Small Group Sea Turtle Tour (Guaranteed to see turtles)
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
St Thomas, US Virgin Islands
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Avoid the massive crowds that can huddle near the beaches in St. Thomas and book this St. Thomas Sea Turtle Small-Group Snorkeling Tour. This tour takes you with a guide and small group to a special spot with guaranteed sea-turtle sightings. Plus, with a small group, your guide can focus on your needs more and all necessary equipment is provided for you for a stress-free, fun day of snorkeling.
- An adventure that guarantees you’ll see sea turtles in their natural habitat
- Go snorkeling in a secret spot in St. Thomas known by your guide
- A small group limited to 10 travelers provides an intimate experience
- Snorkeling gear, beach chairs, and bottled water are provided for ease
What's Included
- A cooler with bottled water
- Use of snorkel gear and floatation devices
- Gratuity for your guide - standard gratuity is 15 to 20%
- Lunch
- Photos and videos - they are available for purchase.
- Transportation to and from your hotel/ship port (excluding Emerald Beach Resort)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 8070 Lindberg bay, Charlotte Amalie West, St Thomas 00802, USVI
Please meet your guide in the parking lot of the Emerald Beach Resort. The tour departs exactly 15 mins before the start time, so you must arrive 15 mins before the start time or you will miss your tour. You will receive a text with the vehicle description (please call if you do not get the text).
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
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St. Thomas Adventure Tours
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Not wheelchair accessible
- A minimum of 2 adults per booking is required
- All participants must be able to walk over uneven surfaces and climb in and out of a vehicle.
- All snorkeling must have a minimum of beginner ability to swim and be at least 5 years old
- At time of booking, cruise ship passengers must provide the following information: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
- Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Please note that a 20% gratuity is due on the day of the tour in cash for groups of 5 or more.
- Most travelers can participate
- Tour will be cancelled if a minimum of four guests must be booked on this tour in order for it to run. The four guests do not need to be in the same group or booking.
- At the time of booking, all participants must provide: Adults: Sweater size with gender Children: Age, gender and weight.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 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
Featured review
The most incredible experience! We were within touching distance of the turtles and saw so many of them. Our guide, Sven, was extremely knowledgeable and even took us to coral reefs that were filled with exotic fish. I can’t recommend this trip enough.
Reviews
4.9
based on 124 reviews
Review summary
Last 12 months
37 reviews
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Travelers consistently praise the guides for their extensive marine life knowledge and personalized, patient instruction during snorkeling. The snorkeling activities are noted for accessibility and engaging encounters with turtles and fish, supported by ample observation time. This combination enhances understanding and enjoyment of the coastal environment, making the experience memorable for most travelers.
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Sven led the tour of only 2 of us. He was very intentional about making sure we were comfortable in our gear and asking about our preferences. We saw SEVERAL turtles!! We saw several other sea creatures as well. Would definitely recommend!!
Response from Host, Nov 2026
Thank you very much Sandra!
Small group, very relaxing atmosphere, no rushing around and no boats 🛥️ involved. Gear up on shore and swim out to see turtles and other marine life
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thanks for your review Michael,
If there is anything not meeting your expectations please let us know.
I really liked the small group and swimming around. But it was little hard to find the guide at the parking lot. And I didn't get the pictures even I paid 40$, which is disappointing 😕.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Hi,
sometimes your picture and video package can end up in your spam folder. It can also happen that your guide got your email address wrong. Why don't
you reach out to us at 340-227-8383 and we get that figured out for you
Sven, our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about the island and the wildlife. He was also friendly! We saw at least 8-10 turtles on our excursion, with the turtles even breaching for air right in front of us. Absolutely fantastic experience!
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you very much for sharing your experience!
Our tour guide Sven was amazing. He went above and beyond. He started us with a cool tour of the trees, plants and beach. It was SO cool. When we got into the water he did a great job teaching us how to utilize the snorkels as it was our first time. He gave us such a cool tour of the fish and plants in the ocean. He knew exactly where to go to see turtles. He taught us how to interact with them, the rules, and how to keep them safe. It was such a lengthy awesome tour. It was one of our favorite excursions!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you very much for this great review Harry!
