What To Expect

What‘s Included

Reviews

• Not for experienced snorkelers/divers

  PDS Tucson,May 6, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  2.00

  Most of St Maarten's snorkeling reefs are almost completely dead! This is the main reason behind this low rating for what is advertised as a snorkeling trip. But there are other factors. Pros: 1. The boat used for this all-day trip, the Santino, was well maintained and sea-worthy. 2. The in-store booking and check-in representatives, Donna and Donika, were very pleasant and professional. 3. Beverages and cheese-bread snacks on board were very good. Beverages included endless supply of beers, sodas, wines, fruit punch, rum punch and bottled water. A few guests even got drunk during the day trip. 4. Timeliness - the boat's schedule is run like a finely tuned instrument. Departs at 9am, returned at 5pm with 45 minutes max allotted to each swim or snorkel site. 5. The island circumnavigation route allows guests to view the island's entire coastline albeit at a fast clip. Cons: 1. Reefs are almost entirely dead. St Maarten is not a good destination for snorkelers that have experience in other great underwater destinations around the world. 2. Captain Roy was obviously skilled in the boat operation although he did manage to snap a tie line by powering up the engine while tied to a dock with a single line. I anticipated the line snap and braced myself for backlash because I was seated nearby. The captain defintely should have avoided this risk by tying up with two lines rather than save one or two minutes by this less safe maneuver. 3. Previous reviewers that complained about the captain and crew's "disinterest" in the guests were spot on! The crewman, Ray, performed all his duties, both maritime and guest service, quite well. But he didn't engage with guests or break a smile the entire day. He constantly appeared sullen but ALWAYS did his best to attend to guests desires for beverages. I doubt that he has been taught how to enhance the guest experience in order to increase the income from tips. 4. Captain Roy was ocassionally quite discourteous and inappropriately bossy. For example, while I approached the boat's marine head, he told me to jump in the water to pee - as if he had any idea of how nature was calling. Another example, at lunchtime he directed me to sit apart from the other 26 guests saying it was because I was alone. I while I was aboard unaccompanied, I regret having followed the captain's direction by sitting solo while everyone else socialized. This experience and the fact that the crewman also sat solo made me wonder if the captain's overbearing behavior explained the crewman's sullen spirit. 5. Not all of the stops were for snorkeling. Stop 1 was Long Beach - no snorkeling gear had been distributed. Just as well, I had my own and saw virtually nothing over this dead reef. Stop 2 was Creole Rock - without this stop the entire trip would have been a waste. The western exposed side of this tiny island has, gorgonians taking hold, small to moderate populations of reef fish including Angelfish, and I spotted a single mid-sized stingray and two spotted eagle rays (yay!). Numerous Queen Conch and one small turtle was also visible over the grasses. Stop 3 was Tintamarre Island - again a dead reef. Some very young turtles and a single small sting ray were the sum total of the sights. Stop 4 was Pinel Island - this was a non-snorkeling site. A beach bar was accessible by swimming or wading ashore. As a long-time certified Rescue diver with 50 years of experience snorkeling and diving around the world, I cannot recommend this for anyone except for novices or sightseers that want the opportunity to drink a day away with scenic topside views. 6. Lunch - our lunch ashore was at Ribs Shack in Grand Case. I paid an additional $5 for the fish option. It was the worst meal I experienced on this island during 2 weeks. Three hours after lunch, I had a case of the runs that necessitated a trip to the boat's head. It was awful for me. Btw, the boat moves fast so be prepared for a bumpy wet ride.

  

• My favorite way to spend a day

  ralphm830,May 1, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  I did this trip last year and again this year! It is my favorite activity of the island. Captain Roy is a pleasure to go out with. The swims and the snorkeling spots are such fun. You really can’t have a better day. We stopped for a nice lunch on the French side. Beverage is included and some wonderful bread and cheese while on board. My favorite is the turtles, I love swim with turtles! There are plenty of fish and some rays to entertain as well. I highly recommend a relaxing day on the Santino.

