water island is great for privacy and finding shells and sea glass. some snorkeling around rocks on left and right of beach. Coki has great snorkeling (you can feed fish dog biscuits out of your hand) but when cruise ships are in so are people. Go early in am or after 2:00pm. Take a day trip to St John. Catch ferry from Red Hook STT. $3.00 per person one way. Good snorkeling and beautiful beaches.

Hello Marc,

You might rent a car and beach hop... The popular beaches are Coki, Magens, Saphire, Secret Harbor , Morningstar... there are local beaches like Brewers Bay, Hull Bay that get fewer people particularly on week days and make for a fun day. Dorothea is nice for sitting and catching rays, reading a book - not good for swimming as it is pretty choppy all the time - it is quiet though.

Water Island's Honeymoon Bay is definatly worth hopping over on the ferry to go to - usually scarely populated. St. John is easy to get to as well and has lots of other beach options... so between the three you are sure to find plenty of beach options... check out the beach guides to each island under the island guides on this site - there are pictures and descriptions so this should help you decide which you want to go to.

Have a great time.

--Islander

I have a question to Islander's and k riley's reply. Is the ferry to and from Water Island reliable? I made an earlier post "Which Beach?" and k riley replied with some great information, and also suggested Water Island. We're coming to St. Thomas via cruiseship. I'm a fast sprinter when it comes to almost 'missing the boat', but I don't think I could swim that fast if the ferry breaks down. Is Honeymoon Beach so deserted that if the ferry failed to show up, we would be stuck on Water Island? Also- does anyone know how many times a day it makes the trip and when?
Thanks, Linda

Hello Linda,

Yes the ferry is realiable and go several times a day. Not likely you would stranded. LOL. You can find the ferry schedule at

https://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/interisland_ferry/

and click on Water Island - St. Thomas.

When you take the ferry over to Water Island just ask the captain when the return ferries are just to confirm with him.

--Islander

To k riley and Islander, we Thank You so very much on the information on our Beach question! We will rent a car to Beach hop, go to Water Island and take the ferry to St John for snorkeling and sunning. We raise a glass to both of you!
Marc

We are visiting St Thomas by Cruise ship. Which beach ( that is good for snorkeling)is the easiest to access and how can we get there cheaply?

Hello, Coki Beach has easy beach access to very good snorkeling in relatively shallow and calm water. It is also easy to get to - take a taxi - it will be around $8 a person - something around there, one way. No beach entrance fee or anything. There is snorkel gear you can rent at the dive shop or bring your own.

--Islander

Linda. When my mom and sisiter lived on Water Island they found (as did we when visiting) the ferry was quite dependable. Take Islanders advice and visit website for schedule in advance and plan accordingly. Since cruise ship will have you in port very early am you will have plenty of time to enjoy yourself.