I think Coki is the best beach in the VI to snorkel at if you have little kids... There are a ton of fish, it is amazingly clear, you only have to go about 20 feet into the water, and its shallow. The downside is the locals are rude, its PACKED, and its not very big. If you don't have little kids with you or beginner swimmers, then it can be skipped. Coki Dive club (www.cokidive.com) has a explore scuba program where your daughter could do a scuba dive without any training with a padi instructor and you could go along too.

Trunk bay is cool... but waterlemon cay is probably the coolest, there is even a chance at seeing a dolphin at waterlemon.

Cinnamon bay was a good snorkel stop too, but not as good as trunk. Cinnamon was much less crowded though.

In any event you just can't go wrong snorkeling on st. john... I loved it.

Creekdweller -
to answer some of your questions (my first trip to the VI's is coming up in April), here is where I purchased waterproof cases - www.thewaterproofstore.com/softcases.

As far as snorkel gear goes, I think the cost of renting for a week is about the same as buying your own, so it depends on if you want to cart it down there or not. Personally, I didn't like the idea of not knowing how well the mouthpieces were sterilized, so I bought my own.

I bought my dry bags e-bay. 3 for about $20 with shipping. All had cords, clear plastic with roll/velcro tops. One was wallet size, one quart size, one fit towel & camera. Larger than a large ziploc size. All worked great. New $300 camera & hubby went totally underwater getting in the water on the way back to boat at the baths 🙂 Google dry bags.

Watermelon Cay in St. John is the best. We saw huge star fish, turtles feeding and tons of fish. Not crowded

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will check on waterlemon cay since you all recommend it so highly. Do you think anyone else would be there? I don't want to be isolated with just the two of us - and a bit of a swim back to the mainland -- can't shake that nervous mom instinct. : ^) I also found out that there are sailboats at Frenchman's Reef but still not sure about car rentals. Looks like I can get one from HotWire for about 24.00/day, but I have to pick it up at the airport. I posted a question to Dependable, but haven't heard back from them.

- Lana

Hi creekdweller - You know I am smiling about your mother-daughter vacation!

Here are my responses:

1. We are staying at Frenchman's Reef and our package includes round trip airport transfers. Should we skip the transfers and rent a car at the airport, or should we rent at the resort or in Red Hook? Can't I get someone to deliver the car to the resort and that way my first island driving experience won't be trying to find my way to the resort in the dark ?

I don't think you can get anyone to drive car from airport to resort. Of course, anything can be had for a fee. But, I thin kyou are asking if this is customary - no. Where would you rent car at Red Hook? Your hotel is NOT in Red Hook. You are going to be between Charlotte Amalie and Red Hool (but closer to Charlotte Amalie). IMO, rent at the airport and learn fast - not too bad! You can rent from Hotwire and get the deal of a lifetime! C'mon....just take it slowly and watch the road. If you rent in Red Hook ( i Don't know of rental palces in Red Hook), you'l lstill have to get back to Reef on DARK roads...at least the roads from airport are lit to Reef! It isn't bad! I wish I could drive you and show you...honestly! If I was there, I would. If you go with the airport option, I'll email you some instructions on what areas get tricky and how to handle them. I think ther are 2 tricky points - but having a "heads up" will get you past that.

2. If we snorkel on the New Horizons trip, is Trunk Bay still a MUST? Tentatively, we have one day allocated for St. John, and I wonder if we should spend it at Trunk Bay or otherwise exploring the island. I'm a former scuba addict. My 16 year old daughter, on the other hand, wants to snorkel , but I doubt she wants to chase sea turtles with me all week. (We're planning to skip the whole Coki experience as too touristy, but you could change my mind.)

I cannot emphasize this more: Trunk Bay is NOT a snorkel destination! Snorkeling sucks there! it is a beautiful beach and I LOVE IT (see my trip reports year after year)...but the snorkeling is not what I go for. You hardly see anything! It is all hype for the newbie tourists - and they can see so much more at another beach. If you want to go to Trunk Bay, do so for reasons other than snorkeling --- beauty, fruit trees, amenities, showers, etc. Not snorkeling! If anyone tells you that this is the beach for snorkeling, I'll question their STJ knowledge.

3. Should we buy snorkel gear up here or rent it when we get there? Anyone know if it is available by the week at the resort? Do they rent snorkel gear at Trunk Bay? (And is it any good?- I don't need the dry snorkel, just need my mask to seal right)

Hmmm...defer to others. We buy at home - but we are not big snorkelers anymore.

4. Where do you buy the plastic cases that you all recommend for carrying money and keys while snorkeling?
I buy mine anyhere. On this last trip, I bought them at Magens Bay - the fat ones. I like to keep my keys, cash and credit cards in them. Thus, the fat ones are needed. Just check them before you go into the water to make sure you don't have money or something sticking out that will make it leak.

5. Anyone know if there are sunfish or laser sailboats for rent at Frenchman's Reef? Their website is not very helpful.
No help here - sorry!

Blu,
Thanks so much for your advice. OK, I'm getting a car at the airport. I'll go with that. Thanks for the encouragement. I was really surprised about Trunk Bay - I bought the touristy hype- hook, line and sinker!! I am considering a dinghy rental - that would get us to Waterlemon with ease. I'd love your tips on getting from the airport!

- Lana

Hi Creekdweller!

Here's my favorite spots for beach fun.
St. Thomas - Coki and Sapphire - snorkeling on a scale of one to ten = 3
St. John - Maho, Waterlemon and Leinster - snorkleling on a scale of one to ten =9

Trunk Bay is still the most beautiful. Fun place to relax and swim and enjoy a burger and heineken on the beach.

A boat trip to Jost van Dyke to visit the Soggy Dollar Bar for a 'pain killer' is always fun...

I go every year and I love exploring new places each time I visit...

Thanks, Maho. I'm definitely going to try to get to waterlemon, if my daughter is willing. I picked up a couple of dry bags at our local boating/marine supply store. Can't wait!!