St. Thomas snorkeling tours
St. Thomas snorkeling tours run from a $30 guided swim off Limetree Beach to a five-hour catamaran sail around Buck Island, on sale from $99 (list $159) in October 2026. You book with the operator directly. The choice is boat or beach: a boat reaches the cays, and the beach costs nothing but the gear.
Written by Virgin Islands Villas · Updated Oct 2026
The operators, side by side
| Name | What | Departs from | Group size | Rates | Phone | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Surfari | Morning snorkel, 9:30 am to 1 pm, on the 47-foot Reef Surfari into Virgin Islands National Park off St. John; gear, a snack and an open bar after. A Little and Great St. James trip with pizza runs at the same prices. | Red Hook, American Yacht Harbor dock (also Cruz Bay, St. John) | about 49 | $75 adults 11+, $55 ages 3 to 10, plus $5 fuel and $4 park fee per person | (340) 227-5448 | Oct 2026 |
| The VI Cat | Three-hour catamaran sail to Turtle Cove at Little Buck Island; gear, guidance and refreshments after the snorkel. | Marriott's Frenchman's Cove dock | up to 65 | from $109 | (340) 690-2287 | Oct 2026 |
| Cruz Bay Watersports | Five-hour Buck Island Snorkel Sail on a sailing catamaran, with a stop on Water Island for lunch at your own cost and a bar after snorkeling; runs at a minimum headcount. | The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, or The Westin Beach Resort & Spa at Frenchman's Reef | about 80 | from $99 (sale; $159 list) | (340) 244-1493 | Oct 2026 |
| Aqua Marine Dive Center | Guided half-day snorkel, 3 to 4 hours at two sites chosen on the day, on a 42-foot dive boat; gear, water, soft drinks and snacks. Daily at 1 pm, some days 8:30 am. | Saga Haven Marina | usually 6 to 10, rarely over 15 | $85 per snorkeler | (340) 642-8701 | Oct 2026 |
| Aqua Marine Dive Center, Limetree Beach | Guided snorkel from the sand, 1 hour 15 minutes, with mask, fins, snorkel and a flotation device. | Limetree Beach | minimum 4 | $30 per snorkeler | (340) 642-8701 | Oct 2026 |
| Aqua Action Dive Center | Dive shop on the beach at Secret Harbour, near Red Hook, with guided shore, boat and night snorkels and gear rental. | Secret Harbour Beach Resort | about 12 | guided snorkel $60; boat snorkel $75; night snorkel $65 | (340) 775-6285 | Oct 2026 |
| Virgin Islands Ecotours, Cas Cay | Three-hour kayak, hike and snorkel at Cas Cay in the Mangrove Lagoon reserve; kayak, snorkel and mask, life jacket, water and instruction. A five-hour version with lunch is from $159. | Mangrove Lagoon | — | $99 adults 13+, $69 ages 7 to 12 | (340) 779-2155 | Oct 2026 |
| Virgin Islands Ecotours, sea turtles | Two-hour guided turtle snorkel from the beach, with gear, life jackets and instruction; mornings and afternoons daily. | Usually Brewers Bay, near the airport | — | $89 per person | (340) 779-2155 | Oct 2026 |
| Coral World Ocean Park, Snuba | Snuba, which the park calls a mix between scuba and snorkel diving: 75 minutes, ages 8 and over. The park lists closed days in October 2026. | Coki Point | 1 to 4 | from $92, park admission included | (340) 775-1555 | Oct 2026 |
| St. Thomas Scuba and Snorkel Adventures | Private guided snorkels by jeep to several beaches, by boat, or for turtles; based at Hull Bay. | Pickup at your ship, resort or rental | private; a Jeep fits up to 4 | $500 a Jeep for up to 4 (Multi Beach Adventure, private, 4 to 5 hours); beach break and night snorkel from $75 | (340) 474-9332 | Oct 2026 |
How to choose a St. Thomas snorkel trip
The shared boats sail from the south shore and the East End: The VI Cat from Marriott's Frenchman's Cove dock, Cruz Bay Watersports from The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, or The Westin Beach Resort & Spa at Frenchman's Reef, Aqua Marine from Saga Haven Marina, Ocean Surfari from the American Yacht Harbor dock in Red Hook. The paddle trips start at Mangrove Lagoon, and the guided swims start on a beach.
Pick by the dock nearest your villa before you pick by the reef: a three-hour trip turns into most of a day once a cross-island drive is in it.
What a snorkel excursion costs on top of the fare
The tradeoff: the headline price is rarely the price paid. Ocean Surfari lists $75 an adult, then adds a $5 fuel surcharge and a $4 National Park entry fee per person, and a 20% gratuity for parties of six or more. Cruz Bay Watersports' $99 Buck Island sail is a sale price on a $159 list, runs only once enough people book, and lunch on Water Island is yours to buy, all as published on October 9, 2026.
The Buck Island trips stay in the water: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says its refuge is closed to the public, as of October 2026.
Mangrove Lagoon and the East End reserves
Two trips snorkel inside the reserves the Department of Planning and Natural Resources lists for the southeast end of the island: Virgin Islands Ecotours paddles kayaks to Cas Cay in Mangrove Lagoon, and Ocean Surfari's pizza trip, on Friday mornings by its own page, snorkels off Little and Great St. James. The kayak trip takes children from age 7 with no open-water crossing.
Snorkeling from the beach for free
Several St. Thomas beaches have snorkeling off the sand, free. Coki Beach, beside Coral World, has reef fish a short swim out; vendors rent gear and parking is charged. At Brewers Bay the turtles feed over seagrass, tagged by the University of the Virgin Islands since 2014; nothing is rented there. Sapphire Beach has a shallow reef entered from the shore, and Secret Harbour, open with no day pass, is served by Aqua Action, where a full snorkel set is $25 a day on its October 2026 rate sheet.
Virgin Islands Ecotours' $89 turtle snorkel usually starts at Brewers Bay, so the fee buys a guide, the gear and a lesson, not the turtles.
Questions about snorkel tours on St. Thomas
- What is included on a snorkeling excursion in St. Thomas?
- Snorkel gear, on every trip with a published price, by the operators' own pages in October 2026, and on most boats drinks after the snorkel. Fuel, park fees, gratuity and lunch are where the trips differ.
- Can you land on Buck Island on a snorkel trip?
- No. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says Buck Island National Wildlife Refuge is closed to the public, as of October 2026. The VI Cat snorkels at Turtle Cove, in the water off Little Buck Island; nobody goes ashore.
- Can you snorkel St. Thomas without a tour?
- Yes. Coki Beach, Brewers Bay, Sapphire Beach, Secret Harbour and Hull Bay have snorkeling from the sand and no entrance fee; bring gear to Brewers Bay and Hull Bay.
Sources: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (checked Oct 9, 2026) · Department of Planning and Natural Resources (checked Oct 9, 2026) · University of the Virgin Islands (checked Oct 9, 2026)