Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Every two to seven years, turtles return to the beach where they were born to lay their
eggs. Since they can live to be 80 years old, they'll make the same journey over and over.
The leatherbacks gravitate to Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge on St Croix's West
End, while hawksbills climb ashore at Buck Island and various East End beaches. Green
turtles likewise swim to St Croix's East End shores.
Snorkelers can also see green turtles on St John, where they graze the seagrass beds at
Maho, Francis and Leinster Bays.
Sand temperature plays a major role in determining a sea turtle's sex; higher temperatures result in less in-
cubation time and creates more females.
Dolphins & Whales
From time to time visitors might catch a glimpse of dolphins or porpoises from the shore;
it's more common to see them when you're out sailing, especially in the BVI.
The biggest thrill is spotting humpback whales. These mighty leviathans - weighing in at
36 tons - swim into local waters between February and April to breed. They mostly cruise
the area north of St John and east of Tortola - though they're sometimes spotted from the
ferry going south to St Croix, as well. Even if divers don't see humpbacks, they often hear
their songs, which can travel for miles underwater.
Virgin Islands' law prohibits the removal of corals, shells, sand and other natural resources from beaches,
so leave that gorgeous conch shell right where it washed up.
Conch & Starfish
Conch is easy to recognize by its big pink spiral shell. The snail-like creature inside can
grow up to 12in in length and weigh up to 5lb. Perhaps more impressively, it can live for
up to 40 years. Conch meat is a prized ingredient in Caribbean cuisine. In recent years, the
government drew up laws to help protect the conch from overfishing, including a morator-
ium between August and November to let stocks replenish.
Starfish make occasional appearances along the sandy bottoms of beaches or in tide
pools along shorelines.
