Virgin Islands
Scuba Diving & Snorkeling
Duck Island Reef National Monument, located off of St. Croix, is one of only two underwater national monuments in the United States. St. Thomas visitors can enjoy a guided kayak and snorkeling tour through the St. Thomas Marine Sanctuary or Magens Bay.
Superior snorkeling is found at Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay. Trunk Bay has a heavily traveled underwater trail. Cinnamon Bay has a ledge area between the beach and Cinnamon Bay. Watch for invertebrates and rest in sandy spots before snorkeling around the cay. On the west end, in the direction of Little Cinnamon, is a section of besilted reef that contains a portion of airplane propeller. Watch for coral heads scattered throughout the area.
Sheltered Mayo Bay has seagrass beds which sea turtles know and love. Watch for them in the early morning or late afternoon. A bit of coral and fish may be seen offshore near the rocky tips of the bay. Night snorkeling is another experience that should not be missed. Everything changes at night. All that is needed is a flashlight and some protection for exposed arms and legs. Night snorkeling should be done in an area that you have previously explored in the daytime. Enjoy the wonders of the ever-changing ocean at night.
Snuba Diving in St. John- Snuba diving is a cross between snorkeling and scuba diving. Instead of donning tanks, divers strap on masks, fins, and small weights, and are connected by a 20-foot breathing hose and harness to an air tank floating on a raft above (each raft has hook-ups for two divers). As you snuba, the lightweight raft moves with you. You can stay down and explore the shallower depths of the ocean floor and reef until your skin wrinkles, without lugging around all that diving equipment. It’s designed as a preliminary experience, to ease the fearful into the underwater environment, and is safe for everyone who’s ever wanted to dive but never had the time or means to take a course. A guide accompanies all divers, and kids eight and older are welcome. And St. John is the place to do it.
This quiet, lush island, with no airport but some pretty fabulous accommodations, also features one of the U.S. Virgin Islands’ most photographed spots, the talcum-white Trunk Bay. Here is where snuba is gaining fame, on a reef that is also one of the islands’ most photographed spots—the shallow shelf is rich with coral, sponges, and the brightly colored, darting tropical fish so prized in the Caribbean.