Snorkeling Buck Island National Monument was the chief reason we visited St Croix.
My wife and I recently traveled to St. Croix, US Virgin Islands so we could visit, vacation, and snorkel. We were quite excited to visit Buck Island Reef National Monument due to the fine press the island has received in travel books and Caribbean Travel Magazines. It was one of the key reasons we went to St. Croix. Part of the US National Parks System Buck Island Reef National Monument is part of the United States Government Parks System. It was first proclaimed as a protected area in 1961 by President John F Kennedy when he visited the island. In 2001 it took on Monument status joining the Virgin Islands National Underwater and the Biscayne National Park sites as one of the few protected underwater National sites in America. The Visitors Center There is no visitors center on the island itself. For that information, a gift/book store and to receive National Passport stamps one must go to the Christiansted National Historic Site Visitors Center in Christiansted. This is a small open air center in the historic area that has its own parking facilities. This is right next to the fort. I spent well over an hour talking with a woman there, not a park ranger, who was running the place. She was a wealth of solid information. I enjoyed my time with her and picked up some good snorkeling tips for some other parts of St. Croix too. Getting to the Island The only way to get to the small 176-acre island with its surrounding reef is by boat. Only US Park sanctioned tour companies may take visitors and this seems to be limited as to where and how long you can stay. My wife and I found a tour company that made the trip through our hotel. We asked for the best way to see the most of the island in the shortest total time. There are many half and full day sails to the island. We decided to motor it on a faster type boat. The Underwater Trail On the east end of Buck Island a trail with underwater markers has been set to bring novices and experiences snorkelers into a part of the reef. I have been to the underwater trail in Trunk Bay, St John that is part of the Virgin Island National Park system. That one was a bit "hokey" to me. Maybe it was because my wife and I are fairly well experienced in snorkeling. The trail at Buck Island was different. It took us through some very interesting coral formation. I found it rather beautiful in a haunting type of way. What I was disappointed in was the fact that there was not much flora or fauna. There were some fish but I suppose that because there are so many people that visited this trail with us, most were hiding. There was very little in fans or soft corals. Can Fish Read? The underwater trail has perhaps ten or twelve "stations" to read. Most were about fifteen foot down on the bottom. These markers would give information about the reef pertaining to sea life and also some ways of protecting the area. I was smiling ear to ear when we came up to the first marker. It was giving information about Trumpet Fish and right there next to the sign was one of them. How did it know to hang around that sign? I will note that other signs giving information about tangs, barracuda and other fish did not have live examples showing their stuff nearby. Devastation Unfortunately Buck Island received serious damage from Hurricane Hugo and others over the last 20 years destroying much of the coral. In snorkeling the area just north of the trail we could see beds of broken coral on the bottom. We were told that in twenty years just a couple of inches of growth have occurred. Coral growing is a very slow business. Some kind of disease has also damaged much of the Elkhorn coral. Visiting the Island It seems the time on the island is tightly restricted by the parks department, too tightly for my liking. We had time to snorkel the trail and do some "free time" too, about another half hour. Afterward this tour took us around to the west end of the island where we backed up to the white sandy beach. Others were told of an area to see some baby sharks of some type. My wife and I, and another couple we met, were attracted to the gorgeous expanse of beach on the south-west part of the island. This was perhaps the most beautiful beach area I have ever experienced. The look and feel of the sand was "one of a kind". We did take some photos, had too. We had just forty-five minutes or so. Unfortunately decisions had to be made. We could enjoy the beach and swim, go and make use of some shaded picnic tables on one small part of the island or continue to do more snorkeling. There is also just enough time to circumnavigate a small part of the island. A trail leads to the top reaches of the island giving spectacular views of the coral reef and nearby St Croix. We didn't have time to do it. Final Thoughts To be honest about it, I was expecting a five star experience. I was disappointed to have to give a reluctant four star rating because of the lack of "life" in the waters we were privy to see. Surprisingly, I did like the marked underwater trail, but it was the beautiful, world-class beach that totally saved the day and it alone makes a trip to the island a must. Perhaps it was the particular tour we were on or the tight time regulations the park system gives the operators that had me wishing I was getting more Buck(Island)for my bucks.