Guide was excellent!! We saw a lot of sea turtles and other marine creatures. Amazing day!!!! Definitely book the trip!!!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you very much Amber!
This excursion was amazing. Our guide, Sophie, was kind and knowledgeable. She was patient with us and led our group to see so many sea turtles! We loved the additional option to get a photo package. This crossed an item off our bucket list in the best possible way. Highly recommend!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you very much for this great review!
Great tour guide- Sven was knowledgeable and hit some great spots for the turtles and sea life. Transferred from the cruise port was quick and easy.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you very much for taking the time to review your tour.
AMAZING guided tour. Sven was so friendly & knowledgeable. Equipment was great. He knew exactly where to find cool stuff to see. Lots of turtles, a few sting rays, even a hiding octopus! We never would’ve found awesome stuff like this on our own. Sven was GREAT!!!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thanks for your great review!
The most incredible experience! We were within touching distance of the turtles and saw so many of them. Our guide, Sven, was extremely knowledgeable and even took us to coral reefs that were filled with exotic fish. I can’t recommend this trip enough.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you very much for your great review Kristy! Just so that future guests are not misled I just wanted to add that it is of cause not permitted to touch sea turtles!
Grate small group experience. Sophia was great and took time to explained and show the different sea life. I would recommend this experience for anyone that hasn’t seen sea turtles. I only rated as 4 due to the last minute notice of where to meet the group. I would recommend changing that process. The other was we had just experienced Brewer Beach 2 days earlier on our own. We were hoping for something different based on the meet location. If you haven’t experienced Brewers and its sea life I highly recommend this experience.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Hi Ohan,
Thanks for taking the time reviewing your tour. Nice to know that you had a good time and yes, Sophie is a great guide.
About the location:
The guide determinants the location we are snorkeling at the morning off the tour. So there is no way of letting you know before.
Was excited to have a small group snorkel experience. We were fortunate to get Sophie as our personal guide with only 4 in our group. I saw the cruise group go out with over 50 swimmers. We got to see sea turtles, octopi, barracuda and tons of colorful fish. perfect amount of snorkel time and enjoyed the scenic beach. Highly recommend!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you very much for sharing your experience with Sophie. On our trips you will never have more than 6 guests snorkeling because we know that it greatly improve your overall experience. Wildlife does not like 50 people in one group.
Sketchy. They tell you to meet at a parking lot in front of a hotel near the bay. They were in a rusted pick up truck and they did not have any identifying logos or names on their shirts. They looked like tourists. We did not see the note to meet in the parking lot or the hotel name. You have to click into the meeting point tab and it states it in smaller font below the bold address. Very easy to miss. We walked the entire beach trying to find them. Fortunately, one of the hotel staff members knew they existed and told us to walk to the parking lot in the front. When we got there, there was no visible concern that their directions were confusing. My elderly parents were overwhelmed from walking around trying to find the tour guides. No apologies. We were told it was obvious on the meeting notes. Again, it does state the notes about the hotel and parking lot, but you have to click into the meeting location. The meeting location just says the street address in bold. It doesn’t say the hotel name, so taxi drivers weren’t sure what we were looking for. If it said the hotel name clearly in the address, all issues would have been avoided. But again, the taxi drivers are more concerned with squishing 32 or more people into a vehicle that has a sign that says 25 people max. Sigh. It’s a USVI thing. Squish and hurry. Details later. So we found them and it was sketchy. A rusty truck with kayaks on it that looked to seat maybe 4. We were a party of six. They were very defensive about their meeting notes and more concerned about being right than any actual customer service. We didn’t feel comfortable going with them and instead got a taxi and went back to the port. On the ship, I got a late text from 10:18 am saying they expected an $80 tip up front when we arrived. The booking says nothing about mandatory gratuity. We are tippers, don’t get me wrong. But if the gratuity is mandatory before we even see how your tour is, I’m probably not going. I want to be generous with everyone, but we already had issues finding you, let alone even trying to verify if your tour is legit. If you want your personal business to be successful, fix these issues. Own your mistakes and shortfalls. Get some logo’d polo shirts for your staff. Don’t pick people up in a parking lot of a hotel you are not affiliated with. And above all, when your guests are in distress or seem overwhelmed right at the beginning, a simple “I can see you are frustrated and I apologize, please have a seat and we will make sure your concerns are taken care of right away.” Not belligerent or snarky comments that make your customers (yes, they are paying customers) feel uncomfortable or further frustrated. Perhaps you can hire a customer service team to train you on how to treat customers. A few bad reviews can kill a small business. You need to learn how to manage angry or disappointed guests BEFORE they leave a review. I guarantee you they will be brutally honest.
