Lolly100

Hi! I'm taking a cruise in a couple weeks and stopping at St Maarten, Dominica, St Lucia, Margarita Island and Aruba. I've snorkeled before in Cancun, Maui & Jamaica. Maui by far was my best experience.

Where would you recommend the best spot to snorkel from the 5 islands above? I wouldn't mind snorkeling offshore, or taking a boat to a destination. Just trying to find the best snorkeling I can! Thanks!

Statia

I can only comment on St. Maarten, and there aren't a whole lot of options there.

My suggestion would be to take the Rhino Safari Tour. They take you to Creole Rock in Grand Case, not to mention the fact that it's a fabulous, fun trip to get there.

http://www.rhinoridesxm.com/

ejcrowe

For a wonderful experience with pretty good snorkeling, try a daysail on St. Lucia that goes south to the Pitons. You'll find the scenery to be outstanding and the snorkeling to be good. I don't know any tour operators to recommend, however.

jlint3024

I HAVE EXPERIENCED SNORKLING IN ARUBA AND IN ST MAARTEN AND BOTH WERE RELATIVELY POOR IN MY OPINION. MY EXPERIENCE WAS SHORE SNORKLING - NOT SNORKLING FROM A TOUR. ARUBA HAS A SNORKLING ISLAND (DE PALM ISLAND http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...and-Aruba.html) - QUITE WINDY AND THE WATER IS CHOPPY, BUT THE FISH ARE ABUNDANT - YOU NEED GOOD SWIMMING.

ST MAARTEN (DUTCH AND FRENCH SIDES) HAVE LITTLE GOOD SNORKLING FROM THE BEACHES; ALSO QUITE WINDY AND THE WATER IS NOT SO FLAT. A NICE SPOT IN PINEL ISLAND A SHORT 10 MINUTE 'FERRY' RIDE AWAY. THE 'FERRY' IS AN OPEN BOAT SEATS ABOUT 20 PEOPLE - RUSTIC / SAFE.

Lolly100

Thanks for your replies! From my research it did sound like Pinel Island was a good bet on St Maarten.

But ejcrowe's suggestions on sailing to the Pitons and snorkeling sounds wonderful! Can anyone recommend any good tour operators?

ejcrowe

This is something I copied from another post on this forum. It is the response of brenandg, who post frequently about St. Lucia.
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While on St Lucia, I would recommend two things to get to see alot of the island in a short time. One would be to hire a taxi for the day after you get there. They are plentiful and you can probably negotiate a pretty good price. Would recommend going to Soufriere to see the Pitons, botanical gardens (very pretty), volcano (worth seeing, but not that exciting) and any other scenic spots along the way. The taxi drivers know where to take you and it is an enjoyable day. If that is too much driving for you, you could look into a land and sea adventure. sunlinktours.com offers one and your cruise ship probably does as well. This is by taxi to Soufriere and back by boat or vice versa. Sun links price is $120pp

At any rate, whatever you decide, getting to Soufriere to see the Piton's is a "must do". Sounds like you have some great, lush islands to explore on your trip.
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The only issue is making sure you get back to the cruise ship before it departs. This is one reason folks recommend booking tours through the cruise ship, even though those tours are more expensive than booking on your own. Have a great time!

ONZGO

I have been to both islands and I prefered the snorkeling on St. Lucia compared to St. Maarten. St. Lucia is the better island for scenery as well, although the beaches are nicer on St. Maarten because St. Lucia is a volcanic island and many of the beaches are gray to black sand beaches. You should try to see the Pitons from a catamaran. We did the half land and half catamaran tour of the Pitons and we loved it.

brenandg

Lolly100
If you are interested in snorkeling, I would do the Land and Sea Tour while on St Lucia. Some of the best snorkeling in STL is reportedly near the Piton's and you would probably get 2 stops on this type of excursion for snorkeling. Also a stop at Marigot Bay and a chance to see some things by land as well. This may have gotten off track from your original question about which place is best for snorkeling, but just some recommendations for your day in STL.

Lolly100

Thanks for all the great replies...it sounds like St Lucia is the winner for snorkeling! The half land/half sea tour visiting the Pitons sounds perfect. I checked out sunlink tours - thanks for the suggestion ejcrowe. Is this the tour company you used, onzgo? Was the snorkeling in the marine reserve near the Pitons?

ejcrowe

You're quite welcome, but I can't take credit for the suggestion. I only found a different post from brenandg and copied it into your post.

I've snorkeled at the base of the Pitons which is part of a marine reserve, but I don't know what the tours do for their snorkeling stops. It was beautiful and colorful and the water got deep VERY fast. It was also my first snorkeling experience, so it retains a bit of magical quality in my memory.

ONZGO

It has been a few years since we have been to St. Lucia and we booked our tour at our hotel when we got there and I am sorry, but I don't remember the name of the tour company now. It is such a beautiful and romantic island, just don't expect the prettiest whitest beaches in the Caribbean.

Lolly100

I noticed through my cruise, they are offering an excursion on a catamaran from Castries to Soufiere.

The catamaran goes to Soufiere and stops. They we get a brief tour of the sulphur springs and a plantation. Then we board the catamaran to go snorkel at Anse Couchon. I have read good things about this snorkeling spot on this forum.

Does anyone have any experience with this particular excursion?

Donzababe

I have been to all of the above islands and found Dominica to have the best snorkeling. You can go right to Roseau (take a taxi) five minutes away to the champagne reef. The same excursion will cost you about $60 per person and you can see the ship from where they take you. Natives were snorkeling right at the same spot. It is very cool because Dominica sits on a volcano and the ocean floor is warm. Our guide stuck his snorkel into the ground and diamond like bubbles appeared, like champagne, and the water was actually hot. Very cool.