St. John (Days 6 & 7) - End of Trip

This morning we tried another new bay, but this one was much closer to Andante. Honeymoon Bay is supposedly a less frequently visited bay, despite its north side location and proximity to Cruz Bay. That's what people posting comments online led me to believe anyway, and I must admit that, when we got there about 9:30AM, the beach was nearly deserted. The snorkeling was pretty good, and there was a nice sandy bottom if you don't like rocky bays. A little further out were some coral groupings were havens for a great array of fish. After a reasonable length of time, Jim told me he was headed in and I let him know I probably wouldn't be much longer.

Twenty minutes later, Jim calls out to alert me some people have arrived in a couple of kayaks. "A few more snorkelers," think I, "that's okay. I'm not going to be in here too much longer."

Within minutes, seven people are 'snorkeling' around me. They're making a ton of noise and splashing (I think it's their version of swimming). One is snapping pictures with a strobe flash that could signal aircraft. I'm thinking: WTF?  I lift my head above water and see a herd of two or three dozen people 'swimming' in gaudy neon snorkel gear and inflatable floatation devices...and they're coming my way! On top of that, small motorboats are coming to shore to drop off a couple people each. Plus there's a herd of these creatures migrating towards the beach. To a snorkeler like me this sight is as horrifying as the Vandals were to an ancient Roman.

I do not like snorkeling in crowds...especially crowds of cruise ship people.  I'm willing to go to great lengths to completely avoid this species. They don't ever look where they are going, plus they splash around every reef in sight and scare a lot of the fish away. Surrendering immediately, I wove my way through the melee back to shore. I had my fun, but Honeymoon Beach was no honeymoon for us. If you can get there early, it's a good quick snorkel. However, go in there knowing you will have to flee before the arrival of...'Them'.

After Honeymoon Bay, we went back to Andante and closed out the trip by hanging out at the pool, tanning, and swimming in complete privacy. A relaxing end to another wonderful trip to St. John. I miss it already!