To future turtle seekers, there are many other tour options. Safe yourself distress, choose one of them.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Hi Sarah,
It is very entertaining to read your review, thanks!
Let me just set a few things straight. When you purchased your tour over Viator, you reserved your meeting location. You also got the phone number of our business and could have called us at any time, as we tried calling and texting you. Reading your paperwork, we suggest to all of our guests to take a working phone with them in case any problems occur. I'm sorry your taxi driver was dropping you off at the wrong end of the same beach but that is no reason to yell at our guides, manager, and owner of the company when we tried to sort things out with you. There is also no reason to use inappropriate language since this behavior does not set the right tone for a relaxing and fun snorkel trip with amazing sea creatures.
It is also interesting that you claim you had a medical emergency when you are trying to get a refund from Viator. That doesn't match your story, does it?
Lynne took us to a beach and into the water and found a lot for us to look at. We saw five different turtles as well as various fish, stingrays and an octopus. She knows a lot about marine life and was very interesting to talk to. Highly recommended activity.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thanks for sharing your experience with Lynne and St. Thomas Adventure Tours.
We had a great time on this excursion! Our guide was Sophie and she was very friendly and knowledgeable. She made sure we saw lots of wildlife, including an octopus, stingrays, and multiple turtles of different sizes. Any questions we had, she was able to answer. I would recommend this excursion to anyone looking to see some turtles on their vacation!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thanks for sharing your experience with St. Thomas Adventure Tours and Sophie!
Unfortunately, our tour was canceled due to high swells and rip currents during the period our tour was scheduled. Although we did not get to see the turtles, I am giving this tour 5 stars anyway, due to the fact that the tour operator contacted us in plenty of time to allow us to make other plans for the day and kept us apprised if the situation throughout the two days that we originally scheduled, then rescheduled, the tour. We understand that safety is the number one priority and we appreciate the communication provided by the tour operator. If back in St Thomas at a future date, we would certainly book this tour again, thanks!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thanks Debra!
Sophie was our guide and she was super knowledgeable and personable. I really liked how our group was so small and that she spent time answering all of our questions.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you very much for sharing your experience.
We had Sophie as a guide. She did a great job. She found many sea turtles. We also found a sting ray and an eagle ray. You could tell she really loves her job.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you very much for taking the time reviewing your tour!
Wonderful, easy snorkeling adventure for first timers and advanced swimmers alike! Lynne was a fabulous snorkel guide! First we searched for turtles. Lynne zigzagged across the cove to find them and motioned to us when she did. Not only did we see multiple turtles, we also saw stingrays, Then we went to a small reef area where we saw lots of fish swimming among the recovering coral. We even encountered an octopus and 3 squid.
Getting to the meeting point was a little challenging, but this was due to St. Thomas’s taxi monopoly on transportation on the island. (The taxis are basically open air trucks with multiple benches. They wait until the trucks are filled, and make multiple stops along the way.) So give yourself extra time to get to the meeting point. We docked at West Indian Company Dock and allowed an hour to get to Emerald Beach, arriving in plenty of time.
Sophie was early to meet us at the parking lot and she was very cheerful and excited to guide us on our beautiful coastline snorkeling experience. She’s very informative and made sure to give everyone in our small group special attention. Sophie swam deep into the water to locate octopuses 🐙 and she swam around to find the green turtles 🐢 we were guaranteed to see. We also saw rays too.
