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Are there any good snorkel charters or snorkel/sail charters on St. John? Is the snorkeling good right off shore or is it better on a reef that requires a charter? What beach has the best snorkeling? We are pretty experienced and are good swimmers.
Thanks.
If this is your first time to St. John, you'll find plenty of great snorkeling without chartering a boat. We've been twice. The first time, we found plenty of snorkeling — a different beach each day, then returning to the ones we liked best. The second time, we went to a couple of new places, which also were great. But we also rented a boat and went to Virgin Gorda (not for snorkeling, but very cool) and the Islands (excellent snorkeling).
My opinion is that if it's your first time, you'll be fine without a snorkel trip. But if you think you'll never be back, or you don't mind spending the money, then you might want to consider a charter. It also depends on your length of stay.
The beaches I've been to have different characteristics. I haven't been disappointed in any beach, but my favorite is Leinster Bay (not sure about that spelling), followed by Salt Pond Bay.
CG is correct about good snorkeling from the beaches. I liked Waterlemon Cay, Hawksnest and Francis Bays. However, if you are interested in charters, check out Wayward Sailor out of Cruz and White Wing out of Coral Bay. They will take you to places with much greater variety off shore.
