5 Best St. Croix Snorkeling Spots: 2023 Snorkeler’s Guide

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If you absolutely love snorkeling and are also visiting St. John, I also rated all 11 sites we snorkeled in St. John. Check out my article below.

To help differentiate between the St. Croix snorkeling spots we visited, I created a snorkel rating system to help you choose which sites to check out. Please see the key below.

The symbol used to represent the overall snorkeling experience: 🤿

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 had 1 week to explore the best St. Croix has to offer. Here is a map of all the sites we discovered. Read on for all the nitty-gritty details of each snorkeling spot we visited.

Our tour operator dropped us off to snorkel the island reef underwater trail at Buck Island.

Afterward, we were transported to Turtle Beach to relax and enjoy the white sand beach and turquoise water. There is no snorkeling at Turtle Beach.

Entry is off a boat. We happened to go during a time when the Christmas winds were just starting to make their presence known, which made snorkeling very difficult.

On a calm day though, the entry should be fairly easy.

The highlight was seeing a huge school of Jacks. We also saw a barracuda, blue tangs, parrot fish, elkhorn, and brain coral.  Most of the coral is dead, but there were still several nice sections. 

If you want to know more about our Buck Island tour, don’t miss my article below.

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 holiday 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.

Enter the water at the concrete boat ramp in the middle of the beach. Swim straight out from the boat ramp through the shallow gap in the reef.

You can snorkel to the left or right, but we chose to snorkel to the right. If you snorkel to the left, make sure you are a strong swimmer.

It can get choppy, so be careful on windy days. As I had stated earlier, we came to St. Croix right before the Christmas winds picked up, and the visibility was not great. I would love to come back on a calm day because I heard it’s like swimming in an aquarium.

Cane Bay is famous for its world-class dive site, known as the “Wall.” If you are a diver, it can be accessed by swimming 200 yards out from the beach.

The dramatic vertical “Wall” drops off like a steep cliff and offers beautiful coral, Caribbean fish, turtles, stingrays, and even the passing reef shark.

Sweet Bottom Dive Center located across from the beach can provide both snorkeling and dive gear.

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

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, turtles, and schools of various Caribbean fish.

The Pier is located right in the town of Frederiksted just off Strandt Street on the western side of the island.

There is plenty of parking spots lining the road. We parked near Polly’s At the Pier and made the short walk out to the pier.

Use common sense, and never leave anything valuable in the car. Car break-ins can occur.

The 1,526 foot Frederiksted Pier was one of the most unique places we have ever snorkeled!

This site was definitely my favorite out of all the St. Croix snorkeling spots we visited!

Where to snorkel is pretty straightforward. Just follow the length of the pier snorkeling in between the pylons.

Also, if you have extra time, snorkel on the left side along the rocks (as you are facing the Frederiksted Pier). See the map above.

We came across a huge school of squid (called a shoal), a bait ball, and a school of blue tang, which was a pleasant surprise.

When we went, entry was a little tricky because the entrance to Frederiksted Pier was closed. If the entrance is open, it is advised to enter the water via the small sandy beach to the left of the Pier.

There are a set of stairs just off the sidewalk to access this area.

Since it was closed, we walked to the right of the Pier and entered from the rocks. This is not ideal. The rocks were slippery and a little challenging to navigate! Always watch out for sea urchins.    

Alternatively, you could jump off the Pier at designated areas that have ladders to climb back up. My preference was to slip into the water.

Do not snorkel when there are cruise ships or a bunch of boats. They may not see you. Safety first!

We saw plenty of colorful Caribbean fish, mostly Sergeant Majors. The concrete pylons are coated with brightly-colored red, orange, and yellow corals, sponges, and brittle stars.

The Pier is also home to seahorses, but unfortunately, we did not see any.

Other highlights included spotting a turtle, a barracuda, and a huge shoal of squid. The squid were spotted to the left of the Pier as you are facing the water.

If you dive the Pier, you may also see an octopus, batfish, scorpion fish, eels, and lobster. Night dives are apparently pretty spectacular.

It takes a little effort to reach Isaac Bay, but it is well worth the adventure! This bay is protected by the Nature Conservancy and is absolutely beautiful.

