St Kitts and Nevis Snorkeling Guide
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St Kitts and Nevis is a small county in the Lesser Antilles Caribbean consisting of two islands. While it is not known as a great snorkeling and diving location, there are other things that attracted me to the island. For starters it is the smallest completely independent county in the western hemisphere. The entire county’s population is around 50,000. Cruise ships do visit the island, but on a whole it receives less tourism than most Caribbean islands. This translates into a peaceful uncrowded destination. Both islands are volcanic and have distinct cones towering above.
I’ll be honest, the snorkeling on these islands is just ok. There is no major reef system and coral is sparse. Most of the snorkeling is exploring around rocky boulder areas. That being said, there are some cool places to snorkel that are highlighted in this review. You most likely won’t come here just for the snorkeling, but will be here for a regular vacation. As such, I will mention other things to do on the islands because I feel the islands are beautiful and underrated.
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Other things to do on St Kitts and Nevis besides snorkeling.
Climb a volcano
- Both islands have a distinct volcanic cone towering above the island. There are trails to hike both of these volcanoes. The trailheads are marked on Google maps. I hiked the volcano on St Kitts and its definitely challenging. But it’s a chance to hike through a legitimate jungle. At the top you can look into the crater, a large depressed area.
Visit Brimstone Hill Fortress
- Colonial fortress built on an impressive cliff overlook. Very interesting history and beautiful view from the fortress.
Drive around St Kitts
- There is an easy to follow road around the entire north part of the island. Beautiful views and a great way to experience the island. On your way around the island I recommend stopping at Arthur’s Bar and Restaurant on the northern tip. Great food and beautiful location. I snorkeled here, but it’s not worth your time.
- If you are proficient in scooter driving, consider renting a scooter. You can rent a 150cc scooter here without a motorcycle license. Most places in the world only rent up to 50cc scooter without a motorcycle license. (Yaaah for small countries!) Sunny Blue Rental is a good place to rent from.
Head over to Nevis
- Even less crowded and more peaceful than St Kitts. Take the ferry across and bring your rented transportation.
- Visit Sunshine’s Restaurant at Pinney’s Beach. Snorkel nearby Four Seasons Breaker and relax at Sunshine’s watching the sunset.
- Check out Charlestown in Nevis. Historic city with colonial architecture. You almost expect to see a pirate walking around. Also check out the Alexander Hamilton museum in town, he was born on the island (yes that Alexander Hamilton).
- Visit Banana’s Bistro Restaurant. Beautiful property with amazing 360 views of the volcano and ocean. Awe-inspiring with great food.
St Kitts and Nevis Snorkeling Locations Map
(Click the box on the map header to open in Google Maps app)
Click to jump to each location:
- Carambola Breaker
- Christophe Point
- Four Seasons Breaker
- Frigate Bay South
- Pinneys Beach South
- Salt Plage Wreck
- Shipwreck
- Shitten Bay
Carambola Breaker
Large breaker behind the Carambola Beach Club. Start on the dock area and follow the breaker out and around to deeper water. The breaker extends quite a distance so follow it as long as you like. Large boulders make up the breaker and sandy bottom around 20 feet deep. Search in between the rocks for critters.
Christophe Point
There is a shallow underwater point extending from the shore that is visible on satellite imagery. Mostly rocks but some corals out here. Follow this point out and around the harbor marker structure. To get out here, park at Christophe Harbor and walk along the inside harbor. There is a little road most of the way out here. Use the harbor marker as a reference point to snorkel out to.
Four Seasons Breaker
A set of 4 breaker rock piles in front of Four Seasons Resorts on Nevis. They also have a dock in the middle that is dug out to about 30 feet deep offering free diving opportunities. Lots of sea creatures hiding in and around the breaker rocks. Probably the best shore snorkeling spot on Nevis.
If you are not staying at the Four Seasons the best way to get out here is to park at Pinneys Beach and walk over. You should also make sure to spend some time at Sunshines Restaurant while you are here. Best beach bar on the island.
Frigate Bay South
Frigate Bay is the main beach on St Kitts. Not much snorkeling at the beach but on the south end you can follow a rocky area out as far as you like. There are some scattered corals out here and a good amount of fish. To get out here head to the south end of the beach to the edge of the cliffs and start snorkeling south from there.
Pinneys Beach South
Another location to check out while you are on Pinneys Beach. Its all the way down on the south end. Start on far south end of the beach and follow the rocks out and around. Not a spectacular snorkel location but a great alternative while you are over here checking out Four Seasons Breaker. You can park right next to this location. There is a little dirt pull off area right off the road next to it.
Salt Plage Wreck
Small boat wreck in shallow water and some other large rocks to snorkel around. The boat wreck is in great shape and is really fun to explore up close. There are some really large boulders you can also dive around. To get out here walk south down the beach from the Salt Plage Restaurant. The boat wreck is sitting right next one of the really large submerged rocks in the water. Its not far out and you should be able to see the large submerged rock from shore. The wreck is resting on the west side of the rock. There might be a buoy attached to the boat wreck. After your snorkel the Salt Plage Restaurant has a great dock to sit and watch the sunset.
Shipwreck
Popular beach bar south of town. A great place to hang out for an afternoon. The best snorkeling here is on the south end of the beach. Walk down until the beach ends and then snorkel south as far as you want. It’s a long stretch of shore you can explore. Make a day of it and hit nearby Carambola Breaker first and come here for lunch and more snorkeling.
Shitten Bay
Accessible by boat. This is an honorable mention snorkeling location. I visited during the low season and there were no snorkel tour boats running, so I was unable to review. But from everything I could research, this is the main snorkeling location they take you. Not much coral from what I can understand but still considered a good location. Also, a shipwreck beached on shore.
Hey, check this out:
For even more detailed information on these snorkeling sites, download our St Kitts and Nevis Snorkeling Map. Full color maps in .pdf version. Extra notes, tips and tricks to maximize your experience. Download for offline use and take with you to the snorkel spot.
