beautifulbill

I have been going to St. Thomas for over 30 years and hope to go for many more years

It’s a shame that one drunk woman soured you on an island that has so much to offer

I’ve had some bad incidents with visitors off the ships but I still welcome cruisers and answer questions

Don’t let one incident spoil your perception of an entire island.

If you have not been to Water Island then you might enjoy a trip there. You go to and from by a small ferry near Tickles in Crown Bay.

I think it depends on what you are used to. Many locals won’t go in the water in the winter as it’s to cold.

I be been there in every season and always find it warm and refreshing. I have not noticed much difference between summer and winter temperatures.

xvi

There have been a number of studies over the years of the harm feeding the fish does. I am sure you can search and find them.

The vendors at Coki all know each other and while $2 may not mean much to anyone, if you do it over and over all day every week it is meaningful to the vendor.

As far as government regulation goes, there is a lot I could say about that but lets say the government is struggling with what it is dealing with on a daily basis.

Please don’t feed the fish or iguanas it is harmful to them. Many have been trying unsuccessfully to stop the sales of anything for the fish. Some people care more about making money than protecting the environment.

Sapphire is not a very hospitable beach for umbrellas. There is always a nice trade wind to keep you comfortable but it can be to strong at times for any umbrellas

Sapphire almost always has very pleasant trade winds blowing. An umbrella would be blown away very quickly.

The trees are growing back but they wont have all the foliage back for awhile.

We are getting word that WAPA will be turning on power at Sapphire today. I am not sure it will happen today but it should be up very soon. I think even the fish will be glad to hear that.

Magens is a very calm beach so it’s a good choice if your kids are young. There isn’t much snorkeling there if that is a priority.

Sapphire has good snorkeling but can have more wave action depending on the day

Both are very nice beaches

You will also have to check to see if the water is safe to swim in as the runoff has resulted in some beaches being closed.

$10 to $12 per person each way, plus tip.

The beach has been cleaned up but many of the shade trees were damaged. The dive shop is open as is the beach bar

I don’t know about the snorkeling but I suspect it is pretty much the same

The dive shop rents the chairs so yes you can rent chairs.

The trees lost all their leaves so there is no shade. It will come back over time but it isn't there now.

Smith Bay Park is where Lindquist is located. It is also referred to as Secret Beach on some cruise ships. There are toilets and tables but no concessions. The beach has had no development so it is as it always was.

It is being developed bu the Magens Bay beach group as an alternative to Magens.

It is a beautiful unspoiled beach with plenty of shade.

I don’t think it will be a problem The beach bar is open and has live music many days. Taxis are around or will come if called

GloriaF

I am not lucky enough to live at Sapphire Beach full time but I have owned a condo there since 1988 so am pretty familiar with things there

I don’t think you can post pictures on this site or if possible don’t know how to do it

What you might do is go to VRBO and search Sapphire Beach Resort and Marina. It will bring up listings by owners of there condos and most listings have pictures of the beach.

The only occasionally strong current is out beyond the point. The water around the reef is close to shore and not a problem

If you are not able to fix your mask and snorkel you should not attempt to snorkel this reef Do not stand on or touch any of the reefs as it kills the coral and the security patrols will call on you to get off the reefs

There are many beautiful beaches so best is subjective

Beach conditions change day to day and sometimes hour by hour so you can’t predict what the conditions will be at any time. It isn’t unusual to have rain on one beach but not on another

IMHO the best beaches are Smith Bay, Sapphire, and Magens. Others would have a different list

Taxi is the easy way to get to and from the beach. Figure around $10/person each way

The beach at Sapphire is open and the beach grill is operating. There is live music certain days as well. I'm not sure if the dive shop is open as it was damaged but it wouldn't take much for them to open if the cruise ships are coming.

A lot of the foliage is gone and will take awhile to grow back.

Magens is not a snorkeling beach if that is your main interest. There is no coral or much of any fish there. The snorkeling beaches are Coki, Sapphire, and Secret Harbor. All three have food and drink options now.

Reports say that the sky ride tram did not sustain much damage but I don't know if it is operational.

If Sapphire is your favorite place and you only get there once a year on a cruise, imagine how you would feel if you actually stayed there.

That’s what I have been doing for a number of years. Maybe someday I’ll get bored but it’s been over 30 years and I still love it. Not close to bored yet!

The beach bar is open and has been having live music on certain days. I don't know about the dive shop but it wouldn't take much to make them operational

The buildings came through fine but the grounds took quite a hit. They are coming back to life fairly quickly but I can't judge how quickly.

Kdawg

I don't think you have a good grip on the devastation that took place. The homes of the residents including the vendors are gone in many cases. Completely gone. Nothing left but rubble

People have no power, no water, no food, no clothing, no toilets, no money (Banks are destroyed), no inventory, nothing

The island will strive to recover as quickly as possible but think of the logistics. To restore power you need new utility poles. Every island hit by the storm will need new poles. Utility poles will be in short supply and have to be shipped in and that's just a small part

100% operational??? Absolutely not but somewhat operational maybe

There is absolutely no way the VI will be 100%operational by May. It will hopefully be operational but it will take years to get back to where it was

The condo buildings at Sapphire came through in good shape but the grounds were damaged

I think it will be a long time before ships will be visiting St Thomas much of the island was devastated There is no power and power lines are down all over the island. It will take a lot of time to repair