This has been the highlight of my trip so far! I was the only guest so Sophie was pretty much my personal snorkel guide haha but it was great! She is very kind and very knowledgeable! She was very informative about everything we seen from sea turtles to octopus to sting rays all the different fish everything! I highly recommend!
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you very much for taking the time to review your tour. Greatly appreciated!
Comes as advertised. Sophia, our guide, was great! The weather was perfect. The beach wasn’t crowded at all. We had a great time.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you very much for taking the time to review your tour. Greatly appreciated!
This was a fun kind of minimalistic type excursion in that it’s very simple and laid back. Our guide Lynne did a fantastic job of guiding us around the beach front waters coming across tons of water life from a baby octopus, to Manatee, and to obviously Sea Turtles! Lots of cool sea creatures and fish but the Sea Turtles steal the show! Lynne was very knowledgeable and would swim around to highlight the next area for us to gather. She took great videos and even tho i also took very good vids during the snorkel I recommend as it’s $40 and her camera is high quality. My one recommendation is maybe tell people to look for your vehicle by description bc the parking lot of the resort was too ambiguous, and we were waiting for a while until we just got curious walking around the full parking lot.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you very much for taking the time to review your tour. Greatly appreciated!
First off Sophie passion for sea turtles is amazing she was great ! Second I have never had such a good snorkeling experience there was so many turtles and other wild life. We all really enjoyed this tour it end up being just the 3 of us too so that was nice to getting one on one!
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you very much for taking the time to review your tour. Greatly appreciated!
Beautiful calm waters and lots of aquatic life. Yes, saw turtles! Sophie was an excellent guide. Highly recommend!
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you very much Melissa
If you are joining from a cruise two big things to know: 1. Your tour is in LOCAL time. The ships always emphasize staying on ship time, but that may be different from local time 2. Your meeting point is at Emerald Beach Resort in the parking lot. Google maps makes it look walkable, but it is not. Spend the $6 for a taxi.
Company was flexible in rescheduling our tour when we had a mix up with cruise/ship versus local time.
You will see a lot of neat wildlife, including turtles! Consider investing in a waterproof box for your phone so you can get your own videos—someone on our tour had one and was kind enough to share their photos and footage.
The guide was nice and provided good knowledge and facts about the wildlife.
Another major point to know is that while the snorkeling doesn’t require significant physical strength and the ocean is a gradual walk-in, you must be able to pull yourself into a pick-up truck bed that has been modified with beach seating.
The experience was great but expensive for the accommodations. All you have to do is find the beach and swim around until you see turtles. Don't really need a guide.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Nice to hear that you had a great experience.
I wish we could offer this experience for a more affordable price but this is not possible for a small group tour. Our tours are priced the same than tours with 50 guests and up- I think that is extremely competitive. Of cause not everyone appreciates getting all the knowledge and service - like checking on the conditions of the snorkel area before the trip.
Anyway we deliver what we promise and more but if you prefer snorkeling alone you should save your money and don't go on a guided trip.
Great experience! We saw many Sea Turtles! We also saw sting rays, grouper, jelly fish, reef fish and sea urchin. Description is as promised!
Our guide Sven was fabulous!! He led us to all the right places. I can’t even name all the unique fish we saw. Not to mention the sea turtles and sting rays. We even saw a juvenile eagle ray!! I was a first time snorkeler. And felt very comfortable. I would highly recommend this to anyone.
Our tour guide was AMAZING! I think his name was sen? ( I'm sorry I forgot!) He was the absolute beat! We told him it was our first time snorkeling and he gave great instructions! He stayed by us and gave us a nature tour before the snorkeling which was super cool! Once in the water he stayed with us the entire time! Everytime we saw something he would explain what it was etc! We saw a sea turtle that survived a shark attack! I got tired quick and hung out on the beach while my boyfriend continued with the group! He said the guide even asked if I was okay etc! I would 100% go with him again on this tour! We had the best experience! My boyfriend had an amazing birthday! Thank you so much! 10/10 fully recommend!
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$84.55
per personWas $89.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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