Buck Island or Trunk Bay

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Kim D.

Guest
Hi, Were sailing on RC's Explorer August 10th. St. Thomas will be one of our stops...Only their for 10 hours. Which place would be best for snorkeling...Buck Island or Trunk Bay...or any other good spots? My kids aged 8 + 9 have never been snorkeling before. We also want to go on the Atlantis submarine (2 hrs.) and take in some shopping. Any opinions or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!
 
H

Hawkeye

Guest
Kim -

I've been both places and, presonally, prefer Trunk Bay. The snorkeling is great in both places but I think the above-water scenery is much nicer at Trunk Bay. It was nice to snorkel for awhile, get something to eat from the little snack bar and hang out on the beach at Trunk Bay between trips into the water.

Buck Island snorkeling is from a boat with no beach access. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that and I enjoy doing that, too, but having the beach as another option was just really nice.
 
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MikeInPgh

Guest
I have done both and also Coki beach and the Captin Nautica trip. I love the Cap Nautica trip, but it might be a bit much for small kids. I would go with either Trunk Bay or Coki Beach. The Coral World Aquirium is right there and it is pretty cool for kids.

Buck Island is not for kids, as was said before, you snorkel right off the boat and it is deep in the middle of the cove (45 feet or more) and there is a lot of sharp coral.
 
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Kim D.

Guest
Thank you everyone for your replies, we appreciate your help. Take care,

Kim
 
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EMS8

Guest
I've been to both places as well. There is much more underwater sea life at Buck Island. However, with 2 small children I would suggest Trunk Bay. It is a beautiful place to snorkel and if you get tired, you can sit on the beach and enjoy the view. Hope this helps.
 
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Tropical1

Guest
I snorkeled both places and I much prefer Trunk Bay. The boat ride over is fun, the island bus ride to the Bay is gorgeous and the beach is extremely beautiful. The near shore waters are not as clear as the waters around desert islands like Aruba or Curacao (the abundant rain of St. John washes sediment into the waters around the island) however, you can still see lots of fish, the underwater snorkel trail, etc. St. John should not be missed. Open ocean snorkeling is harder I think, than snorkeling in a bay. Have fun!
 
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