5 Best St. Croix Snorkeling Spots: The Ultimate Guide

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.

I use this rating system on all the snorkeling sites we visit around the world. We love snorkeling! 

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 8 days to explore the best St. Croix had to offer (check out our day-to-day itinerary!)

Here is a map of all the sites we discovered.

If one of these snorkeling sites sounds appealing, click on the Mini Guide under the site name to discover how to get there, the snorkeling map, and what cool sea life you might see.

And don’t forget your snorkeling gear!

We’ve racked up a lot of reef time over the years and have tested more masks and fins than we can count.

These are the exact tried-and-true items we bring on every snorkel trip.

If you browse top things to do in St. Croix, Buck Island is going to be on the list!

It’s only accessible by boat though, and there’s only a handful of tour operators that are allowed to take tourists to snorkel off this beautiful island.

Most of the coral is dead, but I still think it’s still worth exploring. We saw parrotfish, blue tangs, a barracuda, and a MASSIVE school of Jacks.

Plus, afterward you get to hang out and swim at gorgeous Turtle Beach.

All the details on this adventure including who we picked for our Buck Island Snorkeling Tour can be found in my mini guide below.

There’s no boat needed for Cane Bay. You can snorkel right from the shore. Find the concrete ramp and hop in.

We saw beautiful patches of coral, sea fans, a few juvenile turtles, and a variety of fish.

By the way, if you love turtles, three fantastic turtle spots in the Caribbean are Francis and Maho Bay Beach in neighboring St. John and Salt Pier in Bonaire.

My husband and I snorkeled Cane Bay right when the Christmas winds were starting to pick up, so the visibility was not great when we went.

Cane Bay is well known for this dramatic dropoff called the “Wall,” which is about a 200 yard swim from the beach.

We were not able to get there due to the rougher ocean conditions, but people have reported they’ve seen turtles, stingrays, and even the occasional Caribbean grey reef shark at this dropoff.

After your snorkel session, you can pop over to The Landing Beach Bar for a drink and casual bites like tacos, fish ’n chips, salads, sandwiches, and burgers. We haven’t eaten there yet, but people seem to love it.

Cane Bay is in between Christiansted and Frederiksted (25 minute drive to each), which makes it a great location to stay in St. Croix!

My husband and I rented a beautiful cliffside rental in Cane Bay, which was minutes away from this snorkeling spot.

Don’t miss my guide on the best St. Croix properties based on neighborhood if you’re still trying to figure out where to stay.

We hope to give this site another chance on a calmer day!

All details can be found in my mini guide below.

Frederiksted Pier was one of our favorite snorkeling sites in St. Croix!

It’s easy to navigate Frederiksted Pier. Just snorkel along the pier and in between the pylons.

Also, check out the left side of the pier along the rocks for more schools of fish.

We saw schools of blue tang, a huge family of squid, sergeant majors, a bait ball, and even a cool decorator crab.

Pier snorkeling has become one of my favorite types of snorkeling. There’s such a variety of life that likes to hang out among the pylons.

If you go to Bonaire, another great pier snorkel site is Salt Pier.

See my mini guide below for a detailed snorkeling map and photos.

Next on the list is Isaac Bay!

We snorkeled this site as part of our hike to Isaac and Jack Bay.

Gotta work off all those rum punches somehow. Beautiful hike. It is completely exposed to the sun. Wear a hat and LOTS of reef-safe sunscreen.

This site was a “rougher” snorkel due to the beginning of the Christmas winds. I was thankful for my snorkel vest and longer snorkeling fins.

Although the snorkeling was not great, we did see some patches of soft and hard coral, sea fans, a few scattered fish, and a lobster.

We need to check this site out again on a calm day for better visibility.

All details on how to get there and where to snorkel can be found in my mini guide below.

Last on my St. Croix Snorkeling Guide is Dorsch Beach.

This site is great for beginner snorkelers. The water is calm. Entry is easy.

We saw some beautiful starfish, pockets of nice coral, sergeant majors, and French grunt.

Afterward, you can stop by the nearby Beach Side Cafe at Sandcastle on the Beach for a drink or bite to eat.

Check out my snorkeling map in my mini guide below for more details!

The snorkeling in St. Croix didn’t quite top what we’ve seen in St. John, but it still delivered some pretty unique experiences that made it worth jumping in.

If you only have time for one spot, make it the Frederiksted Pier. It’s unlike anywhere else we’ve snorkeled.

One tip: if snorkeling is high on your list, try to avoid visiting during the Christmas winds. The water can get choppy, and visibility takes a hit.

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

Let me know in the comments below!