By Jim
Does anyone have any tips on snorkeling in Dominica? How about recommendations for good snorkel boat tours in St. Lucia? I’m headed there in late February 2023.
Thank you.
By Jim
Does anyone have any tips on snorkeling in Dominica? How about recommendations for good snorkel boat tours in St. Lucia? I’m headed there in late February 2023.
Thank you.
My son and I snorkeled in St Lucia last winter. At the time, it was the best bet with COVID and reduced flights to other locations. Overall, the snorkeling was disappointing.
The two best spots are national parks with the shore controlled by resorts, so boat tours are definitely the best way to get there, but the one boat tour we took only let us snorkel for 90 minutes.
Both sites were lovely, but small, with about one hour’s worth of pretty good snorkeling. Lots of fish and pretty good coral.
If you want to drive to these sites, the roads are narrow and twisty, and you need to park quite a distance from the shore and walk. Still your best bet, as you can then stay as long as you want. The sites we visited that did not involve walking into a resort were only OK and you need to be careful about current near the tips of the reefs.
We stayed in a VRBO rental on the northern end of the island, where most of the tourist infrastructure was. We found the further north, the infrastructure was not there, unless you are a very adventuresome tourist.
We rented a car, but most of the best snorkeling sites were in the mid or southern end of the island, so we spent at least two hours a day in the car. I live in Vermont, so the roads did not bother me as much as it seemed to bother most tourists, but it is not easy driving. Traffic in the settled areas could get quite bad.
The island is beautiful with a lot of rain forest hiking available, and the food was good.
I’m afraid I won’t be going back.
Hi, we just got back a few days ago from 2 1/2 weeks in Dominica and St. Lucia. Although the trip was mainly focused on hiking, we snorkeled on both islands.
We stayed in Soufriere, Dominica for three days, and went on a kayak snorkel trip with Soufriere Outdoor Centre. We paddled north a few kilometers to Pointe Guignard and snorkeled around it with our guide, a local Dominican. We saw lots of fans and especially yellow tube sponges, but not many fish. It was a very fun way to spend the afternoon.
We didn’t go to the classic spot, Champagne Reef, which is a few km further north. The next day I snorkeled from shore at Bubble Beach, and it was good also. You can swim through bubbles coming up from the ocean floor, like at Champagne Beach. This was a real highlight!
We stayed in Soufriere St. Lucia for three days (many of these islands have a locations called Soufriere since it means sulphur in French, due to the volcanic origins of the islands).
One day we used the snorkel gear at our Airbnb and walked a few km south to Malgretoute Beach for some shore snorkeling. It was pretty good, but not outstanding. I saw lots of little two inch jellyfish, which stung a bit.
We took a boat tour ($75 USD each for 2 1/2 hr) to three snorkeling sites, two of which were at Anse Chastenet. Galen and Nicole have a detailed write up on this spot. We went to zones 1 and 3, and found pretty much what they did, which is to say quite good!
The third spot was within a kilometer of the town beach, and was our favorite. There were rocky pinnacles with lots of fans, tube sponges, and barrel sponges. You could get to this spot from the town beach by hugging the rocky shore.
So overall, there is some good snorkeling to be found on these two islands. Feel free to ask any questions about the islands.
Ellen, what were the two St Lucia snorkeling sites? Thanks.
We have snorkeled the Champange Reef several times – all when taking a cruise. It was a great snorkel. The last time we were there was in December 2019 so I’m not sure if it is still very good.