Pyrate13

The roads over the mountains from Road Town to the beaches are fairly steep and winding with occasional drop-offs but you do get some beautiful photo op's and it is worth the ride. Explain your situation to the driver and ask them to take it a little slower, most folks want to see the sights anyway so it shouldn't matter to the fellow riders too much.

As for your time, it's certainly enough to visit the beach but some of the restaurants/bars/vendors may not be open real early.

There are some very nice views of the Drake Channel along the south shore road to West End then a bit of shopping and eating at Soper's Hole. No mountains along this route so it could be an alternative idea for you.

If going from shore I prefer Brewer's Bay. It's rare to see a boat in there as there is an underwater phone cable that most skipper's do not want to take a chance on hooking with their anchor (that would be an expensive repair bill for them) plus there are reefs that could damage the hulls. Most of the charter companies have it marked as off limits. It's also closer to town and easier to get to.

There is a good amount of boat traffic around Marina Cay but a lot of the snorkeling is in water too shallow for them.

Trellis Bay has a lot of boats that either anchor or take a mooring there and I can't say I've heard of anyone recommending it as a snorkel spot. Now, you can take the ferry (free) from the Trellis Bay area over to Marina Cay and snorkel there.

The reef at Smuggler's was badly damaged years ago by a hurricane and I've not found the snorkeling there to be all that great.

Both are as far as you can get from Road Town, just in opposite directions. Smuggler's is on the west end of the north shore and Trellis is on the east end, actually on Beef Island near the airport. Drive time varies depending on traffic.

Ships dock in Road Town, about 15-20 minutes from CGB or Brewer's by taxi. Brewer's is by far the better snorkeling beach.

First, it's very unlikely the very large fish you saw was a Tuna. The more likely suspect is a Tarpon which are very common in the BVI and are harmless.

As for the shark, yes, shark do appear in the bays on occasion but there are no recorded shark attacks in the BVI that I've ever heard of. Do you have a working knowledge of the different species of sharks? Enough to idendify this one for sure? It may have been a Nurse shark which are very common and harmless, Lemon sharks also seem appear fairly regularly. Most snorkelers and divers are thrilled when they get the chance to see them no matter what type they are. Don't let this wonderful encounter deter you from the water. You are more likely to get hit by some careless person on a jet ski somewhere than you are of being attacked by a shark in the BVI.

Also, the small fish you saw were probably Silver Sides.