Snorkeling on St John
St John is located in the US Virgin Islands, lattitude 18, longitude 64. The water temperature averages 80 degrees year round. The Caribbean water is warm and clear creating ideal conditions for snorkeling.
Snorkeling on St John is completely safe. Thousands of people every year explore the coral reef. Sharks are not a threat to snorkelers. When snorkeling there are two things you need to be aware of: currents
and sea urchins.
Snorkeling in a current can be decieving. Many people don't realize there is a current until they turn around to come back. You can use the soft corals, such as sea fans, to gauge the strength and direction of
the current while snorkeling.
Sea urchins, fire coral and coral in general should never be touched. Even a minor graze against coral can create a slowly healing wound. Sea urchins have venomous spines that will send you to the bar for a
painkiller. Keep in mind snorkeling on St John isn't dangerous, just don't touch.
 Guided
St John Snorkel Tours
To truly experience the best snorkeling St John
has to offer you have to get out on a boat to the
offshore coral reefs and islands.
Almost all day trips offer snorkeling. These are
the tours that truly focus on exploring the reefs.
Guided snorkeling tours with professional naturalists
who know their stuff and know where the best snorkeling
is. For these trips, the reef is not a side tour,
it is the destination... |
 St
John Snorkel Destinations
Of course there are plenty of excellent places to
snorkel right off the beaches of St John. In fact
that is what makes the US Virgin Islands so unique.
The Virgin Islands National Park has set aside many
of these areas for protection. As a general rule
you want to walk to the end of the beach and snorkel
the rocky points or if there is a nearby cay, snorkel
that.
The farther off the beaten track you go, the better
the snorkeling is. Here are the top picks for prime
snorkeling within reach from St John.... |
| snorkeling 101 | snorkeling
off st john | st john snorkeling
tours | where to snorkel on
st john | email
us at info@stjohnsnorkeling.com |
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To begin your St John snorkeling adventure stop by the Virgin
Islands National Park visitor center for a free map. The map highlights all the coral reefs on St John and
surrounding islands in purple. With this map of the National Park you can find the best snorkeling easily.
Snorkeling Trunk Bay
There is a guided underwater snorkeling trail at Trunk Bay on the North Shore of St John. It is a collection of underwater signs explaining the species on the coral reef.
The US Virgin Islands are blessed with a large variety
of species and you can learn about them on this underwater
snorkel adventure. You will be snorkeling around a small
island called Trunk Cay.
On cruise ship days Trunk Bay can be crowded
with throngs of snorkelers viewing the reef. Also there
is a $4 entrance fee for this Virgin Islands National
Park beach. There is also snorkel gear for rent.
Best
bet, come early or late and bring your own snorkeling
equipment.
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