Which is the best caribbean island to go for snorkelling?

[philbo32]

We are planning a holiday in the caribbean but can't decide where is best to go. We have decided that we want to go to Antigua or St Lucia but can't decide which one would be best. I have read a website that placed Antigua above St Lucia for sites to snorkel, but we're still not 100% sure where to go. Anyones input of either island would be great.

 

[ackee]

Of the two, I'd pick St Lucia because it's a far prettier and more interesting place. Antigua is more expensive but it almost never rains, so the water is usually very clear. St Lucia has inshore cliffs and coves to snorkel, Antigua has sandy beaches. Grenada has them both beat by a mile. They just don't advertise as much.

 

[jollyballs]

Ive been to st. croix twice and stayed at the divi. you can snokel right out side of the hotel and also there are different places you can pull off the main road and go snorkeling. we had a great time seeing many different things. seen a couple of octopus which were really cool, some flounder, lots of tangs and many other different spieces. but beware of the long spiney urchin. those damn things hurt when you try to touch them. i guess i should have not tried to touch it. also saw lots of different corals and sea fans. also brought a lot of counch shells home, one really big one.

 

[CJO]

We go to St. Croix every year and the snorkeling is excellent. Can't help you with Antigua or St. Lucia.

CJ

 

[cody6766]

I did a quick scuba dive in St Lucia when I was at the Sandals Halcyon for my honeymoon. We dove a shallow reef (20' tops, 12' average) in a cove that was great. It wasn't quite as interesting as some of the reefs in Grand Cayman (snorkeling), but the guide also said that they were diving one of his least favorite spots that day. Unfortunately, my wife had some sinus issues and we didn't go again.

I highly recommend the Halcyon, BTW. It's the smallest of the 3 resorts and the Regency does have better food, but I liked the seclusion and personal service that you get at the Halcyon.

I'm not sure how much that helps since I've never been to Antigua, but there it is

 

[skanderson]

i have been to antigua aobut 15 years ago and to st croix a couple times. i thought that antigua wasnt very nice for snorkling and the island was poor and ugly. it was a nice place to honeymoon though, it was very quiet. st croix was nicer and you can dive at buck island which is a national park. ive also been to the dominican republic which i didnt like. next time i go to the caribean i will go to st croix and st. johns. on st croix my favorite resort is carombola which is one of the most beautiful places ive ever been at and you can snorkle right off the beach. nice condos but it is very secluded and away from town.

 

[SirToppemHat]

We stayed at St. Lucia - Sandals - Regency which I though was the best out of the other 3. We took a catamaran out to the Piton's and had a short snorkel. Lots of fun and saw some interesting stuff. Best vacation spot I've ever been too.

 

[cody6766]

We stayed at St. Lucia - Sandals - Regency which I though was the best out of the other 3.

it is definitely the nicest of the 3. It's a beautiful resort for sure. If I went back it'd be tough to decide if I wanted the Regency or the Halcyon again. For my honeymoon, the Halcyon was perfect. We wanted the peace and quiet. For just a nice vacation, I'd be torn due to the Regency's opulence and food. I was thrilled with La Toc.

 

[Mattias L]

I would rate Tobago much higher than St Lucia from a snorkeling point of view. Bucco reef in the south west of Tobago is absolutely stunning!

 

[ackee]

Bucco reef is spectacular, but you have to be taken there by hiring a boat. Not my idea of snorkeling fun, more suited for cruise ship types who spend an hour or two getting sunburnt in ill-fitting rental equipment. It's also practically the only good shallow snorkeling spot in the area. I love Tobago, but it has some killer currents, frequently rough and murky conditions along the shoreline, and is best suited for experienced scuba divers. The topside scenery and wildlife, especially in the north, are wonderful, more like the mainland than the typically thinner fauna of isolated islands. Grenada, or St Lucia, I think, are much better.

 

[SirToppemHat]

If I went back it'd be tough to decide if I wanted the Regency or the Halcyon again. For my honeymoon, the Halcyon was perfect. We wanted the peace and quiet. For just a nice vacation, I'd be torn due to the Regency's opulence and food. I was thrilled with La Toc.

