We were in the area on a bareboat charter. We spent the first night here on a mooring ball. It was great. When we first arrived there was a crowd of people on the beach above the waterline at the border between sand and vegitation. When we got there we found a sea turtle nest hatching and the babies making their way to the water. It was magical! I'm not saying that if you go you will see the same thing but you never know. The island itself is very nice for hiking and the snorkeling was not great for coral but there were lots of fish and as many sea turtles (adults) as I have ever seen.

Loved swimming there. Loved the beach and if you are going to do one beach in St marteen dont waste your time anywhere else go to Tintamare.

If you are looking for great snorkeling... St Maarten is not the place. However this island is the most likely place where you will find some underwater sea life. The water here is fairly calm and clear (on most days). So it does make for a nice snorkeling day... just don't expect to see huge numbers and variety of fish.

Went to Tintamarre as part of Captain Alan's 4 hour Snorkeling trip, and the snorkeling was excellent -- great fish, great reefs, sea urchins, etc., etc. As I understand it, the island is a nature preserve and so you are not allowed to take anything, and I'm not sure if you're even allowed to land to explore the islan -- we did not, we stayed in the water -- but the snorkeling was great fun.