Part of me hates writing this. My family has been visiting the island of St. John in the USVI for over 20 years. We have enjoyed the rustic island, devoid of an airport or Cruise dock that keeps tourism down to a loud roar. But I have to admit it publicly, the beaches and snorkeling is some of the best in the Caribbean if not the world. We have snorkeled at Francis Bay where exotic and interesting fish are 10 feet from the shore, and our young sons could float and view the fish where they felt safe. Or making the trip to the farthest reaches of the island at Lamashur Beach where huge schools of fish have you swimming in a cloud, until the neighborhood barracuda scatters them to the nether reaches.

Famous beaches such as Trunk Bay have a world wide reputation as one of the top beaches in the world and get heavily trafficked. Hawks nest Bay was featured in Alan Alda’s Four Seasons movie as the ideal getaway.

So, as the New York Times has stated, St John does have some of the best snorkeling around

The smallest of the three main United States Virgin Islands at 20 square miles, St. John stands out among Caribbean snorkeling destinations because of the variety and quality of spots accessible either straight off the beach, like at Gibney, or by hiking the island’s extensive trails. It is possible to hopscotch the coast for a week or more, snorkeling at one place in the morning and at another in the afternoon, without duplicating experiences.

I trolled beginner-to-intermediate spots on a shorter stay, but there are deep-water arches, tunnels and caves for advanced snorkelers who can free dive. On Princess Bay, baby fish of many species congregate among the tangled roots of a mangrove forest.

The island is also a more rustic alternative to the duty-free shopping hub of nearby St. Thomas. More than half of St. John is national park land, much of it donated by the philanthropist Laurance Rockefeller in the mid-1950’s, and the government’s protection extends out to and embraces offshore reefs, restricting boating and fishing. All beaches are public to the vegetation line.