St Maarten Shore Excursion: Snorkeling and Speed Boat Tour

Recommended by 97% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

St Maarten

6 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Spend time exploring St Maarten on a speedboat and snorkeling tour. Jet out from Philipsburg to several nearby locations, such as the uninhabited Tintamarre Island. Jump into the water and snorkel at biodiverse Creole Rock, then explore Pinel Island. Sip beers and soda from the onboard bar as your captain shares his knowledge of St. Maarten and the surrounding waters with you.

Perfect for time-pressed cruise passengers visiting St Maarten
Includes use of snorkeling gear and floating devices
Sip on unlimited rum punch, beer, soft drinks, and water onboard
Relax knowing that you'll get back to the ship on time with a worry-free shore excursion guarantee

What's Included

Use of Snorkeling equipment

Use of Snorkelling equipment
Floating devices on board
Unlimited Rum Punch, Beer, Coke , Sprite ,Diet Coke and Bottle of Water on board.
Worry-free shore excursion guarantee

Gratuities
Lunch

Hot Lunch Optional for additional $14 per person in a BBQ Restaurant.
To postpone your reservation in the last 24 hours: additional $50 per person surcharge.
Entrance fee - Marine Park

$6.00 per person

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Dominos Pizza
62 Welfare Rd, Cole Bay, Sint Maarten
#62 welfare road , Simpson bay by Dominos pizza. Free parking available!! 9 AM CHECK IN TIME!!!

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.9:00 am

Itinerary

After your cruise ship docks, make your way to the dock to meet your captain, then step aboard the speedboat.

The first stop will be Creole Rock, the area's best snorkeling spot. Don a mask, flippers and snorkel to explore the undersea world, rich with marine life and vibrant coral.

Next, head to Tintamarre, an uninhabited island favored by the local sea turtles. Jump into the warm, calm waters to commune with the turtles as they swim around you in this protected reserve.

Continue to Pinel Island. Sit in the shallows with a refreshing beverage from the onboard bar or trek around the tiny island.

The boat will hang out just off Maho Beach, the perfect place to place to watch as aircraft come in for a landing at nearby Princess Juliana Airport. Then it's just a short cruise back to dock.

Worry-free Shore Excursion:

We will ensure your excursion ends with ample time for you to return to the St .Maarten port for your ship’s departure. In the extremely unlikely event your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.

Creole Rock

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Tintamarre Island

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Pinel Island

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Grand Case

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Mullet Bay Beach

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Maho Beach

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
It is recommended that you bring a towel and swimsuit
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Not recommended for travelers with back problems

Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Need Minimum 6 guests to operate the excursion.
Not available for cruise ship passengers
Not available for Pregnant Woman
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Cathy_S

We had the best time with Captain Nick and Luca. They were able to get our group of 16 family members all together on 1 boat. They were friendly, attentive and very nice. Always keep us informed on what was next and if we wanted to do more things We opted for lunch and the ribs were delicious Drinks were flowing and we all had a great time. I would definitely recommend Billy Bones Charters to anyone.

Reviews

4.9

based on 100 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Best day ever.

Francois_N, Feb 2026

Lucas and Johan were the best. They did everything for us to have a blast. They were very nice and making sure that we would be on schedule to see a plane land at Maho beach. I would 100% recommend.

Family vacation

Cathy_S, Jun 2025

Room for improvement

Randall_A, Nov 2024

It was a fun crew with plenty of drinks. The disappointing points were the shortage of fins for snorkeling and the unexpected extra cash charge of $6 each at the boat for using a credit card through Viator. Several of the other customers expressed their disagreement with the charge. In my opinion this issue should have been between Viator and Captain Flint.

Response from Host, Jan 2025

the $6 per person was for the Marine Park fee for the french side reserve naturelle where we snorkeling by Creole rock and visiting tintamarre and pinel island for beach . its been transparently advertising on Viator not a hidden fee. Sorry about the fins its been corrected. Wondering how much you tip the crew if you crying here for $6 bucks???

Awesome Tour!

rmkerce, Oct 2024

Sammy and Junior were the best! They gave us a very good tour of the best parts of St. Maarten, both the Dutch and the French sides. Creole Rock was great and teeming with some small and vibrant fish, and Tintamarre Island had a few sea turtles around the area. There was plenty of time to relax throughout the day - just be sure to bring sunscreen and apply often!

