Mini-Speed Boat 3 Hour Snorkeling Adventure
St Maarten
Mini-Speed Boat 3 Hour Snorkeling Adventure
Recommended by 91% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
St Maarten
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Discover the beauty of St Maarten's western coast aboard a self-drive inflatable boat. A guide will accompany you on your journey from Philipsburg to Creole Rock on the island's French side. Once you arrive, spend time snorkeling in protected waters alongside sea turtles and schools of tropical fish, then get back behind the wheel to marvel at hidden bays and beaches.
- Travel from the Dutch side of the island to the French side on your own personal watercraft
- Stay safe and on track when you go with a guide
- All equipment and safety gear will be provided
- Choose a morning or afternoon tour to suit your schedule
What's Included
Meeting and Pickup
Itinerary
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 791 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
The tour guides were everything!!! It took a while to start the excursion, but the tour guides made sure we got all of our time. Good vibes and good times! The stop at the beach was nice and the food and drinks were good. Go with the tour guides recommendations they won’t steer you wrong.
It was a blast with our guide Brandon! Fast action ride in the bay and out into open ocean to a lovely beach with chairs, umbrellas included and a cool bar!
Check in was at 10AM, but we did not leave the Marina until 11:15. When we got to Friars beach we were told that it wasn’t a good location for snorkeling. Snorkeling was the reason we booked the tour. We stayed on the beach for an hour and a half, had lunch and then headed back. Riding the mini speed boats was fun, but we expected to go snorkeling. The two guides were friendly and helpful.
Due to windy conditions, we sat around waiting for 2 hours after our tour time. Due to the fact that we were coming from a cruise ship and he couldn’t tell us when, or if, we could go, he said he would refund us and we left. We spent about $200 for a cab for 6 people to get there and back for nothing. What angers me is that we are STILL waiting for our refund. VIATOR states they are not answering the phone. Regretting not getting in writing that we were unable to do this due to no fault of our own. Buyer Beware!
Website took our money and tour place did not have our reservation. Tour place said don’t come we are over subscribed—have the taxi driver take you to the beach
We booked our 3 hour tour for a 1 pm start time. We arrived at 1245 and signed in for our tour. Another group was ahead of us that was going with us on our tour. Then a third grouo cane in and signed in for their tour. At 1 pm they gave the third group their briefing for how to operate the boats and safety features which took intil aroind 120 pm. After that they loades them into the boats and watched as they made circles to get accustomto the boats, then they left out around 130 pm. Then we began our daftey briefing and how to operate our boats. Then at 150 we got in our boats and began to make our cricle of 4 boats from our group and we circled for 20 minutes while they added two more guest boats to our tour. We finally lefr thw dock area at 215 pm for our 1 pm tour. We had to be back by 430 to make sure we got back to our ship on time to leave. After an hour ride on the boats we stopped at friars beach for snorkle and drinks, which we were supposed to be able to get water from our guides which they dis not have. We had 30 minutes at the bwach and then back on our boats for the 1 hour trip back to the dock. If you do this tour I would recommend bringing a dry bag with you or you will have to either leave all your belongings in a basket at the dock or put them in the front of the boat storage area that has the gas tank. I gove it 3 stars because i enjoyed the boat ride, but they weren't veey punctual and for 100 dollars for the tour and 80 dollars for a cab ride back and forth I would not do this tour again.
This excursion was a cute idea, and we did enjoy being out on the water. However, it didn’t quite meet our expectations.
The boat is very small for two adults. I’m petite and my husband is average-sized, and we both felt a bit cramped the entire time. It wasn’t as comfortable or spacious as it appears online.
We also didn’t get to do much besides ride out to a beach that was unfortunately covered in seaweed, which was disappointing. After seeing it promoted on social media, my expectations were much higher.
Overall, it was an okay experience, but not something I would consider worth the hype.
The experience was really great, but waiting an extra hour before it occurred and having to beg for water wasn't nice
This excursions is an absolute joke. The staff is very unprofessional and the boat offering is worse. This has to be the worst excursion we have come across. An hour and a half late start because the staff and the boats weren’t ready. Please don’t expect the staff to do anything if your boat breaks down and you are stranded out on the water to find your way back. This manager is a joke, very unprofessional. I would be embarrassed as Viator to have these clowns on your website. I would drop them immediately.