My wife and I recently traveled to St. Croix, US Virgin Islands so we could visit, vacation, and snorkel. We were quite excited to visit Buck Island Reef National Monument due to the fine press the island has received in travel books and Caribbean Travel Magazines. It was one of the key reasons we went to St. Croix. Part of the US National Parks System Buck Island Reef National Monument is part of the United States Government Parks System. It was first proclaimed as a protected area in 1961 by President John F Kennedy when he visited the island. In 2001 it took on Monument status joining the Virgin Islands National Underwater and the Biscayne National Park sites as one of the few protected underwater National sites in America. The Visitors Center There is no visitors center on the island itself. For that information, a gift/book store and to receive National Passport stamps one must go to the Christiansted National Historic Site Visitors Center in Christiansted. This is a small open air center in the historic area that has its own parking facilities. This is right next to the fort. I spent well over an hour talking with a woman there, not a park ranger, who was running the place. She was a wealth of solid information. I enjoyed my time with her and picked up some good snorkeling tips for some other parts of St. Croix too. Getting to the Island The only way to get to the small 176-acre island with its surrounding reef is by boat. Only US Park sanctioned tour companies may take visitors and this seems to be limited as to where and how long you can stay. My wife and I found a tour company that made the trip through our hotel. We asked for the best way to see the most of the island in the shortest total time. There are many half and full day sails to the island. We decided to motor it on a faster type boat. The Underwater Trail On the east end of Buck Island a trail with underwater markers has been set to bring novices and experiences snorkelers into a part of the reef. I have been to the underwater trail in Trunk Bay, St John that is part of the Virgin Island National Park system. That one was a bit "hokey" to me. Maybe it was because my wife and I are fairly well experienced in snorkeling. The trail at Buck Island was different. It took us through some very interesting coral formation. I found it rather beautiful in a haunting type of way. What I was disappointed in was the fact that there was not much flora or fauna. There were some fish but I suppose that because there are so many people that visited this trail with us, most were hiding. There was very little in fans or soft corals. Can Fish Read? The underwater trail has perhaps ten or twelve "stations" to read. Most were about fifteen foot down on the bottom. These markers would give information about the reef pertaining to sea life and also some ways of protecting the area. I was smiling ear to ear when we came up to the first marker. It was giving information about Trumpet Fish and right there next to the sign was one of them. How did it know to hang around that sign? I will note that other signs giving information about tangs, barracuda and other fish did not have live examples showing their stuff nearby. Devastation Unfortunately Buck Island received serious damage from Hurricane Hugo and others over the last 20 years destroying much of the coral. In snorkeling the area just north of the trail we could see beds of broken coral on the bottom. We were told that in twenty years just a couple of inches of growth have occurred. Coral growing is a very slow business. Some kind of disease has also damaged much of the Elkhorn coral. Visiting the Island It seems the time on the island is tightly restricted by the parks department, too tightly for my liking. We had time to snorkel the trail and do some "free time" too, about another half hour. Afterward this tour took us around to the west end of the island where we backed up to the white sandy beach. Others were told of an area to see some baby sharks of some type. My wife and I, and another couple we met, were attracted to the gorgeous expanse of beach on the south-west part of the island. This was perhaps the most beautiful beach area I have ever experienced. The look and feel of the sand was "one of a kind". We did take some photos, had too. We had just forty-five minutes or so. Unfortunately decisions had to be made. We could enjoy the beach and swim, go and make use of some shaded picnic tables on one small part of the island or continue to do more snorkeling. There is also just enough time to circumnavigate a small part of the island. A trail leads to the top reaches of the island giving spectacular views of the coral reef and nearby St Croix. We didn't have time to do it. Final Thoughts To be honest about it, I was expecting a five star experience. I was disappointed to have to give a reluctant four star rating because of the lack of "life" in the waters we were privy to see. Surprisingly, I did like the marked underwater trail, but it was the beautiful, world-class beach that totally saved the day and it alone makes a trip to the island a must. Perhaps it was the particular tour we were on or the tight time regulations the park system gives the operators that had me wishing I was getting more Buck(Island)for my bucks.
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