Beaches, Fishing, Snorkeling, Diving, Shopping, Exploring - Have Fun in St Thomas

When you visit St. Thomas you'll want to know where the beaches are.
On the Northside of the island you will find:

• Dorothea Bay
• Hull Bay
• Magens Bay
• Little Magens
• Mandahl Bay

South side:

• Bolongo Bay
• Limetree Beach
• Moringstar
• Lindberg Bay
• Brewers Bay

East End:

• Coki Point
• Water Bay
• Sugar Bay
• Lindquist Beach
• Sapphire Beach
• Vessup BAy
• Blubeards Beach
• Turtle Cove
• Cowpet Bay
• Secret Harbor

West End:
Accessible only by sea:

• Preseverence Bay
• Santa Maria Bay
• Hendrik Bay

From new, never snorkeled before to seasoned snorkelers there is something for everyone. Rocky coast lines, near shore reefs, off shore cays and sunken items like ships and planes provide beautiful and varied snorkeling opportunities. The conditions are; great visibility, fairly constant water temperatures of 79-83 degrees year-round, calm seas with little current and fantastic underwater scenery. In other words, perfect for snorkeling. View gorgeous underwater gardens of coral and visit with the residents; turtles, rays, octopuses, moray eels and an abundance of fish large and small. With the use of a mask, snorkel and fins you can float on the surface and admire the marine life below. Snorkeling is an option from beaches and also by boat trips.
Dive sites in the Pillsbury Sound area including Carval Rock, Congo Cay, Grass Cay, Mounds at Mingo, Arches and Tunnels of Thatch and Lovango Cay.
St. Thomas is known as the blue marlin capital, and marlin fishing is one of the primary attractions along with other large game fish. Inshore fishing for smaller game fish is also an option and can be successfully achieved mostly by boat, but also from the islands' shorelines.
The most popular food event is Carnival Food Fair. If you are visiting during a Carnival celebration be sure to attend. Dozens of booths are set up serving all sorts of local favorites including pates, lobster, fish, kallalo and more. They also serve local drinks and deserts too! Agriculture Fair is another good opportunity to sample local foods and deserts. Other food events include the annual Chilli Cook Off, which usually takes place in late summer.
For the shopper in your party, St. Thomas is home to world renowned shopping! Hundreds of duty free shops line the streets and alleys of the capital, Charlotte Amalie. Multiple buildings in Havensight, where most cruise ships dock, house shops and boutiques. There are smaller malls around the island and even the larger hotels offer shopping!
The best buys on St. Thomas include jewelry, alcohol, china, crystal, perfumes, art, clothing, watches and cameras. If you are in the market for something in particular, primarily jewelry and cameras, it is a good idea to know what the going price is in your home town; some items are better deals than others so it pays to know what items cost at home.
For those who want to explore Take this Self-guided Walking Tour:
Fort Christian Legislature Building Emancipation Park Grand Hotel Lutheran Church Hotel 1829 99 Steps
For a night on the town combine an early dinner with a live performance. Plays, orchestras, ballets and concerts are performed throughout the year at centers for performing arts and theaters like Reichhold Center, Pistarckle Theater and Tillett Gardens.
While a variety of music types are played in the Virgin Islands, it is calypso, soca, reggae and steel pan beats that are the sounds of the Caribbean must often heard.
Go exploring on your next vacation to St. Thomas, the beach is not the only place to go.

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Tips For Safe Snorkeling - Snorkel Equipment

You like the water and want to snorkel than the first thing you need to do is make sure you are a safe snorkeler. The first thing you need to check when it comes to snorkeling is your equipment. You don't want to be in the water and have faulty snorkel equipment. There are a few tips that you must follow when it comes to snorkeling:
1. Snorkel with a friend
2. Always check your snorkel equipment and be familiar with it
3. Be aware of the currents and the waves. These get snorkeler when they least expect it.
But for now we will concentrate on how to check your snorkel in order to have a safe dive. The first thing you want to check is your mask, make sure your mask strap is fitted to your head and make sure there are no rips or tears in the mask.
The second thing you need to check is your snorkel. The weakest part on the snorkel is the bottom curve so make sure there are no holes or rips there as well. And the final things you need to check are your snorkeling fins. Make sure your fins are still flexible and don't have signs of cracking or if you have a strap make sure it is not showing lots of wear. So, after understanding above important Tips you can these equipment and enjoy your sea journey with ease. Having the quality snorkel equipments ensure you a perfect snorkeling in the sea.

