimming back into the bay it a current was evident and I was glad I had swim fins on. Sighted a number of shells surrounding a hole in the coral, which contained an octopus upon closer examination. Nearby, a smaller <font color="green"> octopus</font> was hanging out under a tree branch and was well camouflaged. The water was very calm in the bay and wife decided not to swim here. As I swam back towards here I encountered a different dark colored ray actively swimming and feeding on the bottom, which I believe, was a southern stingray. Noticed some pelicans plunging in and out of the water from rock perches back towards the rocky left side of the bay. Snorkeled on for some of the pelicans fishing in a very dense school of baitfish. The school of baitfish began to dart about rapidly but I thought this was due to the dozen or so footlong(blue striped) bar jack fishes, that were following. How wrong I was I turned to the right to see an unmistakably shaped, large shark gliding slowly about 20 ft away. I cursed as I had just run out of film photographing the pelicans, but that was the least of my problems. Not wanting to attract attention away from the pelicans I tried to remain calm and still in the water, but instead of swimming away the ~6 foot long grey shark swam head on closer to me, at this point the adrenaline kicked in I stood up trying to back awkwardly out of the water with fins. I was concerned about stumbling into the long-spined sea urchins scattered around the area as I stumbled backwards holding my underwater camera in front of me in defense. Fortunately, I made it across the rocks to the shoreline and told a couple that was still snorkeling about 20 feet away from me what had happened and they quickly exited, meanwhile some backpackers also happened by and asked the backpackers to give a message to my wife around the bend to bring my sandals to hike out, while I was still in one piece .

After recovering from the shark encounter, stopped for lunch and souvenirs at Skinny Legs where the ambiance was friendly and the food (Veggie burgers) was OK and accompanied by chips instead of fries. Later that day we drove over to <b>Hawksnest</b> beach. The underwater reef is very close to the shore with impressive elkhorn coral. This was the only beach where there were some real waves in the water that made for lively swimming on the right end of the beach. Encountered another southern stingray while snorkeling to the left side of the beach.

Day 7.
Return flight connecting through Puerto Rico, noticed that the liquor prices in the airport duty free stores for some of the items were a couple dollars less than on ST John.

Opinions/Experiences regarding Hawaii vs ST John:
Hawaii sounds and smells nicer and feels more exotic, but the water has more <font color="turquoise">blue </font> colors in ST John, and the water does not get as cloudy in the afternoons as occurs on Maui.

Hawaii has ~gt;~gt;~gt;, and an occassional.
ST John has less ~gt;, and , but many many more free ranging &amp; road sharing goats, donkeys, horses even a 3 or 33.

Last but not least, the snorkeling is different between Hawaii versus ST John, both locations are impressive for different reasons. I’ll always bear in mind the shark encounter.
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JohnD; Great Trip Report! Enjoyed reading the differences between each bay Re: snorkeling, and the places to get a quick meal. Glad you made it through the shark encounter; I always watch the silversides (bait fish) and gulls. When the gulls start diving and the silversides dart away, yes, it could only be jacks, but sharks are usually around, too. It's a bit unnerving to be close to one and not be able to get away quick due to water restraint. Just calmly backing away is the best policy. Enjoyed hearing about the fish, especially the Sand Diver...I yet to see one...Ahhh! Robert

JohnD; Just curious. What fish book do you use to ID the ocean critters? Robert

Wow - what a great, informative trip report. As much as I like snorkeling and seeing all sorts of different coral and fish, seeing a shark is not at the top of what I want to see out there. Too bad you ran out of film; that would have made for amazing photos. Glad you enjoyed your vacation!

Thanks <font color="blue">Robert</font> and <font color="blue">MuyLinda</font>.
We picked up 2 simple fishcards &quot;Reefcombers Guide&quot; and &quot;Marine Invertebrates&quot; for Florida, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean at a store in front of the Skinnylegs bar on ST John, and a more thorough &quot;Virgin Islands Pocket Guide: Corals and Fishes, Florida, Bahamas &amp; Carribean&quot; at Crabby's in Coral Bay.

JohnD,

Thanks. As another Hawaii addict who is visiting St. John for the first time, I appreciated the comparisons.

-Bill

John,
Glad to hear that you had a good trip.

My husband and I had heard that there is an occasional shark at Waterlemon Cay..but did not see one.That must have been a scary experience.

I have also been to Hawaii (Kauai) and I feel that the landscape is more dramatic and beautiful.But I felt that the ocean color and snorkeling was better in St John.I also liked the calmer waters of St John.

Our next trip will include snorkeling at Little Lameshur Bay which I have been told has some of the best snorkeling in St John.

I guess that you did not go there?

Anyways,thanks for the report and glad that I was some help with your planning of the trip.

Christie

Aloha <font color="blue">Christiegr</font> and <font color="blue">Bill</font>.

On the afternoon of the first day we followed our villa owner's suggestion to visit Lameshur bay which involved driving through the roughest conditions we encountered on ST John, definitely recommend having 4WD just in case. Other than the yellow stingray, I did not see as much as we did at Waterlemon-which reminds me that I neglected to mention that I also saw an oval, well-camouflaged, flounder like fish there as well. Perhaps it is better at Lameshur earlier in the day or father out where the boats were anchored, since it was our first day there after a <font color="red">eye</font> flight, I did not swim as far out as I normally do and no one else was snorkeling far out either. Wish I'd heard about the potential for a shark encounter at Waterlemon, would've been more ready.