Dont go, see the signs that this excursion is junk. An hour and a half late, terrible communication, junk boats, life jackets falling apart. They actual left our friends out in the Ocean with a boat that did not run. WE had to wait over and hour for their return, and no one at the Building would help, just kept telling us they are almost back. They completely lied to us about everything.
This facility is extremely outdated, unsafe and not run well.
> No secure lockers only laundry basket that was kept in lobby. We were told to put everything in the basket only to find out that there is a compartment on the boat where we could’ve kept a couple items with us.
> lifejackets are frayed and torn definitely outdated
> we were taken to the stop point and basically told to swim to shore to snorkel or snack. No one was prepared to be completely underwater not to mention it was completely unsafe.
> our friends boat died while on the return route and they were left / abandoned on the course to find their own way back. Owners seemed unconcerned.
We did this a few years ago and it was great. It has unfortunately gone down hill. Our boat was not in good order. We witnessed them blame another couple for breaking the boats throttle, but we were behind them on the trip and it was clear they had issues the moment we left the dock. The staff was not as friendly as they used to be, and the manager was totally unprofessional. It’s too bad, it used to be a well run establishment.
We had a blast on the mini boats, they went over everything you needed to know before hand which made us feel more comfortable, and the tour guide was awesome! We ended up going to Friars Bay for snorkeling, saw some pretty cool fish. 🐠 Highly recommend!
The tour is announced as a 3h experience. St the shop, it says it’s 2 1/2. In reality, we were on the boats for 45 minutes.
If they did the tour they have on a poster in the shop, that would have been great! Instead, we left Simpson Bay towards Maho beach, circled in front of the airport twice, and then went to Kim Sha beach.
The details on Viator said 10am meeting time. Cruise ship passengers that joined us didn’t arrive until 10:45 and we started the tour at 11:30 after a briefing. We also had to remind the team three times that we were meant to return to the shop for our belongings, then someone came for us and took us back by boat — the rest of our party were met at the beach at the end of the tour to return to the cruise ship.
There is no snorkeling. The tour ends on the beach where you are allowed to use chairs/umbrella as part of the tour, masks must be rented. The time between getting dropped off here and getting picked up to go back is included in the time/itinerary of the tour, but boats are already being taken back to the shop and the guides are gone — a member of Rhino staff is at the bar reminding people of the time to get on the bus.
The boat driving is fun and different. I’m not a jet skier, but imagine it can be as fun as riding one. It just depends on the number of people, the size of the line that forms, and how much gas the people in front of you are giving. They should also provide goggles if it is raining — it is impossible to keep your eyes open while blasting through the rain.
For this price ($199) I would not recommend the tour, unless it included a more exciting itinerary.
It was an enjoyable and fun experience. Our guide did a great job. Some boats had driver troubles, and he managed the group well. That said, the boats are not particularly fast. Went jet skiing the day before and that is a thrill ride. These top out at maybe 20mph with two people. You get to see the mega yachts in the harbor, some of the coast and then stop at a beach with a beach bar and beach chairs. Stayed an hour there. Snorkel gear was provided, although we brought our own. Snorkeling is sand and some rocks with a few fish, but no coral. Most people just hung out at the beach. Boats tie up offshore a bit. Guide can drive you to shallow water, or most just swam. We were on Island a week and looking for things to do, this was worth a day.
The check-in was not good, Julie was rude and didn’t seem to have our reservations. They did add us, but we’re running so late I asked for a refund since they would cause us to be late back to our cruise ship so they took us and another family first with a guide named Damian, HE WAS GREAT!
Our 20 & 22 yr old had a mini-speed boat that leaked fuel into the boat and covered all our personal snorkel gear. The water was too murky to snorkel. The beach bar refrigerator went down and they could not accept credit cards(but kindly allowed us to pay Damian when we returned to the dock. Overall it wasn’t worth the money.
