Hi, If you do a search on this forum for "snorkeling" a ton of info will be at your fingertips. Many people have given great details of their snorkeling adventures on St. John and you will have more tips than you'll know what to do with!

General consensus (myself included) seems to be that Waterlemon Cay is by far the best!

Bottom line, there is no such place as a bad place for STJ snorkling, each place is better than the one next to it. ByRequest's advise is the best, enjoy!

One of the great features of STJ is how much good snorkeling there is right off the beaches. Get a guide book or two---we have and use "STJ: Off the Beaten Track" and "Feet, Fins and 4WD". Go forth and explore the island.

Was amazed at the high quality of the snorkeling at Haulover North on the East End in April - not as affected by the coral bleaching that was evident elswhere. Feet, Fins and 4WD details exactly where this and other top spots are on STJ.

Leinster Bay/Watermelon Cay for sure...and there was hardly any other people there when we were. That's always a plus!

Where do we rent the digny to get to watermelon cay?

Noah's Arc and other dinghy rental places are right in Cruz Bay.

Thanks

I just read this- we can't believe it but still after 4 trips have NOT snorkled around Watermelon Cay at all- we need a dinghy to get there, it isn't close to the Ruins? Enlighten me please someone! Thanks

Don't sweat it, you do NOT need a dinghy! Just park up by Annaberg and walk down the Leinster Bay Path.

Thanks #1, that makes lots of sense to me, whew, I feel better now!

We rented from Calypso -- get the larger boat that holds 4 and the steering in the middle -- see comments in other thread. We just got back and had a great time.

Where would you recommend for a beginner, as in never snorkeled before. We will be traveling to STJ in December and want to try it. Is rental equipment okay? Available everywhere?

Its pretty much everywhere, many hotels and Maho Bay rent equip and there are shops in Cruz Bay I think. Search this Board for messages about rentals. We rented the first time we came to STJ and didn't come home with any diseases so IMHO, rent! You might love it and want to buy your own equip for future trips like we did or not. If you aren't a good swimmer, by all means rent a vest or swimmers belt too to take the nervousness away. Remember that the depths are quite magnified (no one told me this) and you'll think you're in 20 feet of water when its really only 3 or 4 so be "prepared" for the difference. Just make sure you are happy with how the mask and mouth piece feel and re-adjust the mask if it leaks. Wear a tshirt or lots of waterproof sunscreen as you will burn. Its another world and I hope you love it!

I found inexpensive snorkel gear at Bass Pro Shop here in Texas before I went and it was light weight and wasn't a problem packing. I paid 19.99 for a Body Glove mask and snorkel set but wish I had gotten the set for 34.99 that included the fins. We rented fins and could have bought them for less than the weekly rental. We LOVED snorkeling and hadn't ever done it before and every beach at St. John has areas of reef to explore so you may want to buy instead of rent. You could get a couple and then the whole family share them... surely cheaper than renting for everyone. An easy snorkel is Trunk which is close to shore and you can see lots of fish and read the underwater trail signs... just look for the bouys to know where to start. We had our best snorkel day at Caneel Bay where you can see alot of fish... similar to Trunk Bay but also there are sea grass beds where giant sting rays and sea turtles are plentiful enough to see several at a time~