Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Virgin Islands National Park, as well as for its coral-sand beaches, winding mountain
roads, hidden coves, and trails that lead past old, bush-covered sugar-cane planta-
tions. Just don't visit St. John expecting to play golf.
Watersports
The most complete line of watersports equipment available, including rentals for
windsurfing, snorkeling, kayaking, and sailing, is offered at the
Cinnamon Bay
Watersports Center,
on Cinnamon Bay Beach (
&
340/776-6330
). One- and two-
person sit-on-top kayaks rent for $15 to $30 per hour. You can also sail away in a
14- or 16-foot Hobie monohull
sailboat
for $30 to $50 per hour.
BOAT EXCURSIONS
You can take half- and full-day boat trips, including a full-
day excursion to the Baths at Virgin Gorda.
Cruz Bay Watersports
(
&
340/776-
6234
) offers trips to the British Virgin Islands for $150, including food and
beverages.
Note:
Be sure to bring your passport for any excursions to the British
Virgin Islands.
Sail Safaris
(
&
866/820-6906;
www.sailsafaris.net) offers guided tours with a
captain, sailing lessons, and rentals of their fleet of Hobie catamarans. Right on the
beach in Cruz Bay, just down from the ferry dock, this outfitter answers the often-
asked question, “Where can we rent a small sailboat?” These catamarans, capable of
sailing to the remote and wilder spots of the Virgin Islands, carry four passengers and
feature a range of destinations not available by charter boat or kayak, including trips
to uninhabited islands. On guided tours, passengers can go island-hopping in the
B.V.I. Sail Safaris also has sailing lessons for those with an interest in sailing as a
hobby. Half-day tours cost $70 per person; full-day jaunts, including lunch, go for
$110; a 1-hour sailing lesson is $95.
FISHING
Outfitters located on St. Thomas offer sportfishing trips here—they'll
come over and pick you up. Call the
Charter Boat Center
(
&
340/775-7990
) at
Red Hook. Count on spending from $550 to $750 per party for a half-day of fishing.
Fisherman can use hand-held rods to fish the waters in Virgin Islands National Park.
Stop in at the tourist office at the St. Thomas ferry dock for a listing of fishing spots
around the island.
SCUBA DIVING & SNORKELING
Cruz Bay Watersports,
P.O. Box
252, Cruz Bay, St. John (
&
340/776-6234;
www.divestjohn.com), is a PADI and
NAUI five-star diving center. Certifications can be arranged through a dive master,
for $385. Beginner scuba lessons start at $120. Two-tank reef dives with all dive gear
cost $100, and wreck dives, night dives, and dive packages are available. In addition,
snorkel tours are offered daily for $60.
Divers can ask about scuba packages at
Low Key Watersports,
Wharfside Village
(
&
800/835-7718
in the U.S., or 340/693-8999; www.divelowkey.com). All wreck
dives offered are two-tank/two-location dives and cost $90, with night dives also going
for $90. Snorkel tours are also available at $75 per person. The center also rents
watersports gear, including masks, fins, snorkels, and dive skins, and arranges day
sailing trips, kayaking tours, and deep-sea fishing.
The best place for snorkeling is
Trunk Bay
(see “Beaches,” above). Snorkeling
gear can be rented from the Cinnamon Bay Watersports Center (see above) for $5,
plus a $25 deposit. Two other choice
snorkeling spots
around St. John are
Leinster
Bay
and
Haulover Bay
. Usually uncrowded Leinster Bay offers some of
the best snorkeling in the U.S. Virgins. The water is calm, clear, and filled with brilliantly
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