Top notch

Ted_R, Oct 2023

Excellent, time with Miguel!! He was extremely helpful took us to all amazing places, and had quite a bit of knowledge about the island. Not to mention he was hilarious!!! Would definitely recommend this excursion to everyone.

Perfect Excursion

Sylvia_H, Jun 2022

We took this tour while visiting St Maarten on Harmony of the Seas. It was our favorite day of our cruise. The team was both professional and personable and really made us feel welcome. The scenery was beautiful and all our stops were great. The BBQ lunch is a MUST!! The food was unbelievable. We arrived back in plenty of time to get back on the ship. Thanks so much for a perfect excursion!!!

Worth the trip! 💜💜

Rosalie_M, Nov 2021

Captain Jean-Franco and Natalie were gracious and attentive hosts. I was a little concerned about reentering the boat from the water. But it wasn't too hard and they assisted! The waters were beautiful azure... just amazing! Surf was a little rough... but the on-board narrative of our tour was worth the trip!

Fabulous Day

Sue_N, Nov 2019

Well paced, excellent tour, beautiful scenery. Delicious lunch. Friendly and helpful crew. No worries for getting back to the ship. Really the best way to spend the day on the island!

Always a Good Day on the Water

Karen H, Jun 2019

In spite of a rather windy day, Captain Franco skillfully got our boat to the snorkeling and lunch site. Comfortable boat, liked the small number of people (8), beautiful islands.

Excellent Trip!

Seaside62619994878, Jun 2019

The captain and crew member were very knowledgeable and attentive to their guests, boat ride great, waters beautiful, snorkeling excellent and view of plane landing awesome! Couldn’t have been a better experience...Thank you!!

Great Alternative to the often overbooked Cruiseline tours!

kathrynbMaine, May 2019

Last March, 2018 on our annual family spring break cruise, my daughter & family had booked a snorkeling & speed boat tour directly through our RCL Freedom of the Seas concierge & loved it. When we were going to be in Philipsburg once again in March, 2019 on RCL's Adventure of the Seas we also wanted to join them on the snorkeling & speed boat tour. Sadly we found this cruise excursion sold out months in advance so we decided to try a Viator excursion. This turned out to be the highlight of our vacation & was much more inclusive w/ 2 more hrs of fun than the one had taken last year. We booked online at their website & saw they had a guarantee of returning in time for your cruise ship port departure which had been our only worry. We did need to walk abit further to the marina then other cruise ship passenger booked excursions but we are all in good health so this was no issue. We were greeted by the Viatour Representative & gave them our pre-printed vouchers. In short time, we were led to our well outfitted speedboat, exactly as represented in the online photos. There was plenty of room for all passengers & personal gear & our boat Captain and First Mate, Guillame & Sean did an excellent job in navigating us through our planned itinerary stops, very aware of best times to avoid the crowds at each snorkeling location & adapting stops accordingly. They also provided talks on the history of the two St. Maarten/Sint Martin sides, what famed personalities lived where, updates from the restorations necessary after Hurricane Irma came in 2017, and in general, delighted us at all of the stops &activities as promised in their online description. We did feel somewhat misled in the description about stopping for lunch -- we had assumed this would be at a restaurant onshore "enjoy a lunch beachside on Pinel Island" -- and indeed one could order and pay for lunch at this stop, but as it turned out, we were served delicious sandwiches onboard while at this stop so it was no big deal. They also provided cold beverages throughout our trip so that was accurately represented & enjoyed. We would all highly recommend this excursion (two almost 70's grandparents, 2 parents, and our 11 and 13 year old granddaughters) and would definitely do it again. It had so much to offer with a fun boat trip covering more than any land excursion, several snorkeling stops, and even souvenir shopping at Pinel Island w/ its sandy beach great for swimming.

