They rent them at Sapphire Marina - unfortunately. Lots of people on here are against them.

Not sure how much. I don't know of any beaches that rent them on the beach.

Maybe you might consider going to Magens Bay and renting a kayak, or maybe take a kayak tour through the mangroves? Great relaxing exercise, non-polluting fun!

The reef systems in the USVI are very close to shore in many places. That's what makes such great snorkeling. Folks on jet-skis, especially those who don't have a knowledge of the area, are a danger to those systems.

Everyday we see people STANDING on coral while snorkeling. That's bad enough. Seeing people drive over reefs with jet skis is just too much to bear.

One woman's opinion. Jet skis are for lakes. The noise and disurbance of others are topics for another day.

Please don't jet-ski in the waters of the usvi.!!!!!!
That type of recreation there is NOT eco-friendly!! Turtles and snorkelers are slow and are hard to see. The reefs are in danger of permanent damage and should receive our utmost respect.
I agree with renting a kayak. You'll love it, has a way of getting you hooked on it. My sons would never choose a jet-ski over a kayak now.
Have fun, but, remember that you will be a guest there. And, it's probably a place you'll want to go back to see. So, help keep it nice for the critters, coral, you and the rest of us. Go Kayak!!!!

I have to admit when I saw the title "jet ski rental", my blood ran cold. They are chain saws on water. They are ok in the proper environment, but not in USVI waters.

Put on a mask and snorkel and you'll soon discover what these folks are talking about.

I agree you would have a much better time snorkeling or go on a sailboat tour to Buck Island.

well i appreciate all the feedback on this i have never been to the v.i. before so i never even thought about the dangers to the area on a jet ski so i guess we will take the good advice and find something else to do. thanks to everyone for responding

Chris,
Don't take it wrong....it's just that once you've been there, you'll get it with the water and the sea life. It took us by total surprise...it's so unbelievably beautiful it will take your breath away. But you don't have to purchase the cruise excursions and spend a fortune doing that either. Just get off that cruise ship and take a cab to a beach. If you want to stay on St. Thomas there are several beaches that are not known to cruise ship tourists. (Use this boards history to find some...) Have the cab stop off for a cooler and put some beers/waters in it and enjoy! Put on a snorkel and mask and see what these people are talking about. Relax into island life and enjoy it. Believe me, the next vaca you take...you'll fly back to the USVI and will stay for whatever amount of time you can afford! 🙂 Have a great cruise!

if the skis are not 2-stroke, then i would agree with the commenters above. but if the rental skis are 4-stroke i see absolutely no problem with them. i'd also like to add that an inexperienced kayaker could cause just as much damage to reef that someone on a ski.

Crazyjoe,
You are right about people that can hit their paddles on or, scrape up against the coral with the bottoms of their kayaks.
Wish people would educate themselves about this serious problem, no matter what water craft they are using.

Most people hate the noise and the reckless come-what-may operations of jet-skis from personal past experiences. And, even if you are a mellow(?) driver, the calm waters of the USVI are favored by sea turtles, and snorklers.
Most local people from the VI that I've ever met---HATE THEM.

Whatever this is worth... We did the jet ski deal last week on STX. We went with a small company called Island Flight. Very nice people. They gave us our training routine and then took us out into the harbor and showed us the boundaries of where we were allowed. I LOVE St.Croix and must say that where we played around was safe and in an area were we really didn't seem to disturb anything. That being said, there is another competing jet ski company in Christiansted. They boasted that their machines were better and faster the Island Flight's. When we were out on the water we did see two machines from the other company. I need to say that we had "supervision" from our rental company. They stayed out on the water and monitored what we did. The other guys were out there on there own. They seemed to be snorkeling for quite a while because the jet ski kind of just kind of floated out past the edge of the approved area. Anyway once these guys got on their machines they zoomed all over the area and really seemed to ignore the safety rules that we adhered to. Both of those A__Holes decided to try to get close to the seaplane as it landed. One nitwit almost ran into the seaplane causing it to have to do some dangerous maneuvers to avoid him. The seaplane landing area is obviously strictly off limits to jet skis but these goofs did not seem to care or have any idea of how to act responsibly. Anyway our machines would get up to about 50 mph which is pretty fast for "us tourists". During one of our runs my son showed me a fancy routine that one of the owners taught him that day. He promptly flipped my old butt right off that machine.It was my fault for not hanging on properly and not really an unsafe act by him. I did a head over heels flip ,landed on my butt and ended up with a big black& blue mark where the sun don't shine. I guess that's all I have to add here but there is a huge difference between what I experienced with the different companies. One tried to do things properly and the other sure did not seem to show the same respect for the rules or environment on STX. We need more companies like Island Flight that respect their island and the safety of the customer......

Educate me, please...

Is the objection to jet skis their manner of propulsion or the way in which they are typically operated? If you wanted to putter around and explore the coast of Thatch Cay or Hans Lollick, does a jet ski do more damage than a small boat with a prop? Can a jet ski be operated in a manner that does not do damage to the marine ecosystem?

