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    Buck Island Reef

    4.7 (3 reviews)

    Buck Island Reef Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Buck Island Reef

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    9 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    Fort Frederik Beach - beach area near port

    Fort Frederik Beach

    4.0(2 reviews)
    29.0 km

    Just a short walk from the cruise pier to the public free beach. It will cost you nothing to wear…read moreyour swimsuit and jump in the refreshing water of this beach. If you would like to lounge under an umbrella it is rented by the day not the hour. $30 for the umbrella and 2 lounge chairs for a whole day is not a bad deal. The water is clean and there are lots of pretty small rocks on the shore. If you like to hunt for seaglass on the shore, this is a great place to go. Just off the shore is some larger rocks that can be a bit slippery but if you slide in slowly, it is very enjoyable. The snorkeling is good and fun too. There is a trailer that sells alcohol and nonalcoholic drinks and bathroom facilities is portable potties. Parking is free in the gravel lot next to the road and there are a few picnic tables around some shade trees. The walk from the port area is under 5 minutes.

    This is one of two beaches on this strip and is the closes to the Cruise Ship Pier. It is also…read moreknown as Fort Frederik Beach. It is not very big, but has clean white sand and clear blue water. It does not have a designated parking area, but, there is a free lot within a reasonable walking distance from the tower and there is also free street parking available as well. This park is a work in progress. Its shelter and restroom facility are closed and currently under construction. Unlike Rainbow Beach down the street, the beach has some trees that offer some shade. They also have chairs and umbrellas available to rent and there are a few chairs and colorful picnic tables placed around the beach's perimeter that you can sit as well. There is a truck in the middle of the beach's green space where you can buy alcohol and soft drinks. You can also rent snorkel gear from there. It is not very big and I am not sure of the selection, but the owner, Calvin, is very nice. Outside of that truck, there are no other adjacent places to buy food or drink. There are quite a few within a reasonable walking distance though, but you will have to leave the beach area. With that being said, I highly recommend you bringing some water with you. I estimate that you could probably spend a half to a whole day here easily. You can also drive directly up to some of the waterfront areas, as you are heading away from the beach and make your own little private beach, if you want some privacy and so choose. Even though this beach does not have as many activities as the nearby Rainbow Beach, some still may find it more convenient. It is not a bad beach and will definitely satisfy someone looking to get some sun and get in some warm clear blue water. So, I guess when deciding between the two beaches you have to weigh you need for activities versus convenience.

    Photos
    Fort Frederik Beach - Umbrellas and lounger chairs

    Umbrellas and lounger chairs

    Fort Frederik Beach
    Fort Frederik Beach

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    Castaway Girl Snorkling Tours - Group of us on Castaway Girl 4

    Castaway Girl Snorkling Tours

    4.5(55 reviews)
    68.3 km

    Jess, Rose and Captain Ashley were the absolute best. They were super informative when snorkeling…read moreand made the ride there and back super fun.

    We booked the Turtle Bay Sail & Snorkel Adventure in St. Thomas through our cruise and were very…read moredisappointed with our experience on Castaway Girl 4. The biggest issue was the lack of organization from the start. We spent close to an hour waiting between multiple lines--first in the sun to exchange tickets, then again to hand off a second ticket. It felt unnecessarily complicated and poorly managed. Because of the delays, the boat traveled very fast to make up time. The water was choppy, and several guests became seasick on the way to the snorkeling site. There were also multiple issues with communication and expectations. We were not informed in advance that full-face snorkel masks were not allowed, which would have impacted our decision to book. The equipment provided did not feel clean, and we were told there were not enough flippers or beverages for everyone. The excursion description advertised rum punch, soft drinks, and snacks, but no snacks were provided. The rum punch was also very poor quality, and most guests declined more. While the snorkeling location at Buck Island was beautiful and the water was calm, the actual experience in the water was lacking. The guide quickly swam off and was not visible to the group, leaving guests without direction. Our time snorkeling felt short--around an hour. The return trip was slower and more comfortable, which we appreciated. However, overall this was the least enjoyable snorkeling excursion we have experienced. We would not choose this company again and would recommend others consider alternative options.

    Photos
    Castaway Girl Snorkling Tours - Buck Island - Turtle Cove

    Buck Island - Turtle Cove

    Castaway Girl Snorkling Tours - Picture of the island cove for sea turtles

    Picture of the island cove for sea turtles

    Castaway Girl Snorkling Tours - Captain Ashley, Rose & Jess the best!

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    Captain Ashley, Rose & Jess the best!

    Cinnamon Bay Beach - Clean bathrooms!!