Awesome cruise around the island

Nancy_D, May 2019

Our captain, Anthonie, and his first mate (forgot her name, sorry!) did a wonderful job of making the tour around St. Maarten a wonderul experience. We stopped and snorkeled at 2 different sites, saw some turtles, visited several other beaches, and had a nice lunch of sandwiches and pizza. Free water, soda, and beer were also included. We enjoyed the relaxing times at each stop, as well as the excitement of the speed boat. Anthonie and his first mate did everything they could to make this an enjoyable experience, answering our many questions and highlighting facts about the island. This is by far our favorite excursion we have done. I would highly recommend this excursion, and will do this tour again when we visit the island.

BRILLIANT TOUR & GREAT DAY

QueenofMaz, Apr 2019

After looking at 2 other tours we decided on this Snorkeling and Speed Boat Tour in order to have a more personalized experience on the water. There were 4 of us, 1 couple and 2 girlfriends for a total of 8 on the boat! It was awesome. Anthonie (Captain) and Oxana (1st mate) were awesome tour guides and very attentive. We toured both sides of the island (French and Dutch) and got a real understanding for both. The snorkeling spots were great, Pinel Island was beautiful and the sandwiches were delicious. If you want a great day on a fast boat with lots of interesting spots this is the tour for you!

Amazing!

Emily_C, Jan 2019

Anthony and the team were amazing. By far the most exciting and enjoyable excursion on our cruise! We highly recommend! You get to stop at several beaches and snorkeling spots, we even went around the entire island!

Great All Inclusive Island Tour Your Way

Adam_P, Jan 2019

This excursion trip really hit on all the high points of St Maarten. The boat was a beautiful 38' center console that had plenty of room for all the people on the trip. The captains were extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful throughout the day. This trip was great because we were able to make decisions on where we wanted to go which made it all the more enjoyable. There was no set schedule to stick to or rules to follow, it really provided the ability to see the island and all it has to offer in the best way possible. Saw a bunch of turtles and great snorkeling spots. Stopped at a few gorgeous beaches and ended the day with a perfectly timed fly by at the airport. Would highly recommend this excursion to any looking to really explore the best the island has to offer.

Must do

Mike_C, Dec 2018

This is our second time with this company on this tour. This was the highlight of our trip and we will do it again when back. This company is ran by a small family and gives you that family personal touch, felt more like being on the boat with friends as opposed to a company. Their restaurant was destroyed during the hurricane so they now provide sandwiches, which are very good.

This was the best island/water...

Jennifer M, Sep 2018

This was the best island/water excursion we've ever taken. The other small group taking our boat arrived early as did our crew, so we actually got a 15-20 minute head start on the day. I'm going to butcher their names, so apologies, but Oksana and Anthony were the perfect guides for the day. They played awesome upbeat music, pointed out tons of interesting sights, and taught us about the different sides of the island. Oksana even went above and beyond by insisting to spray us down with her own sunscreen when we had forgotten ours, and Anthony did a great job of patching my finger up when I ripped off a nail when jumping over the side of the boat. The sandwiches they picked up for lunch were SO GOOD, too. Coolers were stocked with water, soda, and beer. Snorkeling stops were great saw tons of exotic fish. Also, hope you get Anthony because he truly is the iguana whisperer. That was a cool surprise. SO much better than the large group trips organized by the cruise ship--- this was more like heading out for the day with your islander friend who has a boat showing you the sights. Highly recommend this excursion to anyone who appreciates small group attention and a day on the water :

4-4-18. The tour was fantastic...

Chad W, Apr 2018

4-4-18. The tour was fantastic, boats are amazing and the captain was super fun! 5 stars! Highly recommend! Wear lots of sunscreen!!

This Excursion was the best one we...

Stephen_J, Apr 2018

This Excursion was the best one we had during our Cruise. The two French captains were very nice and professional. They took us to beautiful beaches and landmarks. The speed boat was comfortable and fast. Despite the consequences of Hurricane Irma, which is still very visible, its worth going to St Maarten. We had to swim to the beach where the restaurant was so this may be a problem for some people, as the pier was still in bad shape. Overall, I recommend this excursion.

August 22, 2017 My husband...

Dianne J, Sep 2017

August 22, 2017 My husband and I did the this tour! We loved it! Raddick our captain was knowledgeable and very friendly. We saw some beautiful places....loved snorkeling at Creole rock! The lunch spot we went to was amazing......lots of locals and really great food! We really enjoyed having a small group excursion, we had about 15 people on our boat....much fewer than the cruise ship excursions. We would highly recommend this tour! D and F, Canada

It was one of the best days spent in...

