Water Island & Honeymoon Beach

Most people who visit St. Thomas don't know there is a fourth US Virgin Island a short ferry ride away. Water Island sits in Charlotte Amalie Harbor, visible from the cruise ship pier — a low, green shape just past Hassel Island. It is the smallest of the four main USVI (the others being St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix), and the least visited. That gap between visibility and footfall is precisely what makes it worth the effort.

Getting There

A small passenger ferry runs between Crown Bay Marina — on the western end of Charlotte Amalie, about 2 miles from the main waterfront — and the Water Island dock. The crossing takes roughly 10 minutes. The ferry runs several times daily but the schedule is limited; check the current timetable before going, and be aware of the last return time. There is no vehicle ferry. The island is small enough to explore on foot, and golf cart rentals are available at the dock for visitors who want to cover more ground.

Honeymoon Beach

Honeymoon Beach is on the island's north-facing shore, in a sheltered bay that looks directly toward St. Thomas across the harbor mouth. The water is calm, clear, and shallow — conditions created by the harbor's geography, which blocks swell from the west. The beach has white sand, sea grape shade at the back, and a small beach bar that serves food and drinks. Chair and snorkel rentals are available. The atmosphere is relaxed in a way that the large St. Thomas beaches rarely manage — fewer people, less noise, and a view over the harbor that is more interesting than looking at open sea.

The snorkeling at either end of the bay is decent — rocky reef sections with healthy coral in 5 to 15 feet of water. Fish life is typical Caribbean: parrotfish, angelfish, sergeant majors, and the occasional small ray cruising the sand flat.

WWII History

Water Island has a history that most beach guides don't mention. During World War II, the US Army took control of the island and constructed military facilities, including storage for chemical weapons. Concrete bunkers, building foundations, and other military structures from that era are still visible on the hillside above and behind the beach — partially reclaimed by tropical vegetation but clearly identifiable as engineered structures. They are not officially interpreted, but they are accessible, and they give the island a layered historical depth that contrasts unexpectedly with the beach scene below.

The US Army transferred the island to the Government of the US Virgin Islands in 1996. Since then, a small permanent community has lived on the island, supporting itself partly through tourism and partly through the quiet life of an island where the main noise is birdsong and the ferry motor.