I'm ready to go back and it hasn't even been a full year yet. I liked that you could catch a bus to the other Sandals and hang out there, the Halcyon was very quaint. There is another pool up the hill at Regency that is very quiet, there is just so many places to go to and everything is included. Definetaly worth checking out.

 

[Mcubed]

Just got back from Antigua and stayed at Sandals. Never been to St. lucia so I can't compare. Had a wonderful trip. Food and service at the resort was great. Not much of anything to see right off the beach as far as snorkeling but the color of the water is beautiful and nice for swimming. Resort has free snorkel and SCUBA (if you are certified) trips. Snorkel boat goes about a mile off shore out to a reef.

Took an Eco Tour with Adverture Antigua and we really enjoyed it. Snorkeled at 3 different locations on the island. The condition of the reefs are not great. They have really taken a hit and are pretty dead. However , we did see new growth from A. cervicornis and A. palmata branching out and encrusting over dead coral in different areas. Lots of sea fans, sponges, porites, brain corals, etc. We were hoping for more but still had a great time.

 

[ackee]

Very bad drought througout Lesser Antilles/East Caribbean since November. St Lucia, Grenada, Antigua, etc. all badly hit by lack of rain. Antigua has actually started rationing water, and St. Lucia, among others, has been importing tankersful of fresh water from Dominica, which itself has seen very little rain. Dominica fills tankers for its drought stricken sister islands at night, when Dominica's many rivers empty into the sea unutilized. Even Dominica has started water conservation measures. No relief is forecast during March. April is still a question mark. This drought, unprecedented during modern times, is one of the predicted effects of global climate change. Check local news outlets. Tourist sites do not mention anything negative.

 

[greenmonkey51]

Very bad drought througout Lesser Antilles/East Caribbean since November. St Lucia, Grenada, Antigua, etc. all badly hit by lack of rain. Antigua has actually started rationing water, and St. Lucia, among others, has been importing tankersful of fresh water from Dominica, which itself has seen very little rain. Dominica fills tankers for its drought stricken sister islands at night, when Dominica's many rivers empty into the sea unutilized. Even Dominica has started water conservation measures. No relief is forecast during March. April is still a question mark. This drought, unprecedented during modern times, is one of the predicted effects of global climate change. Check local news outlets. Tourist sites do not mention anything negative.

I'm going to keep this away from political talk, but we are still in an El Nino cycle and part of that cycle is drought. Blaming a drought on global warming is a little extreme.

 

[ackee]

Greenmonkey, strive for accuracy. I did not write 'global warming', and politics for me are little more than Swiftian farce. That we are experiencing significant global climate change seems likely, though the causes may not always be clear. Sea levels and some oceanic circulation patterns appear to be changing, and polar ice caps are, at least at the moment, diminishing in size. I don't pretend to know their precise causes, but a number of unusual atmospheric and oceanic disturbances , including an extremely extensive 'el nino' pattern that has extended its effects far across the Pacific, have caused some major problems in Asia as well as the Caribbean. These disturbances have been linked to measurable if not always completely explained phenomena that are generally defined as climate change.

The drought in the Caribbean is getting very bad, and is now affecting the Greater Antilles. Green landscapes are turning brown. Water rationing is becoming widespread. As usual, most Americans are unaware, and you can be sure that tourist facilities will get more than their fair share. The rainy season in most the Caribbean starts in a couple of months, so let's hope for the best. Asian monsoons, though, are farther off.

 

[sgiordano]

Try Bonaire, 550 pp on a beach condo with unlimited air fills and a truck for 7 days, a great deal, not to mention 250 for a flight from miami to bonaire...Great diving and snorkeling, very fun place to go, its small and has that old island feel

 

[Ben Wilson]

I would have to second Bonaire for snorkel. I stayed at the Sandals Grande St. Lucian last October for a week. The diving was great, but you wouldn't see much for snorkel. The island was amazing and I would definately recommend it for a vaccation or scuba, but not snorkel.

____________
Ben

 

[bermuda reefer]

How about bermuda!

 

[SirToppemHat]

We're going to Antigua next May (Sandals), yeaya!

 

[laurarca]

This year we went to St. Thomas and St. John...Trunk bay was sweet, but I really expected to see more coral and color. I had a better experience in Boca Raton, Florida!!