Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Protestant Cay
BEACH
The small triangular cay, less than 200 yards from Kings Wharf, is a sweet little oasis. It's
the site of a mellow resort whose wide, sandy beach and bar-restaurant are open to the pub-
lic.
The
StCroixWaterSportsCenter(
www.stcroixwatersports.com
)
is here, offering jet
skis, snorkel gear, kayaks, sailboats and windsurfers. The beach offers protected swimming
and snorkeling off the north side, as well as a vista that looks out over the sailboat anchor-
age, Fort Christiansvaern and Kings Wharf. For snorkeling, some swimmers rave you can
see just as much underwater life here as at Buck Island.
The ferry ($4 round trip, five minutes) departs from the wharf in front of the Customs
House; look for a step labeled Hotel on the Cay. As soon as the boat captain sees you,
they'll drive over and pick you up.
DIVING ST CROIX
If you are a scuba enthusiast worth your sea salt, you'll be spending lots of time un-
derwater in St Croix. It's a diver's mecca thanks to two unique features: one, it's sur-
rounded by a massive barrier reef, so turtles, rays and other sea creatures are preval-
ent; and, two, a spectacular wall runs along the island's north shore, dropping at a
60-degree slope to a depth of more than 12,000ft. It gives a true look into 'the deep,'
and there's nothing quite like it anywhere in the world.
The best dives on the north shore are at Cane Bay Drop-Off, North Star Wall and
Salt River Canyon. The top west island dives are at the Butler Bay shipwrecks (in-
cluding the
Suffolk Maid
and
Rosaomaira
) and at Frederiksted Pier. While almost all
dive operators offer boat dives, many of the most exciting dives, such as Cane Bay,
involve beach entries with short swims to the reef.
The operators listed here go to the various sites around the island and charge about
$75 for one-tank dives and about $100 for two tanks (including equipment).
Anchor Dive Center( 340-778-1522, 800-532-3483;
www.anchordivestcroix.com
; Salt River Marina)
Specializes in dives in Salt River
Bay's underwater 'canyon'.
Cane Bay Dive Shop( 340-773-9913, 800-338-3843;
www.canebayscuba.com
;
Cane Bay)
A friendly five-star PADI facility, across the highway from the beach and
the Cane Bay Drop-Off, and with shops in both Christiansted and Frederiksted.