Tevis is a snorkeling and scuba diving expert. If you want to buy professional scuba and snorkeling equipments like snorkel gear, snorkeling fins or and other diving equipments then Tevis can help you to find the quality scuba and snorkeling equipments. Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tevis_Verrett

How to Snorkel - A Guide on Snorkeling Tips and Techniques

One of the main reasons why people choose to snorkel, is that it can be so relaxing. Just floating and being immersed within the underwater scenery is enough to escape the hurdles we encountered in every day life.
So what is the secret in how to snorkel the right way? Well it is very simple. The most important thing is to just relax. There is no need to hurry up. Learning on how to snorkel about without feeling breathless, fatigue or cramps is the key to maximizing the enjoyment of your snorkeling adventure.
If you are a beginner, it may be slightly unnerving to breath underwater through a tube but do not worry it will quickly become second nature just after a few tries. If you are still learning on how to snorkel, then it is advisable to test out using the snorkel in still shallow waters preferably in a pool or on a sandy beach.
Begin by laying flat on your stomach, just floating and placing your face in the water at about a 45 degree angle. Bite gently on the mouthpiece, allowing your lips to seal around it and hold the snorkel in place. A rule of thumb is that whenever you put the snorkel in your mouth, be sure to exhale before inhaling though the snorkel tube, in case there is any water in it.
Test the snorkel by taking regular slow breaths through the tube. Breath slowly, deeply and cautiously through your snorkel. No need to panic you can always lift your head above water if you want. Just relax and become aware of your breaths. The sound of your breathing through the snorkel barrel should become quite noticeable.
On learning how to snorkel, you will soon experience that keeping you head above the water can get very tiring. So what is the next step? Well the great thing about the snorkel is that while breathing,the snorkel will enable you to lie face down in the water while you are completely motionless at the surface. Your next task is to develop this basic snorkeling skill. This is a great way to start. The importance of this resting position is that it will assist you to conserve energy during your long snorkeling outings.
Snorkel Clearing technique
Before venturing out into open water, it is necessary to test your skills in how to use the snorkel. Place your head below the water so that your snorkel is immersed below the surface. You should feel that water is entering the snorkel barrel. At this point, it is important that you hold your breath. I know that holding your breath with an open mouth may seems unnatural but it is easy. Just keep this in mind never inhale when you feel that water has entered the snorkel.
The next step is to clear the water from the snorkel. This can only be performed once you have raised the snorkel above the surface of the water. For now, until you develop the necessary skill in how to snorkel, never exhale when your snorkel is underwater as once you run out of air, your instinct is to inhale, and what you get is water. So surface your head without lifting it out of the water and quickly exhale forcefully and sharply into the snorkel. This will blast up the water out of the snorkel barrel. This blast method of snorkel clearing will remove nearly all the water from your snorkel. Any small amount of water left can be removed by a second forceful blast.
You should also keep in mind that water can also enter the snorkel even if you do not immerse your head underwater. Sometimes either due to surf conditions or excessive splashing, some water may enter. So one thing to keep in mind is to breath cautiously. By repeating the blast method you should clear any water that enters into the snorkel.
Sometimes, although you may have some water left in the snorkel, if you inhale slowly and use airway control, you can breath the air past the water until you have enough air for another blast. This skill ability to breath past the little amount of water left in your snorkel, shows that you have mastered airway control and proper snorkel clearing technique.
That is it, all you have to do is practice the above mentioned snorkeling techniques and snorkel clearing will become automatic with experience.
Here are some pointers to keep into consideration when learning on how to snorkel:

• Swim at a steady comfortable pace to conserve your energy
• Streamline yourself as much as possible. Keep your arms at your side
• Breathing cautiously through your snorkel, to avoid choking on water that may enter

Keep in mind that when you are still learning on how to snorkel, the more you test and use your snorkeling gear, the more experience you will gain. So be patient, the right snorkeling technique for breathing through the snorkel and using your fins will become second nature. The aim is to relax and have fun so that you blend with the marine environment.
After your snorkeling adventure is over, remember to take care of the equipment. So check out our snorkeling gear guides on information for how to maintain your snorkeling equipment after each and every snorkeling outing.

This article is an excerpt from a series of informative guides appearing on Scuba-Snorkeling-Adventures.com under the Tips and Techniques section of the site at http://Scuba-Snorkeling-Adventures.com/how-to-snorkel.html.

Topics covered include how to streamline yourself to reduce underwater drag thus conserving your energy and how to efficiently use your fins to maximize propulsion underwater.
Copyright (c) 2010 Scuba-Snorkeling-Adventures.com. All rights reserved.

Kris Mifsud- A keen enthusiast, with a life long passion for all types of water sports. Editor and publisher of http://scuba-snorkeling-adventures.com/ - a comprehensive Scuba and Snorkeling guide to techniques, equipment and reviews. Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kris_Mifsud