Editor Pick
Sapphire Beach
- January 12, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
ripplefan2 from Queens, New York
Now, since St. Thomas is an island, there are plenty of places to go snorkeling and what not, but Sapphire Beach is hands down the best spot on the island for underwater sea life. No matter when you go down to the beach, there is always something to see.
I have been to Sapphire Beach a lot in my life, but one of my best experiences was one day last year. I swam out and within seconds, came across a herd of turtles. Since the sea floor is covered in grassy fields, this area is a heaven for turtles. These turtles, which are mainly focused on feeding and nothing else, are very willing to allow you to come rather close and touch them. I swam over to one of these sea creatures of angelica stature and just allowed him to egt comfortable with me. Then, after about half and hour or so, I decided to try and ride this turtle as he came up for his air supply. Now, in retrospect, this wasn't the greatest of ideas, but then it was really cool. I held onto his tough shell and rode him down a couple feet, then headed straight back up for more air. I do not recommend doing this, but for those of you who actually plan on doing this, I highly suggest against it. I have now found out that riding them is illegal, so please don't do it.
If you are there and no turtles are around, the surrounding corral is amazing. There are plenty of fish to enjoy and the people on the beach who work at Sapphire are very knowledgeable of the sea life. One lady warned me that there is a sucker type fish that looks like a shark that lingers around the beach. I was told not to worry about, but low and behold, when I was snorkeling this shark came out of nowhere and swam right next to me. Now, I have been told for years that if you see a shark, you are supposed to be still and not freak out. If you freak out, the shark thinks you are in trouble and comes to check it out. But my initial reaction was to try and run across the water. When I came in, the woman from Sapphire was laughing hysterically with a small group that had been watching me hte whole time.
So, when in St. Thomas and you are looking for a great snorkeling area, please head over to Sapphire Beach and really enjoy yourself. But don't think that you are going to be able to park because it is a private community, but take a cab over there and enjoy yourself. Have fun.
From journal St. Thomas USVI