Snorkeling in St. John, US Virgin Islands

Paradise found. As I snorkeled the ethereal underwater world of St. John, I forgot all my earthly woes. It was the most beautiful and accessible snorkeling that I’ve found. From most of the bays reviewed in http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/Snorkeling.htm, you can swim right from the beach into fairly shallow water and begin snorkeling at a reef, resplendent with sea life, without having to rent a boat or venture out into deep water. Summer is the best time to visit; the ocean is clearer, warmer, calmer, and more inviting than in the winter or early spring. The island’s edges are scalloped with protected bays, which make for ideal snorkeling and lovely beaches. The waters surrounding St. John are safer than many of the other places I’ve ventured underwater, with very few incidents of shark attacks ( I researched this before the trip), so I felt very safe, but the currents—in some places—can be vicious, so be cautious.

Speaking of currents, we snorkeled at Leinster Bay and Waterlemon Cay on our second day out. It’s a good walk on the Leinster Bay Trail (0.8 miles) from the parking lot to the beach, so bring a lunch; you’re going to be there for a while, and you’re going to be hungry after snorkeling. The snorkeling is interesting and colorful all the way from the beach to the far tip of the bay where you swim across to Waterlemon Cay (pronounced “key”), a tiny island just off the tip of the beach. We hoped to spot a sea turtle here as we had during our last visit to St. John, but had to make due with lots of starfish and an enormous stingray, a remora attached. You have to swim across Sir Francis Drake Channel, about a 0.1 mile distance, to get to Waterlemon Cay, but it’s well worth it: the shallow reef surrounding the little island was the most enchanting that I’ve ever seen—snorkeling or scuba diving. Snorkeling there was the most magical experience I’ve ever shared with my two daughters, ages 16 and 19. It was teeming with brilliant tropical fish, coral, and sea fans; we were all grunting and waving to each other to say, “Come, look what I’ve found!” Swimming to the island was no problem, but on the way back we encountered an unbelievably strong current; we swam as fast and hard as we could to fight it, but it seemed we weren’t making any progress. It was frightening for my husband and I because we were worried about our daughters, but they didn’t seem too frazzled by the experience once we arrived back on the beach. We’d been warned about the current, but didn’t think it would be anything we couldn’t handle. We are four very fit, very athletic people; I wouldn’t want to confront that current if I were unfit or had small children. One man had to carry his girlfriend/wife on his back as he swam across the channel.

Our first day out exploring St. John was much less eventful. We snorkeled at Salt Pond Bay and saw—among many other wondrous sea creatures—a school of cute reef squid, trying to swim by us unnoticed. Thousands of spiny, black sea urchins covered the reef. A nice walking trail can be found at the far end of the beach. The third day we snorkeled at Haulover Beach, where you will find an underwater hill of a coral reef as soon as you enter the water. Schools of blue tang, parrotfish, and barracuda were prevalent. Octopuses were everywhere, hiding in their little shell piles. We also snorkeled at Kiddel Bay, which I wasn’t crazy about because it was too deep and more suitable for scuba diving: I couldn’t see the abundant sea life very well from the surface. Someone who likes to free dive would enjoy it; the reef structure is impressive, with deep grooves and tunnels for the colorful sea creatures to hide in and swim through. Kiddel is difficult to locate. It’s off a rocky dirt road just past the entrance to Salt Pond Bay. Luckily we ran into someone who directed us to the parking area, which is down a very steep, rutted, rocky piece of of dirt road. And lastly, we snorkeled at Salomon Bay, which you can walk to from Cruz Bay on the Lind Trail. The entrance to the trail is right behind the National Park Visitors Center; it’s a little less than a mile to the beach. We snorkeled there the last day before we left St. John, after we had returned our rental jeep. You have to snorkel out a few hundred feet over a white sand bottom before you find anything interesting.

Trunk Bay is the most famous St. John beach, but it’s crowded, parking is limited and it’s the only beach where you have to pay an admission fee, so we didn’t go there this time. If you’re a beginner, this might be ideal for you; there’s a snorkeling “trail” and a lifeguard.

Bring your own gear. We got this snorkeling set for our daughter who’d outgrown her old equipment; she was very happy with it. It has smaller “travel” fins, but they were as effective as my large fins and lighter and easier to carry; also, the set comes in its own little backpack. Don’t forget your fin socks; they will come in handy for walking on some of the rockier beaches. You can rent gear at several places in Cruz Bay—they even rented it out at the little store at our resort, Gallows Point—but I like my own because I’m comfortable with it.

So many beaches to explore, so many bays to snorkel. Check out http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/Beaches.htm for thorough information on all the great beaches in St. John. Jumble Bay was tiny, but had the prettiest, most romantic white sand beach, and there was no one else there. It would be a great beach for lovers. Maybe next time.