There are two Buck Islands- the one off of St Croix and one off St Thomas.

I'm sorry for the confusion. I'm referring to the Buck Island off St Croix. And the title shouldn't have said St Thomas neither because I'm wondering if there're operators to Buck Island off St Croix from St John.

Thanks!

What is Buck Island...never heard of it. And what is there to do there?

If you are spending part of your vacatin on St. Croix then by all means make the trip to Buck Island. If you are staying primarily on St. John then I would hold off. IMHO there are better spots closer to St. John to explore then Buck Island and the trip would eat up most of a day out of your week.

The description is so enticing that I was wondering if it'd be worth a day out of a 7-day vacation. See this link:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/stcroixusvi/0095010011.html

Lan, that sounds like it's definetly worth the trip!!!!

If you make it there, please leave a trip report on this forum.

Thanks!

Just for information purposes, the Buck island off of ST Thomas is loaded with rats! No Joke.

But the Buck Island off St Thomas has some lovely snorkeling, a shallow wreck dive (the Cartanser) and is a quiet getaway ! 😉 Maybe it is so quiet because of the rattas!

My husband and I took a half-day trip to Buck Island on the Big Beard charter and did the underwater snorkel trail a few years ago. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip to St. Croix. We're going back next June for a week on STX , three days on STT and STJ, and a couple of days on Jost Van Dyke. We'll go to Buck Island again--this time for a full day--half a day was not enough! Frommers doesn't list Big Beard tours, but he is very well respected on STX (everyone knows him) and he runs a great operation--the 1/2 day trip is fun, but the full day trip also includes a beach bar-b-que which I've heard is fantastic. His trips depart from Christiansted harbor, which is a great place to spend some time, too. Check out Big Beard at http://www.bigbeards.com/sailing.htm.

I've also heard that Llewellyn does full-day trips that involve more beaching and exploring rather than snorkeling. You depart from the yacht club on the East End at around 9:30am and are on the beach at Buck Island by 10:00am where you can enjoy 5 hours on the island swimming, snorkeling, hiking the trail to the top of the island, or doing absolutely nothing but picnicking on the beach and gazing at the view--think Corona commercials. I don't think Llewellyn has a website, but the phone number is 340-773-9027

Lan, Buck Island (off of St. Croix) is a top attraction for visitors to St. Croix. There aren't any day trips from St. John or St. Thomas to Buck Island (off of St. Croix). You'd need to do this on your own. Take an early morning flight over to St. Croix from St. Thomas and a late afternoon flight back to St. Thomas. You'd need to book an excursion with a St. Croix based Buck Island charter. If you book with one of those that departs from Christiansted you could take the Seaplane over to Christiansted and walk over to the Boardwalk area to meet up with the charter. The flight is usually around $150-$160 round trip, charter around $100 for full day.

Connie, As East Ender mentioned there are two, here is some information.

Buck Island (off of St. Thomas): Established as a protected area in 1969. Island is about 45 acres. It is located 2 miles from the south coast of St. Thomas. Great snorkeling. More information at http://www.fws.gov/caribbean/Buckisland/default.htm.

Buck Island (off of St. Croix): It is located about a mile off the northeast coast of St. Croix. It is made up of 176 acres of land and 704 acres of underwater area. Here is a link to the National Park Service website for this National Monument: http://www.nps.gov/buis.

--Islander

Lan:

Hubby & I have spent two weeks on STX and several months on STJ over the years. Buck Island STX does have great snorkeling. But, since you're on STJ, I 'd stay on STJ and enjoy the many beaches. STJ snorkeling beaches are imho as nice, if not nicer, than Buck Island. The hassle of getting back and forth, not to mention the cost, just do not warrant a trip to Buck from STJ. You might consider another trip to just STX and do Buck Island then. Whatever you do, have a fantastic trip!

Liz

Thank you to all your great advice!

We've decided to stay on St John the whole time. From what I have read, we'd be busy enough enjoying what it has to offer.

I can't wait!!!

No there's not there is only ine and thats between STX and STT

do the morning tour of st.croix's buck island,the afternoon one tends to get hot