Water temp of ocean.....

The water does cool down a lot this time of year. Here's a great website that shows you the water temp: http://www.wunderground.com:80/tropical/

I've only been here for approaching 7 months, but call me crazy, I like summertime much better than winter. Yes, it's hotter and buggier, but there aren't as many people milling about and the water is gorgeous in the summer. It's much warmer and much calmer and on some days on some beaches there aren't any people. I was on Sapphire Beach one day back in September and I counted a total of 3 people. Me, the boyfriend and the guy who worked there. The water was calm, clear and warm.
A week ago we went to Jost for the day and stopped at Sugar Cay and when I dove off the boat the word "refreshing" is how I can best describe it. Once you're swimming around and moving it isn't that bad though.
If you think about it, is there a bad time to be here?

I agree with Kate; we've been on STX about 6 months and there is a difference in the ocean. I snorkel almost every day and for the most part it is cooler. Hey, it's winter 😉 !

On STX, I've seen water temps as high as 86 degrees and as low as 75 degrees when scuba diving. This is the cooler time of year and the water is usually in the upper 70's to low 80's.

I can never really figure out the rationale for these questions about water temperature.

Raised by the water in England, I regularly swam in the North Sea as a child. As a young adult I relocated to Connecticut where I swam off the beaches there for many years. 21 years in the Virgin Islands now. And let me tell you something!

Back in England visiting family at one time, I think it was probably about 12 years ago, I did a nostalgic trip to a long stretch of beach. The weather at that time was almost identical to the VI - temperatures in the 80s, the sun absolutely brilliant and the North Sea was almost as blue as the Caribbean. People were frolicking and swimming in the sea and, after a very long walk of about half a mile down the promenade and indulging in some chips and candy floss (childhood delights!) I was getting quite hot. Thinking about taking a swim, I walked down to the water's edge to paddle.

I tell you m'son, my foot hit that frigid water and it almost freeze-dried in a heartbeat.

On trips back to Connecicut, I looked at that murky water in which I used to swim and NO WAY NOW!

Yes, the temperature of the water varies a few degrees from winter to summer. I enjoy the difference. At all times of the year you can go from shallow to deeper and feel the change. Even at Magens Bay during the summer there are warm and chill areas, depending on the water depth.

But, sorry that I went on for so long, but my point was and is that what do a few fluxing degrees of Caribbean sea tenperature really matter?

"She wants to sell our timeshare now and come down earlier for the warmer water but I am afraid we will get more rain days if we do."

Enough said! Cheers, and Happy New Year!

I just checked - water temp around STT today is 80°F, with local variability of course. Not too shabby! Come to Massachusetts, where the water is...umm - frozen!

🙂

Thanks for all the input- I constantly have to remind myself that my wife, great as she is and all, is the same person who will not get into our pool unless the water temp is in the mid 80's and stays there!!! She may be just a tad spoiled. Of course, here in KC it is a balmy 39 degrees so I've tried to convince her that even if Magens Bay was "just" 78-80 degrees that things could be worse!!!Thanks again all...

You can always purchase a very thin "dive skin" for her just in case. The divers here will know what I'm talking about. It's not your usual dive suit that is 4mm thickness (need 7-11mm for STT Residents old haunts....hell or maybe a dry suit 😉 ) The dive skins are fairly inexpensive, are usually 2mm in thickness, and very comfortable. They fold up very easily and your wife can always pack it in with her towel just in case.....

Jeff

Jeff took the words right out of my mouth. I'm very sensitive to temperature variants, so I own a "shorty" wet suit (the kind with short sleeves and legs) that's designed for warm water diving (the 2 mm thickness that Jeff mentioned). It's a must for me in the winter months. I also wear it in the summer if we're planning to be in the water for more than 45 minutes or so. I wore it during a dozen December snorkeling outings at Secret Harbor a few years back and was able to stay comfortable in the water for up to four hours.

--HC

Yes HC, it just depends on the person. I usually use a 4mm "shorty" when I dive in the Caribbean, but there are times I wished I'd had more on my deeper dives. Some divers always use hoods, some long johns, etc. Whatever you need, you'll want to use it. Less energy spent on your body acclimating, the more you have for adventures (i.e. more "bottom time"). And, for me, bottom time is what it's all about 😉

Jeff

Jeff,

Yep, individual preference is it. When I was out in my shorty suit with my hubby (also in his 2mm full wet suit), there was a couple snokeling near us who were wearing nothing by their swim suits. Not only did they stay in the water longer than us, neither one of them ran to wrap us in their towels when they got out. We practically ran some innocent bystanders over trying to make it to our nearest source of warmth. 😉

Since I'm limited to snorkeling, I'll probably never need anything more than my 2mm suit. But I'm certain that were I able to dive (and man oh man would I LOVE to know the thrill of bottom time), I'd be inclined to wear something rated for Lake Michigan in January. *lol*

I guess I should offer a direct response to the original question after all of this semi-off-topic chatting. There's a lot of options to help you enjoy yourself in somehat cooler water, so I'd stick with your current time share schedule rather than taking the bigger gamble associated with visiting the USVI earlier in the rainy/hurricane season.

--HC

In tropical waters I never use a shorty or a skin for additional warmth. However some serious divers need a light wet suit for more comfortable bottom time.

Due to an ear and back problem I no longer dive , but continue to snorkel. Some years ago I did my open water dive certification in the Monterey Bay "Pacific Ocean". The water was 49 degrees F.

I wore a 4 mil wetsuit and it wasn;t enough. The pro's and serious divers all used dry suits.

Hey Hip Crip, you mentioned you would like to experience some "bottom time". Have you ever tried "SNUBA"? I did it once on Tortola several years ago. As you might have heard it requires no certification and little effort. You can go as deep as 20 feet using an airhose that floats along behind you with the tank in a float. I don't know if any of the dive opertions on St Croix offer this activity. At one time Snuba of St John was in operation (693 8063). Don't know who does it now.

If it is within your physical capabilities, give it a try.

See you
Bill

Bill,

Thanks for the excellent suggestion! I learned of SNUBA on a trip to Hawaii shortly after my doc told me diving was out of the question, and hoped it was going to be my ticket to the bottom (even one 20 feet down would be fine with me!). Unfortunately, the good doc told me that SNUBA was also a no-no as even diving down 10 feet or so would be too riskydue to the two lung diseases I developed in the last 10 years.

So here I am, a surface-only creature who is thrilled to be able to get into the water and hang out with the fishes and turtles, and take in the gorgeous seascapes, in any way I can.

Thanks again for thinking of me.

--HC

for those traveling with small children, a shorty is a great idea for the little ones. They can learn to swim much easier in a shorty instead of in a life jacket, as the shorty will provide enough bouyancy to keep them from submerging when you let go, but won't restrict their arm movements as they try to swim. It also protects them from sunburn over most of their bodies.

Good idea Alexandra.....and they could get one of those brightly painted flourescent jobbers that would help them keep an eye on 'em. Or maybe they could just attach a bike flag to their back.....lol.