St John Boat Rental – Where’s the Best Snorkeling?
Where’s the best snorkeling on St. John, USVI? Well….everywhere! St. John in the U.S, Virgin Islands is well known for its National Park–40% of which is underwater! Mangrove tree-lined shores, seagrass beds and coral reefs create a lively environment teeming with amazing sea life. At almost every turn, snorkeling off St. John is breathtaking, but based on your swimming abilities and snorkeling experience, there are a few spots we’ll highlight for you.
Just past Cruz Bay on the north side of the island is Honeymoon Bay. Here, the reef is heavy with vibrant corals and a variety of fish. Since the waters here are pretty calm and the reef is near shore, this is a great place for beginner snorkelers or weaker swimmers to wade in and enjoy the sea life.
The shining jewel of St. John is, of course, Trunk Bay, which features an extensive underwater snorkeling trail that’s nearly 700 feet long. Signage identifies corals, schools of colorful fish and stunning sea fans, whips and plumes. Near the shore, the waters are calm, but as you venture out away from the shore along the reef, the currents pick up and can become challenging.
Francis Bay is the perfect place for beginners, with calm waters and colorful sea life visible from the shore. Schools of juvenile fish and small coral heads are abundant close to shore. In about 10 feet of water on the north side of the beach, you’ll see gorgonians, tube sponges, colonies of anemones, and hard corals in deeper water. Francis Bay is a great area to view sea turtles, and larger predator fish chasing smaller schools.
Want to see rays, turtles and starfish galore? Head to Waterlemon Cay, where a seagrass bed is home to a variety of turtles, spotted eagle rays, and a garden of orange cushion sea starfish.
On the south side of St. John, visit Little Lameshur Bay near the Yawzi Point peninsula. There’s a small cluster of rocks protruding from the water that are actually the tops to the mountains below. This area is rich in snappers, grunts and schools of larger fish. On a calm day, deep clefts and canyons yield colorful fish and stunning corals.
Whenever snorkeling a coral reef, remember not to touch the reef in any way, or remove any marine organism, dead or alive. The reef is extremely fragile and many endangered species call this area home. The Caribbean is tremendously affected by climate change, higher sea temperatures, hurricane damage, and other factors, so you can do your part toward conservation by leaving the reefs as you found them.
St John and the Virgin Islands National Park offer some of the world’s best snorkeling among the world’s most beautiful scenery.
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