If you want to go on a old, rickety mini-speed boat from the Dutch side to a French beach, this is for you, For-warning, once you get to the beach, the group will circle around the cove approximately 20 times while the group individually attaches to the tour guides boats. They will lie and say they have masks and gear… They do not you will swim into the beach hang out for about an hour and then depart. While the tour says it last three hours, that is also a lie. We didn’t return until 4 hours later - we ended up missing a dinner reservation. There is absolutely no snorkeling involved or instruction of what you’re seeing on the ride over. On the return, the group didn’t stay together and multiple guests were left behind. Don’t recommend at all. .
The speed boats were fun. I had to cut my tour short due to getting a late start. I had to be back on the cruise ship. The tour stated the start was at 1 pm, but we didn’t get started until closer to 2 PM.
Fun activity. Started an hour and a half late and they did not have snorkels for us so there was no snorkeling on the trip.
We had so much fun on the water, and the tour guides we really helpful and knowledgeable. The beach spot for drinks and snacks was nice.
This excursion is SO intimate and one of a kind!! So so much fun!!!! A must do and we will be back. We went off our cruise ship and they were more than accommodating and we really appreciate it. We’ll be back
I would have loved to go on this . But my wife had an accident leaving the boat and we couldn’t make the pick up . I was hoping we could reschedule for September 3rd when we will be back in St Martin .
I know this is a big ask but I would appreciate anything you could do to help with this situation. Thank You in
The logistics in trying to get the tour started was very slow. Be prepared to get wet. The ride was awesome, guides were very helpful and the snorkeling was great!
We had 4 adults and 6 twenty-somethings, and everyone had a blast! The boats go fast- like a jet ski- we weren't sure they would have alot of power, but they did! The beach we stopped at was fun and had food and drinks. We hung out in the clear blue water and then hopped back on the boats to cruise around some more. Highly recommend this excursion!
This looked like fun but for my husband and I, it was not. We were older than the other people on this tour and the only ones that chose to ride double on the mini-boats. I understand that everyone else wanted the thrill of speed but we were given a boat with a 25hp motor while the single riders got 30hp boats. With double the weight it was hard to keep up. We were told not to bring anything with us that we’d be concerned about getting wet so everything was left back on shore except for some cash for tipping at the end. As we got on the boat, however, I saw another person put an entire backpack in a waterproof console. What?? So off we go without any belongings or supplies. We lagged behind on rougher than expected waters but finally reached a beautiful beach. The only cash we had went for a couple of drinks at the beach bar. Would’ve brought more had we known. Stayed about an hour and a half and the water was wonderful. Heading back, lagging again, it made me embarrassed that we couldn’t keep up. We were not experienced boat people and taking on the high speed and what, was for us, rough water (also because we were behind everyone else) made for an unpleasant day. The guides were very helpful but this was just not the fun I had anticipated. People with any back trouble should steer clear although those looking for a speed ride would enjoy it. They also supplied snorkel equipment for those who wanted it. Maybe it would’ve been fun if we splurged on us each having a boat of our own. Live and learn.
Great experience even in the rain! Your guides were polite and very knowledgeable. Would definitely recommend!
Disappointed we did get to go to creole rock as advertised. Another group arrived late, and somehow our guide shifted us to just stop at a beach instead, since we left late due to that other group. Our guide did a great job guiding us and was very kind, but still the excursion did not deliver all as advertised. They gave us a snorkel mask, but no snorkel or fins. Beach did not have any good snorkeling. The speedboats are super fun. I recommend it just for the fun speedboat experience, but be prepared to just stop at a beach.
Driving the boats are easy and sooo much fun. The beach that we stopped at for snorkeling has some really good food and drinks so make sure you bring money with you. This was one of my favorite excursions not just in Sint Maarten but In my travels around the world
This was a really great experience. The speedboats were super fun, and the swimming area was pretty.
Nice excursion, but they changed it, and did not update the description, so I felt misled. Took the prior tour two years ago, the snorkeling was way better. And they say there’s a $6 per person additional fee, but nowhere do they communicate that must be paid in cash. Instead they say that Viator refuses to post that, which I simply don’t believe. We showed up 30 minutes early and Julie seemed quite upset about that. Our guide, Royce, was great.
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