lauren27

We are spending three nights at Little Dix Bay in December. We love snorkeling and I'm wondering where you found it was best? I have only snorkeled at the Baths, and it was better than I had expected. How does snorkeling on VG compare to St. John? I think that I have read that Spring Bay and Mahoe Bay are good? I wonder if those beaches are included on the Little Dix Bay beach drop? Thanks for your advice!

JimC

I know Spring Bay is a beach drop option since we saw LDB people there when we stayed nearby. Spring Bay is a gorgeous beach, and snorkeling is good by the boulders on the south side of the beach (which eventually lead to the Baths).

poss

You'll find that LD does a pretty good job of doing those drop-offs wherever the snorkeling is likely to be best at a given time. Depending on wind conditions (and other things), sometimes one spot has better snorkeling, sometimes another. Usually they pay good attention to such matters and will do drop-offs accordingly. They won't, however, go all the way over to the Biras Creek and Bitter End areas. We rented a car for a couple of days (we were in a villa half the time) and drove to Bitter End and went out on one of their snorkeling trips-- surprisingly inexpensive. By the way, the snorkeling off the left side of the beach (facing the water) isn't too bad at Little Dix. Nothing compared to the great snorkeling off Caneel (rooms are better at LD), but not bad if you go way out and around that left corner. Mahoe Bay is good too. Have fun!

A_Traveller

Best off-beach snorkeling on Virgin Gorda can be found at:

1) The Baths - can be crowded so go early
2) Spring Bay - near the Baths but normally not as crowded - LDB will drop you off there. FYI - from Spring Bay you can walk to the Baths.
3) Savanah Bay - uncrowded beach on LDB's drop-off list. If you are energetic you can hike over the hill from LDB to reach Savanah Bay - takes about 30 to 45 minutes - the trail begins at the north east end of LDB.
4) Mahoe Bay - perhaps the largest off-beach snorkeling reef on VG. Excellent location. Not on the LDB drop-off list as boats cannot navigate over shallow reefs. You can access the beach via paths from roads near rental villas or Mango Bay Resort.
5) Nail Bay - decent snorkeling but it pales in comparison to Mahoe Bay. I don't recall Nail Bay being on the LDB drop-off list.

FYI - if weather and seas permit LDB will sometime drop guests off on one or more of the small beaches at the Dog Islands where you'll find some excellent snorkel sites. These islands are quite a distance away so LDB won't take you there if seas are rough or there is a chance of inclement weather.

lauren27

Thanks so much everyone, all this information is really helpful!

owa

Yes, thank you. I've put it in my "VG Folder" for our May trip. Owa

Tuxedocat

We've only snorkeled one place on Virgin Gorda and that's the Baths. We love it there and have snorkeled there 3 times. The boulders are also in the water, and we don't hang around the beaches but go out and explore these massive boulders. We saw one of the biggest groupers out here, about 5 feet long! There is one place with a fun swim through about 10 feet down and we just love that. It's located on the right handside of "Devil's" beach if you're looking out towards the water from the beach. The beaches tend to be crowded, but we still have a lot of fun. It's not necessarily better than STJ, but it sure is different.