Want to stay updated to Life on St. John - subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Mangrove Snorkel at Hurricane Hole, St. John, Virgin Islands (USVI)
Water Creek, Hurricane Hole
It’s been sometime since I’ve snorkeled the mangroves at Hurricane Hole and I was pleasantly surprised at how little has changed since my last visit. The coral was still healthy, the sponges colorful, the fish plentiful. The above video and still photos were taken at the little indented bay within a bay at Water Creek at Hurricane Hole.
Mangroves Fringe Forest
The three bays within St. John’s Hurricane Hole, Water Creek, Otter Creek and Princess Bay all offer excellent opportunities to snorkel along a mangrove fringe forest in very comfortable conditions.
Mangrove Snorkel Water Creek, St. John
Brain Coral
Conch
Fireworm
Fish
Pink Sponge
Red Sponge
Sea Cucumber
Fireworm
Fireworm
“Effect on Divers: When disturbed display bristles, which can easily penetrate and break off in skin, causing a painful burning sensation and irritating wound.” Reef Creature Identification, by Paul Human
The Spotted Eagle Ray’s diet consists mainly of mollusks like conch and clams, which it can crush shell and all with its powerful jaws. It gets them by scooping its mouth through the sand.
This photo was taken on the reef between Salomon and Honeymoon Bays. There’s a lot of cool invertebrates shown in this one image. Check it out: Christmas Tree Worms on tunnicates, Red Sponges. Fire Coral and a purple Sea Fan.
It was a beautiful day for power boats. Hardly a breeze, calm seas and sunshine, except for this one big gray cloud that extended from horizon to horizon just to the north. So I got off the computer and got into the boat and headed up the south coast of St. John with my friend Michelle. Did a little snorkeling over at Tektite, where I was able to photograph a little hawksbill turtle down about 15 feet or so in the reef.
From Tektite we motored over to the north where found dolphins, dozens and dozens of dolphins. They were heading east toward the BVI. Some were traveling alone, some in pairs and some in threes. Sometimes they came right over to the boat and dove under the bow. Big, beautiful, graceful animals! What good luck to find them!
I’ve often heard that the Waterlemon Cay snorkel is the best on St. John. Maybe so, but it certainly is a popular one. Here are some photos from a recent snorkeling adventure.
(And by the way it’s WaterLEMON Cay, not WaterMELON Cay)
Just off the east end of Trunk Bay is a small island called Trunk Cay. On the west side of the island the Virgin Islands National Park (VINP) has created a snorkeling trail for visitors to this the most popular beach on St. John.
Trunk Cay
I revisited the snorkel trail a few days ago with an underwater camera at my side and the following is a recap of my snorkel adventure and what waits in store for others planning to see for themselves.
Trunk Bay Snorkel Trail Experience
Beginning of the trail
The first sign is located under the red buoy just off the beach on the west side of Trunk Cay. The next sign is informational. Follow the arrows or the orientation of the signs to reach the next one in the series.
Directions
Sign Three
Please Don’t Touch or Stand on the Coral
The third sign is there to warn those that don’t know any better not to touch the coral. Even light touches can be damaging and in these days of extra warm waters, which have resulted in the kill off of the symbiotic algae that nourishes the coral, corals are more susceptible than ever to disease. Also worth mentioning is that touching the coral often leads to flesh wounds that take some time to heal.
Not for Everyone! You can snorkel around the point at Whistling Cay and return through the passage between the cliffs on the cay.
Passage Through Whistling Cay
Whistling Cay Snorkel Map
There’s a really cool snorkel route around the reef and rocks on the eastern side of Whistling Cay. It’s not for everyone though as you will need to be an experienced snorkeler for this one.
Beginning from the moorings head out north to the rocks on the eastern tip of the island. It’s really a beautiful snorkel, still very colorful and very dramatic.
Instead of returning the way you came, however, you can continue around the point and come ashore on the little passage through the rocky cliffs of Whistling Cay. The water on the north of the cay can be rough and you’ll need to take care climbing on to the island, particularly to avoid sea urchins and corals.
From land you can now walk through the passage and snorkel back to your boat avoiding the slight northerly current that sometimes makes getting back from the rocks on the point to the moorings a little more difficult than heading out.
Green Turtle, Leinster Bay, St. John US Virgin Islands
When you look at a green turtle swimming about, one of the first things you may notice is that they are not green, but rather brownish in color. Their name comes from the green color of the layer of fat lying under their shells. Green turtles can get quite large, the biggest one ever found had a shell five feet long and weighed 871 pounds. Unlike many other species of turtles, green turtles cannot pull their heads back into their shells. Adult sea turtles are vegetarians eating mostly sea grass and algae, but the babies will eat small crabs, sponges and jellyfish. They mate in shallow water near the beach every two to four years and using their flippers, they dig a hole in the sand, where they lay their eggs. They then cover up the eggs with sand and return to the sea. When the eggs hatch the babies make the short but dangerous trip back to the sea. Those that survive the onslaught of predators like seagulls and crabs may live to be 100 years old.
Snorkeling Salt Pond Bay, St John US Virgin Islands (USVI)
The latest edition of St. John Off the Beaten Track includes a section called “Favorite Snorkels.” The Salt Pond Bay Snorkel, which I’ll discuss in today’s blog was not included, but it really should have been.
The reef that I snorkeled was around the big rocks that you see at the mouth of the bay. (See the Google Maps satellite image below)
This is an excellent snorkel experience involving a coral reef, surrounding several large boulders some of which extend past the surface and a healthy seagrass bed on the periphery.
Salt Pond Bay Snorkel
Blue Tang (Acanthurus coeruleus)
Pillar Coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus)
Yellowhead Wrasse at Salt Pond Bay Coral Reef
Sea Fan (Gorgonia ventalina)
Coral Reef Sponges
Caribbean Reef Squid (Sepioteuthis sepioidea)
Longspine Squirrelfish (Holocentrus rufus)
Google Maps Satellite Image of snorkel area
Video of squid swimming on the periphery of the reef
Entries (RSS)