Dinghy rental St. John

[Lucy2Cruiser]

Thanks Mark - looks like you had a great time. Will be in St. Thomas two weeks from Monday so we'll use your advice soon.

[texancruzer]

Mark, glad to see everything worked out well for you. Thanks for the pics. The zodiacs look much smaller than 12 feet ?? And it sounds like it must be perfectly flat for a smooth ride - but I like it wild too ! The pics of the Westin are great also - perhaps a stay there is in order ! Anyway, thanks for the report - TEX

[indycruisin]

So I gather that the rough seas are not so much about the local weather, but what may be blowing in from the Atlantic? Anybody know of a reliable way of knowing what the seas look like on the north shore of St. John? An online, real-time site would be perfect for me as I'll be able to use my iPhone upon arrival at St. Thomas. I'll be much less inclined to make the journey to St. John if I know the seas on the north shore are too rough for the dinghy. Thanks!

[markstudy]

Mark, glad to see everything worked out well for you. Thanks for the pics. The zodiacs look much smaller than 12 feet ?? And it sounds like it must be perfectly flat for a smooth ride - but I like it wild too ! The pics of the Westin are great also - perhaps a stay there is in order ! Anyway, thanks for the report - TEX

 

 

It was your idea :D... Half of the fun was just making it happen;)

 

Boat did look small in my photos. It was plenty fast for just me and the wife :p

And the boat was big enough for the 2 of us, and the water conditions.

But many of the best dive site mooring buoys were in use by big sailboats

and the waves breaking on the beach made it imposable for us to beach safely

in many places.

 

I would rent the bigger one if I had 4 people, center section seating, bigger engine.

But we didn't feel the size of ours was any problem.

 

The normal seas on St John are big enough... that you need a day that is below average waves. So as much as I loved it, I would advise people who want to snorkel

not to take the small boats....but rent a jeep.

 

Taxi to red hook - easy

Ferry to St John - easy

Taxi to Westin - easy

Water conditions - Hard Part

Lunch at Westin - easy

Taxi back to Ferry- easy

Ferry St Thomas - easy

Taxi back to ship - easy

[knoxvillecruiser]

Thank you for the review. We leave in 5 days and plan to rent a dinghy also. My husband would like to get the larger boat....but we do plan to play it by ear and check out the weather and sea conditions before we rent. I would really like to snorkel and don't want to spend the money to rent the boat if I can't get some good snorkeling in. Glad to hear that the taxi/ferry wasn't a problem. I'll keep my fingers crossed for very calm seas. Looks like a great day anyway! Thanks!

[2Feathers]

Indy & Knoxville... You can check out wunderground.com for weather conditions. After accessing the website, type in "saint john virgin islands" and besides regular weather, there is a "marine forecast" option that has sea conditions from "rest of today" through the next 5 days.

[lbaerg]

How much was the cost for the small dingie?? And does anyone one the cost for the ferry ride to St John??

 

 

Thank you all for the wonderful information...

[markstudy]

How much was the cost for the small dingie?? And does anyone one the cost for the ferry ride to St John??

Thank you all for the wonderful information...

 

I paid $180 for the day. (I think you can get half-day rate also?)

 

Ferry Ride is cheap... something like $10 per person one-way ($8-$12? don't remember exactly)

[lbaerg]

Thank you:)

[aimcat]

MARK: My husband I were also thinking of doing the Cruz Bay dinghy rental. Did you rent snorkle gear from them also? Do they make you do a huge damage deposit on the dinghy and the snorkle gear?

[The Islander]

You can try the folks that rent the dinghy for details on prices and deposits: http://www.divestjohn.com/dinghies.html.

 

The ferry from Red Hook to St. John is $6 pp, one way. From Charlotte Amalie its $12 pp, one way.

 

--Islander