  

  

  

  

  

• Great boat excursion around St Maarten !

  Pierre L,Apr 26, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  We were two families and we spent the day on a boat with the 6.5-hour tour that connects Long Bay, Créole Rock, and the islands of Tintamarre and Pinel. The welcome from the Aqua Mania Adventures team was well-organized. We appreciated the clean restrooms and the shop available to purchase any last-minute accessories before boarding the boat. Our boat, the Santino, was perfect for families with children (ages 7 to 10). While its maximum capacity is 28 passengers, we were only half that number. The main deck was well-shaded by a long canvas roof, which was a relief for a full day of sailing under the sun with kids. Roy and Ray welcomed us warmly and were very helpful throughout the cruise. The itinerary was well-designed, with regular stops to: • Swim to the fine sandy beach of Long Bay. • Snorkel at Créole Rock and see sea turtles. • Have lunch at one of the island’s typical "Lolo" restaurants—the kids loved the mixed grill plates. • Swim to the paradise island of Tintamarre. • Visit the stunning beach of Pinel Island and swim among turtles and rays. In the end, we completed a full tour of Saint Martin in 6.5 hours. We highly recommend this excursion! 👍🏻

• Best value day trip on the island

  eatonsneck123,Mar 25, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Great value trip for $125 per person. All day full circumnavigation of St Martin including lunch, snacks and drinks. Several stops to swim and snorkel. Great crew with Roy, Angel and Randy. Highly recommend.

• Perfect day on the water. Great crew and wonderful all around experience. Dont miss this tour when in St Maarten

  Tourist09513464520,Feb 27, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Great adventure. Wonderful cheerful staff and in total a lovely day

• Delightful Excursion with Tour around entire island

  deboraheD5036JL,Jan 19, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Our family had a wonderful time traveling around St. Maarten with Captain Roy and Jaden. The ride was smooth, views beautiful, snorkeling top notch, and hospitality superb. Jaden made sure to make every guest comfortable, both in serving snacks and refilling drinks, but also in offering my kids a book so they could read about what they had just seen underwater. We have done other boat tours in other locations, and this one was by far the best. In addition, swimming with sea turtles was the most peaceful thing I have ever experienced. People on our boat were repeat customers every year for 20 years, a beautiful testament to the incredible staff and trip. I cannot recommend highly enough.

• A great day around the island with Captain Roy on the Santino!

  Barbara B,Jan 11, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Captain Roy and Jaden were awesome. We loved this speedboat tour as we were able to visit more spots than if we were on a catamaran. Great hospitality and music, snacks and drinks. Snorkelling was fun and we saw sea turtles, coral and tropical fishes. Especially liked Baie Longue as a stop. Thank you Roy!

• Great Experience on Motorboat Cruise

  katieeW7656NH,Dec 2, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Captain Roy and Jaden were FANTASTIC. 10/10 experience and highly recommend this tour. They were so fun and knowledgeable and made sure everyone had a great time. Our family will definitely be going again in the future.

• Great day on the water

  roseg28,Nov 18, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  What a great trip. Swimming and snorkeling fun! We saw beautiful fish and sea turtles. Lunch was really good as well. It was a great day on the water.

  

  

  

  

  

  

• The Santino all day motor boat in Sept 2025.

  33monav,Sep 19, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  This trip on the Santino on 09/16/2025 was the best of the best. The Captain, who has worked with them for many years, over 10, and his mate, a young man, catered to us in every way. This is a full trip with food, magnificent lunch at Grand Case, drinks, multiple stops, and sites from turtles to multiple color fishes, and an incredible tour of the full island. ( I recall 5 or 4 stops), snorkeling, beautiful sites around the island. The captain and mate extremely informative. But this is a jam packed and most eventful trip. Hats off Aquamania to a wonderful captain and mate on the Santino. We will be back.

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