Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sprat Hall Beach
:
The most impressive beach on the West
End. The sand strip must be a mile long. Restaurant and
beach bar. Modest entrance fee.
Monk's Baths Beach & Ham's Bay Beach
:
Farther
north, these are good shelling beaches. Waves here can be
rough.
The beaches that follow are south of Frederiksted along
Route 71 South.
Sandy Point
:
This is the longest, whitest sand strip on the
island. Home to a bird and wildlife habitat, it is only open on
weekends. It is closed entirely from April 1-August 31 when
leatherback turtles nest here. You can join a group to watch
them hatch. Not a great snorkeling beach since it has a
sandy bottom. No facilities.
Sand Castle Beach
:
This is a long, sandy strip that fronts
two resorts. There are watersports rentals, restrooms and
food.
Scuba Diving
Trips can be arranged to good diving sites
in the waters near St. Croix. There are
wrecks of ships and an airplane, underwa-
ter caves and pinnacles to explore. St.
Croix is unique, however. Some of the best diving is right off-
shore and divers enter from the beach rather than a boat.
The north shore drop-off runs from Salt River to Ham's Bluff
- virtually the entire northwest coast. Called Cane Bay
Wall, the two-mile-deep canyon walls have caves and tun-
nels that are alive with moray eels. Brain coral, sea fans, sea
stars, a forest of elkhorn coral and black coral formations are
found in depths of less than 60 feet, so inexperienced divers
can enjoy them.
Buck Island is an excellent dive site, but be sure not to go
near the snorkel trails. Reefs here are in superb condition.