Hey Bill, I am sure you will have a lovely time enjoying the beautiful beaches and calm waters of ST John.
Did you decide where you are staying

Hey JohnD,

Another fabulous trip report. Always loved your Hawaiian trip reports, so I was glad to have stumbled upon your St John report as I hope to make it down there in Dec 2006.

Most of all, I appreciate your always informative snorkeling details because that's my favorite activity in the tropics. You should visit Provo (Turks &amp; Caicos) if you're considering another trip to the Caribbean soon. Although the snorkeling won't be as varied and plentiful like St John, Grace Bay Beach is a grand 12-mile stretch of the whitest sand and calm, turquoise water. The best Hawaiian beaches felt lackluster after visiting T&amp;C.

Q1: did you find any books on St John that were really helpful? sort of like the Blue Books for Hawaii?

Q2: what agency did you book the Coral Bay Villa through and do you recommend it?

Thanks again St JohnD!!!

JohnD: Great trip report! Isn't it fun however scary at the time, to have a memorable snorkeling experience like your encounter with the shark? I wonder what kind of shark it was, probably a black-tipped reef shark which is common in the Caribbean. The good news is I haven't heard of any significant shark attack reports on St. John. Also, I was wondering which villa you stayed in and what your observations are about it and being out in the Coral Bay area. I think that info. is very interesting to folks on this board who have been considering this side of the island. From your descriptions, it was Little Lameshur you were at. You definitely need to snorkel out towards the boats and farther out towards the point on the left, but only at a time you're comfortable with. Towards the end of the day always increases chances of encountering sharks because it's one of their active feeding times. Too bad it sounds like you didn't get a chance to eat at Miss Lucy's despite your close proximity.

We are joining our grown children in St. John in late January-we would like to give them a Christmas Gift of a sail/snorkle trip from St. John to perhaps Virgin Gorda. Any suggestions as to how to purchase now and have it ready for them when they arrive? Thanks in advance, Donna

JohnD,
We are staying at Caneel Bay for the first 5 nights and then a week in a small cottage that overlooks Mary's Creek and is a few minutes walk to Francis Bay.

http://www.stjohnusvi.org/new_page_16.htm

Thanks again for a great trip report. When are you going back to our favorite hell-hole, Kaua'i?
-Bill

Mahalo <font color="blue">Bluefan</font>, always appreciate your helpful comments. If you search this forum there are a couple of guidebooks others have recommended, I could not find them in stock at the local bookstores, but did briefly browse through them at the store in front of Skinny Legs in Coral Bay-the maps were not on par with the Hawaii <font color="blue">bible</font> series.

We relied heavily on the free &quot;ST John Map 2005&quot; :340-693-8375, email: <font color="blue">[email protected]</font>, which shows some downtown Cruz Bay Merchant locations and indicates pretty clearly where most of the beaches are on the other side of the map. ST John is small compared to most of the Hawaiian isles, and our villa owner indicated that the locals encourage people to snorkel around the island. I think &quot;Haulover Bay&quot; was the only location we had trouble locating. Otherwise we purchased <font color="orange">Fodors 2006</font> US &amp; British Virgin Islands guide and <font color="red">AAA</font>s Caribbean Guide. We found our villa through <font color="blue">www.vrbo.com</font>, and a search of the internet revealed positive reviews and after our trip I noticed in a previous post <font color="blue">Tuxedocat</font> has stated it was in a great location. IMHO, I think its best for people to ask about what properties they are considering to stay at on this board to get the latest info. from multiple sources, as in a previous trip report another fodorite tried to label me as a travel agent, which I am not.

<font color="blue">Tuxedocat</font>, in answer to your question the translation of the name of the villa is <font color="blue">forever</font>. The shark had no black markings, so I believe it was a &quot;Grey reef shark&quot; see gallery: <font color="blue">marinebio.org/species.asp?id=93</font>

Hey <font color="blue">Wookie1</font>, The boat trip from ST John to Virgin Gorda was aboard the Limnos V which is a power boat only, we booked our trip through &quot;Connections&quot; which IMHO would be best informed about sail/trip options and they have an office located next to Skinny Legs Bar, :340-779-4994, and another supposedly @ Trunk Bay : 340-776-6922, <font color="blue">www.connectionsstjohn.com.</font> Our trip required a minimum of 12 people in order to go, so please inquire about advance booking options.

Hey Bill, looks like we're headed to the Caribbean again in the spring, not sure when we'll get back to K`auai, might visit Oahu in the summer though
I am sure you will enjoy your stay at Caneel and look forward to your ST John villa trip report!

JohnD: I'm no shark expert, but while we were there visiting the USVI/BVI, we saw several nurse sharks, which all the residents told us were harmless...the same with the barracudas (just don't antagonize). They seem to be common down there. Still scary though!

Another board that's helpful with carribean info is TTOL...traveltalkonline.com

Pirates Penny is a boat that will take out only 6-8 people...highly recommended! (More personable attention with fewer people per a friend who lives there). We enjoyed it immensely!

Thanks, JohnD,for the most excellent trip report! I especially enjoyed your comparisons with Hawaii and think you are 'spot on'!

Belle

JohnD,

Thanks so much for the great report!!

My wife &amp; I will be in St John in the fall, and can't wait(first trip there). Definitely plan on hitting all the snorkel spots we can get to in 10 days.

Waterlemon is already on the list along with Lameshur. I can only hope to see a shark. I've seen plenty of nurse sharks, but never a reef shark. I'm pretty sure that although startling, a reef shark is not a man-eater, thus somewhat harmless.

Your report was a great read, and I really appreciate you taking the time to share with us all.