East St Thomas Attractions

Coral World is a very popular attraction on St Thomas featuring an underwater (15ft/5m) observatory, a tropical nature trail, the Marine Gardens Aquarium, and an 80,000 gallon circular, glass-enclosed coral reef tank. The entire marine park covers 4.5ac/1.8ha and also includes an open-air shark tank, touch pool, turtle pool, and a mangrove lagoon. Wild iguanas roam the park.Another attraction within Coral World is Sea Trekkin', an underwater walk on the floor of the Caribbean Sea with depths reaching 12ft/4m to 30ft/9m. Participants wear a special helmet that allows breathing and communication with a guide leading the walk along a handrail.

Sapphire Beach beach features a resort by the same name that is very welcoming to visitors. A reef offshore presents good snorkelling opportunities, and there are often games of beach volleyball.The Sapphire Beach Resort hosts live bands on the beach every Sunday afternoon. Good views of St John and Jost Van Dyke and Tortola (British Virgin Islands) can be seen from the beach.

The Virgin Islands Ecotours Marine Sanctuary & Mangrove Lagoon Kayak Tours offers a kayak tour through the St Thomas Marine Sanctuary and Mangrove Lagoon led by experienced naturalists and biologists. Participants view dwarf herrings, snowy egrets, eagle rays, great barracudas, jellyfish, mangrove crab and nurse sharks in their natural environment. Snorkelling with fins is allowed in designated areas.

Bluebeard's Beach on Vessup Bay is a beautiful stretch of white sand. Though it is not highly developed visitors can still rent sports equipment here and other amenities can be found nearby.

Coki Bay Beach, lying on a protective cove, provides excellent snorkelling. The water here is generally clear, with coral and fish. The beach is often crowded and there are many mobile vendors to be found in the parking area.

Secret Harbour Beach is tranquil and protected from both wind and waves. The shallow waters offer good snorkelling off the rocks, as well as good kayaking in the lagoon to the west. Secret Harbor is also a good site for learning to windsurf.

The best opportunities for sportfishing around St Thomas can be found off the eastern coast of the island. There are a few tournament-winning boats offering fishing excursions, and some possible catches are marlin, tuna, wahoo and mahi mahi.

On the easternmost edge of St Thomas lies Red Hook, a small village featuring interesting shopping, entertainment and dining options. Red Hook is the principle town and anchorage on the eastern end of St Thomas and has large docking facilities.

Pineapple Beach is a spacious, manicured beach offering good snorkelling on calm days. The area is developed with villas and resorts lining the beach.

Popular with windsurfers, Vessup Beach is long and broad which is undeveloped. Visitors can rent water sports equipment at the beach.