Yes, I love to snorkle but I don't want to swim to Hans Lollick. No, I haven't tried a kayak but I don't want to paddle out to Hans Lollick. And, no, (lest you think I am defending jet skis) I have never ridden a jet ski but I have been considering it as a way to explore the coast.

Aussie: IMHO, there are several problems with personal water craft. They are designed to be able to go very fast in very shallow water, leading to injury to reefs and water creatures. Noise and water pollution are a problem. The new four stroke engines are supposed to be less polluting, but if you are sitting on a quiet beach, they still make a loud enough noise. The noise is a problem to marine animals, nesting birds and us poor humans. PWC are marketed as thrill craft- so the people who normally drive them are thrill seekers, living on the edge. They buy them to go fast and do donuts, jump wakes and such. I thought you were a fisherperson? If you want to explore Hans Lollick and Thatch, why not get a dinghy or a small boat?

Greetings East Ender

Thanks for your reply. I would love to get a boat! Sadly, it's just not in the budget yet.

I've seen how jet skis are normally operated. It's not what I have in mind. I'm a nature lover and environmentally concious. I've also always owned power boats. My last boat was a modified V hull with a jet and designed to run shallow - in as little as 4" of water. I'd have it here in the islands if I thought it was safe to operate in the ocean. It seems to me that the arguments siting polution, noise, and risk of damage to reefs, turtles and such are indeed valid arguments. Don't those same arguments also apply to all power boats though? Is the problem the nature of the craft or is the problem caused by the operator? For example, automobiles with 6 or 8-cylinder engines are capable of break-neck speeds and wreckless operation that endangers life, yet most of us own them. We simply don't drive them in a manner that endangers life.

With the clarity of the water here and the high vantage point offered by the jet skis, I thought that they might be even more eco-friendly than a small power boat if operated in a sane manner in shallow water. I just want to putter around and explore the coast.

aussie: You will find that there are laws regarding where PWC can be operated, especially in the National Park (not allowed at all) and in the St James Marine Sanctuary. There is a requirement to stay some number of feet away from land. Check with DPNR. PWC have their own set of rules and regs. As I said, IMHO, it is a combination of craft design (jet drive and very shallow draft) and driver character (thrill seeker) that is the problem. While we all do drive powerful automobiles, there are specific ones that are marketed to Speed Racer. There is currently an ad in the paper for PWC rental in St Croix that even has "thrill" in the copy. Most folks who want to fish use fishing boats. 😉

Jet ski's themselves are damaging to the environment. The 2 stroke engine jet skis use are extremely fuel inefficient--the actually leak one third of their fuel is directly into the water. Also, while we may not hear the high-frequency sounds these craft produce, turtles, birds and fish can. This may severely alter their natural behavior such as not laying their eggs, abandoning nests, leaving a perfectly good reef system for feeding etc etc... These behavioral changes then in turn have a damaging ecological effect on the local environment. There are numerous publications by institutions such as Woods Hole on the dangers of jet ski's to marine environments.

Enjoy the water but try to protect it too!

Consider my education, if not complete, then off to a good start.

There's no shortage of information available online regarding jet skis and their environmental impacts. I've been reading and learning.

stxem1...Thanks for your response. 2-stroke engines were/are an environmental menace. Manufacturers started introducing 4-stroke and direct injection 2-stroke engines in '98 in response to new EPA regulations. These engines run much cleaner and reduce emissions up to a reported 75%. There does indeed appear to be overwhelming evidence that the higher-frequency sounds produced by jet skis disrupt and damage ecosystems.

East Ender...thanks for pointing me in the direction of the DPNR website. While I don't think that jet drives and shallow drafts are in themselves a problem, I nonetheless see your point. The shallow draft is only achieved when the craft is at speed and up on plane. I think your point regarding what these craft are designed to do and who they are marketed to is right on point.

I saw a number of articles stating that, in responsible hands, these craft cause no more damage to ecosytems than a small power boat. They've even been used for environmental research. I think I could've puttered around without doing harm. Alas...

I've never ridden a jet ski and, based on what you've shared and on what I've read, I won't be renting one.

I'll take your suggestion, East Ender, and save up for a boat. In the meantime, if you see someone hot and tired paddling toward Hans Lollick, stop and offer me a cold drink! I'd give my eye teeth to be out on the water...

"The quietude of nature is replete with sound." http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/opin/jetskis2.html

If you only have limited time on the island, dont waste it jet skiing, regardless of the environment. You can jet ski anywhere, so why not do something worth your while on st. thomas?

You haven't gotten too many responses to your original question, just judgments, so I'd like to share my jet skiing experience on St. Thomas with you. There is a bay directly across the street from Coral World and Coki Beach that rents jet skis for (if I remember correctly) something like $50 per half hour. We rented two jet skis for the four of us and got to motor around the bay and out toward the small uninhabited islands off of the coast of St. Thomas. Since it was a rocky bay, you were nowhere near the beaches where people were relaxing, and it was quite deep so I don't believe we were ever cruising closely over coral.

Just wanted to put in my two cents in case it was something you really wanted to do. We enjoyed it a lot and had gorgeous views of the bluffs and rocky coastline, which was a cool contrast to the sandy beach right across the street. I only wish I had brought a waterproof camera with me on that trip. If you decide to do it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!