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All 19 Virgin Islands National Park Attractions »

Whistling Cay

Virgin Islands National Park, St. John
4.5 of 5 stars 9 Reviews
Type: Islands
Activities: Snorkeling, Viewing wildlife
Description: A snorkeling spot in St. John with schools of fish and the occasional shark.
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9 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
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Date Rating
Washington DC, District of Columbia
Senior Contributor
36 reviews 36 reviews
Reviews in 19 cities Reviews in 19 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 16, 2012

I rented a kayak at Little Maho beach and paddled across the bay to this cay to do some snorkeling. It takes about 20-25 minutes there and 1.5 times that long to get back. One thing to note is that there's no sand there and you better bring some sort of watersport shoes or crocs with you. Otherwise, it'll be... More

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Long Island
Senior Contributor
24 reviews 24 reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed January 8, 2012

One of the best spots in all of St. John. Well worth the effort to get too. More

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Chicago, Illinois
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed November 13, 2010

This must be some of the best diving in the area if you are looking to see some bright coral, Lobster, Black spotted eel. Have not dove since there and seen as much as there is right off the island.....EARNEST is a great dive guide, he knows how to take care of the coral and where are the hiding places... More

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New York City, New York
2 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
3 of 5 stars Reviewed July 17, 2010

I kayaked to Whistling Cay from Maho Bay Camps. I would suggest renting a 4x4 vehicle as the road is extremely bumpy and riddled with pot holes, etc. (not to mention it's a dirt road). The kayak trip took approximately 25 minutes each way. The current wasn't very strong, and I was paddling non-stop, so if you're a weak rower... More

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Jackson, New Hampshire
Senior Contributor
32 reviews 32 reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed July 5, 2010

Took a kayak from Maho Bay for 3 hours and had a great time. Easy kayak and great snorkeling to the left of the custom house. More

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harrisonburg, va
2 reviews
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed March 16, 2009
2
people found this review helpful

first off, whistling cay offers some amazing snorkeling! with that said, you don't have to snorkel around the whole island to enjoy it all. my girlfriend and i decided to snorkel around the whole island and while the north side of the island does offer some good snorkeling it was very choppy water as the north side faces open water.... More

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Top Contributor
55 reviews 55 reviews
Reviews in 39 cities Reviews in 39 cities
313 helpful votes 313 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed July 30, 2007
5
people found this review helpful

We rented a kayak at Maho Bay, and rowed across to the island at Whistling Cay. What a wonderful experience! You can snorkel around the entire island (even this grandmother could do it), and take in the beautiful coral formations, abundant tropical fish, including parrot fish, queen angel fish, trunk fish, barracuda, nurse shark, crabs, etc. etc. etc. We saw... More

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A TripAdvisor Member
Palo Alto, CA
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
96 helpful votes 96 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed April 5, 2004
5
people found this review helpful

We rented a two-person, sit-on-top kayak at Cinnamon Bay ($45 for a half day) and rowed out to Whistling Cay. The best (really only) place to beach a ship is in front of the old customs house. You can also tie off to the scuba buoys (red) on the west side of the cay, but commercial vessels have priority. As... More

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San Francisco, CA
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
44 helpful votes 44 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed October 2, 2003
5
people found this review helpful

Whistling Cay had nice underwater formations. At 15', saw lobsters there but not elsewhere. Island is larger than other snorkeling areas so more reef. Small, rocky beach. Cinnammon as good but smaller. Waterlemon better but smaller. The fun of this place was taking the sailboat there. Whistling Cay requires a boat to get to but only because of high-speed motorboats... More

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