Right before you reach Point Udall, which is the easternmost part of the island and in the United States, you will see a small strip of parking spaces on the right-hand side. Get there early because the spaces do fill up quickly!

This parking strip marks the trailhead of the hike to Isaac Bay. It took us about 20 minutes to hike the trail.

Please note there is basically no shade on this trail, and it is HOT. I would strongly advise wearing tennis shoes, a wide-brimmed hat, and bringing plenty of water.

Once you reach Isaac Bay, you will reach a set of wooden stairs. Go down the stairs and walk to the left.

We found a nice little spot with some tree cover and shade. The current will push you right, so we started our snorkeling adventure on the left side of the beach as you face the water and snorkeled to the right.

Isaac Bay has a sandy bottom, so entry was fairly easy. When we were there, the winds were up which made snorkeling a little challenging.

Definitely pick a calm day to maximize your experience, and do not underestimate your swimming ability in this area. I always bring my snorkel vest, which gives me peace of mind.

Although this was not the most spectacular snorkeling we have ever done, we did see some beautifully soft and hard coral, sea fans, and some tropical fish. The reef is patchy, so you will be snorkeling from patch to patch. The highlight was spotting a lobster!

Although the snorkeling was average at best likely due to the windy conditions when we went, the hike is still beautiful and well worth the effort alone.

If you are fairly fit and adequately hydrated, you can even continue on and hike another 20 minutes to the next bay over which is called Jack Bay. That’s what we did but only because we had prepared and brought plenty of water and sun-protective clothing.

If you love hiking, don’t miss my Isaac Bay + Jack Bay hiking guide below.

Located on the calmer eastern side of the island, Sand Castle is an easy snorkeling location to access.

Put the hotel called Sand Castle on the Beach in Google Maps. Drive just a few minutes north of the hotel as if you are going towards Frederiksted.

You will find plenty of parking right on the beach.

Snorkel straight out from the beach and then to the right towards the abandoned stone shack.

Sand Castle Beach offers a sandy bottom, so the entry is pretty easy.

When we first snorkeled straight out from the beach, we saw some beautiful starfish in several different colors.

As we snorkeled to the right towards the old abandoned stone shack, we saw plenty of barrel sponges.

In front of the shack, we came across some old machinery that was dumped years ago. It is now home to some beautiful coral and tropical fish including Sergeant Majors and French Grunt fish.

Your snorkeling gear will make or break your experience! After snorkeling at quite a few destinations now all over the world, I have invested in good quality gear. I will never rent again.  

I have written a detailed article on all of the snorkeling gear I bring on our “snorkeling vacations.”

→     01- Diluted baby shampoo works wonders to clear your snorkel mask.

→     02- The shape of your face will dictate what snorkel mask is best for you. Get fitted!

→     03- Avoid windy overcast days because it will be difficult to see anything. Sunny calm days are the best.

→     04- Wear a sun shirt (love Coolibar!) and use reef-safe sunscreen like the super sheer Colorscience Total Protection Mineral Sunscreen.

→     05- Snorkel with a buddy for safety.

→     06- Do not feed the fish or step on the coral!

→     07- Consider a snorkel vest if you are not a strong swimmer like myself. It will give you peace of mind.

→     08- Be aware of your surroundings, so you don’t get in trouble (winds, current, etc).

→     09- I hate when another snorkeler smacks you in the face with their fins because they have no awareness. Be respectful of others’ space.

→     10- We started filling empty gallons of water with the hose from our rental and bringing them along. They work great for rinsing off sandy feet.

Although the St. Croix snorkeling was not as spectacular as St. John, it still offered some unique experiences that are worth checking out.

If you only have time for one snorkeling adventure, then definitely pick the Frederiksted Pier! Incredibly unique and unlike any other snorkeling experience we have done so far.

Also, try not to go during the Christmas winds if snorkeling is your top priority.

If you are still figuring out what to do in St. Croix, check out my article on the Top 13 Things to Do in St Croix. I have also laid out my personal St. Croix itinerary.

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Questions about our experiences at these top St Croix snorkeling sites?

Let me know in the comments below!