360° video of Buck Island Reef © National Geographic. Drag, or tilt your phone, to look around. Watch on YouTube

From the crew

Buck Island will be the best day of your vacation. Everyone does an awesome job, whether you go with us or someone else. The only bad choice is not going.

Caribbean Sea Adventures, Christiansted

Where
1½ mi off St. Croix
Getting there
By boat only
Open
Daily, 7 a.m.–5 p.m.
Entrance fee
None

A small island with a world under it.

Two thirds of Buck Island is wrapped in an elkhorn coral barrier reef, unique within U.S. waters. Inside it lies a calm lagoon that seldom runs deeper than 12 feet. Above it, a dry forest of tamarind, gumbo limbo, cactus and orchids climbs to a lookout over the Caribbean.

Turtles nest on its beaches. Pelicans and least terns raise their young here. And for nearly 2,000 years, people have crossed the water to see it.

“The finest marine garden in the Caribbean Sea.”President John F. Kennedy, as quoted by the National Park Service

Ways to spend the day

Snorkel. Hike. Do nothing at all.

A snorkeler floating above a large branching elkhorn coral
01 · Under water

The underwater trail

Follow the Park Service’s famous snorkel trail through coral grottoes no deeper than 12 feet, with signs telling you what you’re looking at.

West Beach on Buck Island: white sand, clear shallows and a green hillside
02 · On the sand

West Beach

Soft sand, clear shallows and St. Croix across the channel. Picnic tables, grills and vault toilets at West Beach and Diedrichs Point.

A shaded hiking trail through the beach forest
03 · Up high

The summit trail

A marked trail crosses the island in about 45 minutes. It’s fairly strenuous, with a side trail to an observation deck 300 feet above the sea.

Buck Island from above, ringed by reef and turquoise shallows

The reef

Coral that builds walls.

Elkhorn coral is the great builder here. Its thick branches push up to 30 feet high, and patch reefs rise nearly 40 feet to the surface. Along the north and east shore the reef curves into an arc, holding the lagoon in its arm.

The reefs you see formed within the past 7,000 years. Hurricanes and coral disease have hit them hard in recent decades, and the Park Service is watching them grow back. Look, float, and never stand on coral.

Fish swimming over elkhorn coral and sea fans
Reef fish over elkhorn.
Two snorkelers in clear turquoise water

More from the National Park Service →

A green sea turtle grazing on seagrass in clear blue water

The turtles

A beach that belongs to turtles.

Hawksbill and green sea turtles nest on Buck Island. Since 1988, 200 individual hawksbills have been tagged nesting at the monument, and they come back every two to four years.

For over 30 years scientists have studied nesting here, training over 100 students in biology. The island closes from sunset to sunrise so the turtles have their beaches to themselves.

A hawksbill turtle nesting in the sand
Hawksbill nesting.
Green sea turtle hatchlings crossing the sand toward the sea
Green turtle hatchlings.

Animals of Buck Island →

Turquoise lagoon water beside Buck Island's green hillside under a blue sky

Yes, the water really is that color.

The lagoon at Buck Island.

Postcards

Buck Island, in pictures

A young hawksbill turtle swimming over brain coral
Young hawksbill.
Pale sand and clear water with St. Croix's hills across the channel
Toward St. Croix.
A school of fish over elkhorn coral
Buck Island's green hill and white-sand point from the water

Plan your visit

Good to know before you go.

No visitor center and no services on the island. Bring water, sunscreen, and everything you’ll want for the day.

How do I get to Buck Island?

By boat only. It’s a 5.5-mile sail from Christiansted. Authorized tour boats leave from Christiansted Wharf and Green Cay Marina. The Park Service says it is illegal to hire a vessel other than an authorized concessionaire.

When is it open?

Every day, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The island and its waters close overnight to protect nesting sea turtles. No camping and no overnight anchoring.

Does it cost anything to visit?

There is no entrance fee and no pass needed.

How hard is the hike?

The marked trail crosses the island in about 45 minutes at a walking pace. The Park Service calls it fairly strenuous. A side trail climbs to the observation point.

Bringing your own boat?

Anchor only in the marked area off West Beach, never in the lagoon. Park Service pages currently disagree on whether an anchoring permit is needed, so check the NPS permits page before you go.

  • Float, don’t standNever stand on or touch coral.
  • Leave it allShells, coral, rocks, sand and plants stay on the island.
  • Keep it wildNo fishing, feeding fish, drones or pets on land.
  • Pack it outTake all your trash with you.

Full rules from the National Park Service →

Getting there

Who can take you out.

Buck Island is part of the National Park System, and only Park Service–authorized operators may carry visitors there. These are among the operators the Park Service lists. Pick the one that fits your day.

Contact details as listed by the National Park Service. For the current list of authorized concessioners, see the NPS basic information page.