Public domain (Ben Whitney), Wikimedia CommonsSnorkel· St John· Virgin Islands (BVI, USVI and Spanish Virgins)
Trunk Bay Underwater Snorkel Trail
18° 21.1′ N · 64° 46.2′ W
The park's showpiece: a marked underwater trail with interpretive plaques around little Trunk Cay, off one of the most photographed beaches in the Caribbean.
Practical
Position is the Wikipedia point for Trunk Bay. The trail follows the west side of Trunk Cay (48 ft high, about 200 ft off the beach) for about 300 ft, then loops back to the beach (NPS); the island guide gives depths of 8 to 15 ft. Rougher water beyond the cay's northern tip. A boat-restricted swim area is buoyed (Coast Pilot); dinghies may use the beach channels only if under 26 ft, and there is a green dinghy tether at Trunk Bay beach for vessels 16 ft LOA or less (Compendium); scuba diving is prohibited inside the Trunk Bay boat exclusion area (Compendium). See the Trunk Bay Boat Exclusion Area & Day-Use Rules entry. Expanded amenity fee US$5 per person aged 16+ from sunrise to sunset (US$2.50 Senior/Access; 2024 table), which NPS says covers showers, foot rinses, concessions and snorkel rentals; lifeguards are on duty (Wikipedia); card or mobile payment only from Oct 1, 2026 (NPS fees page). Moorings: none listed here in the Compendium big-boat list; most cruisers visit by dinghy from Hawksnest or Cinnamon, or by taxi. Go early before tour boats and safari taxis arrive.
Best for
Beginner-friendly reef snorkel with interpretive plaques
Season
Year-round; avoid in big north swell
Nearby
- Trunk Bay Boat Exclusion Area & Day-Use Rules0.1 NM away
- Jumbie Bay Snorkel0.2 NM away
- Gibney (Oppenheimer) Beach & Denis Bay0.4 NM away
- Cinnamon Bay Boat Exclusion Area & Dinghy Rules0.6 NM away
- Hawksnest Beach0.6 NM away
- Cinnamon Bay0.7 NM away
- Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center0.7 NM away
- Cinnamon Bay Plantation Ruins & Nature Loop0.8 NM away