Cane Bay Beach Snorkeling Guide [Rated + Reviewed]

My husband and I love traveling, especially to places where we can snorkel. We find out which spots are the absolute best and rate them including Cane Bay.

Please see the rating key below.

OVERALL SNORKEL RATING KEY

🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿   =   World-class snorkeling and worth traveling just for the snorkeling alone!

🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿   =   Incredible snorkeling and should be on your list of top things to do!

🤿 🤿 🤿   =   Decent snorkeling and worth the effort!

🤿 🤿   =   Worth consideration if you are running out of things to do!

🤿   =   Not worth it!

We’ve snorkeled all over St. Croix, and these 5 snorkel spots stood out as the ones you don’t want to miss.

This St. Croix snorkeling spot is super easy to access. It is located on the northern end of the island, right off the appropriately named Cane Bay Road.

We booked our vacation rental in Cane Bay, so it took us only minutes to get there.

If it is busy, parking can be a little tight. We arrived early and easily found parking right next to the beach.

A perk of snorkeling at Cane Bay is you can grab a drink or bite to eat across the street at The Landing Beach Bar.

To get in the water at Cane Bay, head to the concrete boat ramp in the middle of the beach.

Swim straight out through the shallow gap in the reef. It’s an easy, direct entry.

You can explore either direction once you’re out, but we opted to snorkel to the right.

If you’re considering going left, just know the water can get rougher that way, so it’s better suited for strong swimmers. It can definitely get choppy, especially on windier days.

We visited right before the Christmas winds kicked in, which meant visibility wasn’t ideal. I’d love to go back on a calmer day because I’ve heard the reef can look like an aquarium when conditions are good.

Cane Bay is also known for “The Wall,” a world-famous dive site just 200 yards off the beach. It’s a dramatic vertical drop-off where divers often spot healthy coral, reef fish, turtles, stingrays, and even the occasional reef shark.

If you need gear, Sweet Bottom Dive Center is just across the road and can set you up.

That said, I highly recommend bringing your own snorkeling gear.

My husband and I have tested a ton of equipment over the years across multiple snorkeling trips, and we’ve narrowed it down to our tried-and-true favorite gear item.

Here’s exactly what we pack every time we do a snorkation!

Entry is easy as long as you enter at the boat ramp. If you do not enter here, you risk stepping on coral and sea urchins.

I always wear dive booties with my open-heel snorkeling fins.

The snorkeling conditions were a little tough on the day we went because of the wind.

The reef in front of Cane Bay Beach is patchy.

We saw beautiful coral, sea fans, juvenile turtles, and schools of various fish like blue tang.

I always bring my favorite snorkeling camera to capture all the action!

We loved Cane Bay!

It’s about mid way between Christiansted and Frederiksted. 

I strongly advise making it your home base for your St. Croix getaway like we did. Here are some of the best St. Croix properties  by neighborhood (including our villa rental in Cane Bay!) if you are still trying to figure out where to stay.

Enjoy the beach, snorkel with turtles, and grab a drink and bite to eat. That’s one fantastic day.

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Questions about our Cane Bay Beach snorkeling experience?

Let me know in the comments below!