    Cinnamon Bay Beach

    4.9(60 reviews)
    64.5 km

    Such a BEAUTIFUL BEACH - highly recommended beach... also with a gift shop with souvenirs and…read moresnacks and more   - - -   June, 2025 Visit   - - -   Short Review,   Cinnamon Bay Beach...   ... has an island you can swim / snorkel to... many fish to see closer to the island   ... has a view of Great Thatch, British Virgin Islands   ... has indoor facilities... gift shop, snack bar (indoors and outside), campsites   ... not crowded       - - - Additional information: - - -   My wonderful wife planned a relaxing trip for us to St. John's, US Virgin Islands (just east of Puerto Rico), in June, 2025; we had a great time... such a beautiful island!     We snorkeled two beaches on St. John, and we enjoyed them both.   Cinnamon Bay Beach stuns you with its beautiful colors... the beach has light tan sand, helping make the water is a light green-blue color... stunningly beautiful!!     - - - Why Cinnamon Bay Beach - - -   Most of St. John is a National Park and most of the northern part of the island provides a nearly continuous beach... nearly continuous because peninsulas that extend into the water separate each beach from the other.    We looked at the map and read the reviews and picked Hawksnest and Cinnamon Bay beaches  because they looked more likely to have slightly smaller crowds, as cruise ships apparently visit other beaches (at least when we visited).  When we visited we were not alone and it was also not crowded.   Both are within a couple miles of each other, so while they are similar in overall look and feel - similar color of the water and sand, similar plants, etc., they are unique in what you can see underwater when you're snorkeling, and unique in the views from the beach.     - - - Taxis to and from - - -   To get to and from Cinnamon Bay Beach, you can drive or take a taxi.  The taxis on St. John, at least the ones we saw, are all trucks, with the driver in the cab, and the passengers sitting, open air, in the back... on benches with a roof over our heads.  The taxis run all day and will stop at multiple beaches to drop off and pick up passengers along the way.      - - - Cell / Mobile service - - -   Cell phone service is present, but the signal is a bit weak - 1 to 2 bars of signal strength.      - - - The beach - - -   Even if you never get in the water, the scene is beautiful... the water color is such a beautiful shade of blue...   Enya's "Caribbean Blue" (from 1991 album "Shepherd Moons") was playing in our heads, and was surely inspired by waters like these...   The sand is light and soft   Beautiful green trees and plants along the beach.     - - - The view from the beach - - -   Cinnamon Bay Beach is a beautiful beach and view of the British Virgin Islands' (BVI's) Jost Van Dyke in the distance and Great Thatch island closer... both BVI; St. John's Whistling Cay is visible, closer to the left, and Mary Point, closer to the right; Cinnamon Brach curbs east, and out into the water to a point that becomes Maho Bay and we stayed within Cinnamon Cay..     - - - The water... snorkeling - - -   On any given day, the water quality and aquatic life are things you cannot control.  The day we visited water quality and aquatic life were both goo -  the water was so clear and we saw so many fish, especially as we snorkeled out toward the island... which is much closer than it looks.. 5-10 minutes of calm to quicker leg kicking should get you there.     - - - Snorkeling - what we saw - - -   While snorkeling we were blessed to see: ⁃            a stingray swam by right as we started out !! ⁃            many more parrotfish-like blue-green-purplish fish and others ⁃            on the way back in, two squid!!     - - - Back on the beach - - -   We enjoy laying back and relaxing... and taking photos of our feet as they point toward the sand + surf... and we captured another one here on Cinnamon Bay Beach.   What a great afternoon!     - - - The surf, the lack of on St. John - - -   We have been blessed to visit the Caribbean a couple times and have noticed that there is not much surf, not many waves. On an early trip someone explained that the Caribbean is just at a position in the ocean that the rides are not small; brief internet searches suggest the tide only varies a few inches to a foot or so... such small changes don't lead to many waves. You'll likely see and enjoy hearing waves "lapping at the shore," but you're not likely to do much body surfing... if you have a boogie board, while you could bring it on your flight, you'll likely be better off leaving it at home. - - - Gift Shop - t-shirts, hat pins and more - - - - - - Thank you - - - Thank you to all the park team members who maintain Cinnamon Bay Beach, and to the taxi drivers getting us visitors to and from the beach! ----- ----- -----

    Full disclosure I didn't actually swim at this beach but I spent an hour or so here because it's…read moreactually a huge beach! The internet says it's one of the most famous ones and I can see why - the water is crystal clear, bright blue (as are most of the other national park beaches lol). It's spacious though, and in addition to the beach itself, there is a snack vendor area where you can buy lunch (like sandwiches and drinks), and a gear rental place for snorkeling etc. They also have a small restaurant adjacent to the campground cafeteria area which does breakfast and dinner (but not lunch). They have pretty clean bathrooms and showers too, and the most parking of all the beaches that I went to. They even had an info booth; the lady there was fairly knowledgeable about the park although I don't think she was an actual ranger (she wasn't in the ranger outfit). There's also a little area right at the entrance to the beach that is part of some ruins, it's a nice photo op spot. Overall this is a great beach! Def recommend.

    Photos
    Cinnamon Bay Beach - Beach

    Beach

    Cinnamon Bay Beach
    Cinnamon Bay Beach

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    Buck Island Reef - boating - Updated May 2026

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