I've heard the beaches on Tortola are nothing special and that the waters are very rough? Can anyone confirm/deny this? I was also wondering how the snorkling is... Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I am a huge fan of Tortola and have been there twice recently. The beaches are small, but the waters on the north side are calm. Avoid Apple Bay and go with Cane Garden Bay instead. Small, but one of the prettiest with great beach bars. <BR>Snorkeling is great at Norman Island which you can get to through several charter boats...The Indians and the Caves are awesome.

The north shore beaches of Tortola are lovely, each with a different personality. Some do indeed have rough waters, especially during the winter. However, some like Smuggler's Cove and Brewer's Bay are almost always calm.

The two best beaches are Smuggler's and Brewers and neither is as affected by the North swells that can plague the beaches on Tortola. The snorkling is done mostly on day trips or boat trips out to Monkey Point and the hundreds of other wonderful spots! Before swimming on CGB, you might want to check some of the recent local reports as to the water conditions there with all the boats that moor there!

The beaches at Peter Island (just off Tortola) are the most spectacular I've ever been to. Long, wide swathe of powdery white sand with clear, blue-green water and fabulous snorkeling. Very few people as well. I didn't want to leave. I don't think you have to stay there to visit the beaches, but if you can stay I would recommend it. In addition to the main beach, there are two smaller, but equally pretty, beaches on the island that are all but deserted.

Quite the contrary! Tortola beaches are gorgeous, and as someone above said, each has it's own personality. We've been to almost every island in the caribbean and Tortola is one of our favorites. Snorkeling is good at Brewer's and Smuggler's, but it is superb at other BVI sites as others here have mentioned (Monkey Point, The Indians and many spots on Virgin Gorda) are the best I've seen.