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Hello! My wife and I will be staying in a rental property on St. John, pretty close to Cruz Bay, thanks to input from many of you. I have a couple of questions (and I am sure we will have more as the trip gets closer).
First, I read the thread regarding 4WD vehicles, and I get the feeling that it is a good idea to rent 4WD for driving on St. John, so that is what I reserved. I don't need 4WD to get to the house I am renting, so should I still rent 4WD, or will a Taurus do? Also, the 4WD that I currently have reserved is a Jeep Wrangler, with a soft top, from Budget. Is that a good idea, from a security perspective? I'm guessing I could not leave anything in that car, since it does not lock (or does it?). Is it advisable to upgrade the 4WD to one with doors that lock securely? I love the idea of travelling in a Jeep with the top off, but I am concerned about the security.
Next, are we better off buying snorkel gear, or just renting it? I know this question has come up, but I cannot find anything on this board. We will be snorkeling at least 3-4 days, and want the flexibility to snorkel when and where we want to. From a financial perspective, how many times do you have to rent mask/fins/snorkel before it makes sense to just buy them? Outside of our trip to USVI, we would only have a couple other opportunities each year to use the equipment if we were to purchase.
I really appreciate all of your help.
Joe
Hi Joe... We're going through the same decision process regarding snorkeling gear. Financially, it's probably cheaper to rent. here;s snorkeling gear rental pricing from Cruz Bay Watersports...
http://www.divestjohn.com/snorkel.html
$50/week for a full set. But, I've heard from others that you never know what will be available depending on the season and what the quality will be. I think we'll be buying some gear and taking it with us just so i know that we have the right fitting stuff. There are other rental places, but Cruz Bay Watersports is the only one with pricing on line that I've found.
...ron
just my opinion......I always rent a 4-wheel drive .... you may feel more secure with off road fun and maybe explore a little more.........as far as secure... even a locked car is not secure down here........in certain locations a open car is better than cleaning up the broken glass on your front seats.......only leave things you don't want anymore in your car...........personally I would buy a snorkel and mask ....... a leaky mask can ruin a day trip..........you can rent fins cheap for the week........
We actually purchased a very nice snorkel set (mask, snokel and small fins) for about $40 at BJ's Wholesale Club last year. I have seen similar ones at Costco too. I think the brand was U.S. Diver.
Surprisingly, they worked extremely well for us, didn't fog up and kept a good seal with little leakage. Since the fins were smaller they also fit nicely in my suitcase.
We have now used our snorkel gear two times since going to SJ and it has more than paid for itself.
lbrlwyr
Get the 4 wheel drive just for peace of mind you might not need it but if you do there is no sawdusted for it I have never had a problem with stuff in my wanglers but then I don't leave my cameras or wallet in it but I'll throw my snorkel stuff in it when I get there and not take it out till I leave.
tom
We bought snorkel gear at Target for about $25-$30 and it was perfect. I'd go ahead and buy it.
By all means go with the jeep. Unfortunately, most rentals won't let you remove the top. Ditto to the aboves, if you want to keep anything don't leave in the jeep!
There are some great snorkeling beaches that you can't get to in a car (my wife was not too thrilled even in a jeep until we got there). Also, there is a lot to see on STJ and some of it is off dirt roads.
I would also recommend having your own mask and snorkel but renting the fins. A mask that fits makes a big difference in your enjoyment.
I agree. We bought snorkel gear online on sale in Dec ( flippers also). I also bought waterproof bags on ebay. They came in a set of 3 ( rolling top secured with velcro. Had our $300 camera in it when we swam to shore at the baths. The whole bag went under...no problem. One bag was small enough for money & driver's license & keys. There is a strap & you can take it when you snorkel. Leave the rest in the condo/villa. People say not to leave things in the cars. We actually left all our gear on the ground next to our jeep & drove away. 10 minutes later when we got out at another beach & discovered what we did. Hubby drove all the way back to see some nice people moved it to the grass!
Just to be sure you know all of the facts, the jeep wranglers from Budget do not have the plastic window coverings - they do have the soft top - but you'll always have the open-air breeze. 90% of the time, that's just fine. However, it is a little inconvenient if you're dressed-up for a celebration dinner (wind), or get any lingering rain while you're there.
Otherwise - I've rented both the Tauras and the Jeep and would choose the Jeep.
I'd definitely recommend buying snorkeling gear. You can get a pretty decent set for $50 or a little less. That way you'll be sure to have a mask that fits you, and you won't be grossed out by other peoples' tooth marks in the mouthpiece 🙂
Ok call me crazy! So the jeeps from budget have no windows??? If that is the case we need to rent something that closes up. I would hate to have wet seats everytime it rains.
I'm planning my first trip to the VI's, and I've only snorkeled once before - and didn't like the idea of putting something in my mouth that had been in others'. (I'm a dental hygienist, so call me paranoid when it comes to that sort of thing) I bought my own from Dicks Sporting Goods for $40 to take with me this time. It didn't come in a mesh bag tho, which I thought would be better. It's a plastic bag with holes in it to drain. Anyway, tried it out in the pool to make sure mask didn't leak - good to go! The others going with me SAY they're not into snorkeling, but I'll convince them otherwise when we're there, and then they'll have to rent. Buy your own, it's not going to take up that much luggage space.
Here's a picture of our Jeep. In great shape - but NO WINDOWS. I even called to see if I could get some plastic, and they said they never have any window coverings in their jeeps.