Diane H, Aug 2017

It was one of the best days spent in st martin. The day was a little windy but our captain Redek told us he would keep us safe and take us to the best places! The boat ride was so smooth, don't be afraid of windy weather at all! Our captain redek was so nice and informative, we were with my 2 kids 17 and 15. He even let them steer the boat for a bit, my son was thrilled! Snorkel and jumping off the boat was so fun, the water was beautiful.. all the friends we meet on the boat were awesome. It was like we all were on this fun vacation together. I can't say enough great stuff about our day on this beautiful boat and amazing captain. Thank you Redek for a great day we will always remember.

We have done a number of cruises in...

Jodie P, Jul 2017

We have done a number of cruises in the Caribbean and Europe and this was hands down THE best shore tour we have ever done. Super fun with a mix of speed thrills and natural beauty. Our 10 year old son had a blast at the front of the boat going over the waves. The lunch was yummy and the waters were crystal clear for swimming and snorkelling. I would recommend this for anyone that seeks adventure. Not for the faint hearted. Thanks for a brilliant day!

Amazing island adventure.. Plan on...

Laura_K, May 2017

Amazing island adventure.. Plan on being on a boat on the ocean.. This is not a catamaran ride.. Its a speedboat! we enjoyed ourself immensely! but some of the people we were with acted like they shouldnt go fast or get wet.. well Read the description! you see lots of beautiful things and is an awesome experience! But it isnt a sailboat ride lol!! Be prepared to have fun!! A One of the best things I ve ever done off of the cruise ships!!

Worth every penny! It rained the...

Joanna_L, Apr 2017

Worth every penny! It rained the whole time on our Excursion and I would give it six stars if I could. They can't help the rain, but Joelle and Mike we're absolutely fantastic, extremely knowledgeable, and professional. Every stop had a little something to offer. Thanks boys!

Our Speed Boat tour started with...

Lee C, Mar 2017

Our Speed Boat tour started with complete honesty, the weather was questionable, we were warned and offered a full refund if we chose to cancel. Several people opted for the refund, my wife and I joined 8 others for a most wonderful experience. The boat, scenery, snorkeling and lunch on the beach all exceeded any expectations. The boat captain was very knowledgeable and helpful. Not only would we highly recommend this tour to others, we will book another one with the same group when we return to St Maarten. OUTSTANDING SHORE EXCURSION Lee South Carolina

Fantastic tour! The boat was well...

KEVIN_C, Feb 2017

Fantastic tour! The boat was well maintained and spacious thanks to a no-show group of 7. The marina is an easy 10 minute walk from the port and Mike and Bob were waiting to greet us. Our captains Adrian and Joel were terrific. We weren't able to visit all the usual spots on the tour due to rough seas, but we didn't feel like we missed out on anything. Lunch at Caribbean Grill was the best food we had all week. They had us back to the marina in plenty of time for another leisurely 10 minute stroll back to the ship. We are already looking forward to planning another visit to St. Maarten and would book this tour again in a heartbeat.

This trip is amazing ,I would highly...

Wayne M, Feb 2017

This trip is amazing ,I would highly recommend to everyone ,The directions and efficiency of the whole outfit is very well put together .Adrian and Joell where so funny and entertaining ,Great music as well .The Lunch was delicious and fast .The only thing I would say was disappointing is we ran out of Beer Idont think they were prepared for a few drinkers on board . However that been said I would definitely go again .Thank you so much for such an amazing adventure

Very recommended tour. The captain of...

mauroboccuni, Jan 2017

Very recommended tour. The captain of the speed boat was the best we could have!

excellent tour.. Speed boat, the...

Gregory J, Nov 2016

excellent tour.. Speed boat, the french side.. no more said! snorkeling, lunch on a beautiful beach restaurant, Beer, a cruise around the island we also get to see the large planes land and take off almost on the beach. Its by far my favorite island!

Great day on the water! Our Captain...

Mark T, Sep 2016

Great day on the water! Our Captain Yanis made the trip both fun and informative. The snorkeling was great and the lunch in Grand Case was excellent!!