Each year ten of thousands of snorkelers and boaters enjoy visiting the waters of Virgin Islands National Park. Marine awareness programs aim to educate these visitors on safety and preservation both above and below water.
Anchorless Park -- To protect coral reefs and grass beds from anchor damage, there are only three areas in the park where anchoring is allowed. Please look at the map below for details on where anchoring is allowed.
Mooring Ball Fees - On June 12 , 2023, the National Park Service announced that mariners who use the park’s mooring system can now make their payments online. Visitors can make these payments by downloading the recreation.gov mobile app at https://www.recreation.gov/mobile-app, and then using the mobile app to scan the QR codes which are located on all of the overnight mooring fee pay stations that are located throughout the park. Mariners can still use the envelope payment system in cases where Internet connectivity is unavailable, but online payments are preferred wherever possible.
Slow Down For Those In The Water -- Please keep speeds near shore down to minimize turtle strikes by propellors and treat mooring fields as no wake zones to protect swimmers in the water.
Smart & Safe Snorkeling Tips -- Read the cards on this page to keep yourself, your guests and marine life safe. If you would like copies of this water resistant card, please contact us at info@friendsvinp.org
Use Reef Safe Sunscreen -- Active chemicals like oxybenzone and octinoxate typically found in regular sunscreen are poisonous, may lead to coral bleaching, and are banned in the Virgin Islands. Use mineral-based reef safe sunscreen and protective clothing like rash guards.
Interactive Boating Map
By placing a check in the legend box in the map below, park visitors are provided with the answers to these questions (and more) and are shown locations for safe and fun snorkeling, diving and boating in the park.