On the recommendation of our resort owner, my partner and I took the Big Beard's half-day excursion to Buck Island on June 11, 2009. Our excursion was aboard Big Beard's hybrid power "Adventure" boat with Captain Austin, 1st Mate Darby, and another crew member, Brad. We were met at the dock both leaving and returning by Big Beard (Captain John Macy).

The crew was extremely warm, helpful, and fun. We sailed with (16) others from the main dock in Christiansted. We made a quick jaunt aboard over to the Buccanneer Hotel where we picked up (2) more people. From there, we sailed to Turtle Beach on Buck Island where we anchored for about an hour.

At Turtle Beach, the water is crystal clear and the sand wonderfully soft. For those that needed some snorkeling lessons, it was here they were provided while the rest of us just swam/played around in the water. It was here that we had a couple dozen large pompano fish constantly swim around us, between our legs, etc. They were very docile and fun to watch (I am posting an underwater photo I took of these fish to this review).

We reboarded and headed to the opposite end of the island to snorkel in the reef. We began with a 15 minute guided tour by 1st Mate Darby and then were given a few instructions (mainly how to protect the reef and not damage it) and were left for an hour or so of snorkeling on our own. The boat was nearby and the crew kept watch over our gang from the deck.

The time went by quickly, but not because it was wasted - but because it was so much fun. All in all, the half-day was perfect for our schedule in St. Croix and we were not disappointed in the least.

Some recommendations for others - remember to take sunscreen and at least some water. On our boat they did have a cooler full of ice to put your drinks into as well as some ice water. Others took some snacks in their backpacks with them.

Also, I am thankful I took the recommendations of some divers and bought a soft sided underwater camera case for my digital camera. I bought the DiCaPAK case for my Sony Cybershot for about $20. I snorkeled and swam with it all week and it kept my camera completely dry and the optical glass in the pack allowed my camera to take wonderful underwater photos. I highly recommend doing some underwater photography while snorkeling at Buck Island.

My partner and I booked the Big Beard all day trip to Buck Island. We booked on the 23rd of April. We got to the dock at 0900 and were suppose to sail at 0930. We didn't sail until 0950. When we sailed we were prepared to go to Buck Island and were very excited to see it and the reef. After a few instructions and demonstrations the "Captain" informed us we were off to pick more people up. There was already a crowd on the boat and I didn't know were they were going to put any more people. We sailed for about 40 minutes to a hotel/resort and picked up more people. 41 guest in all with 3 crew. That may not sound like a lot but believe me we were up against each other the whole time on the boat. ALL DAY! We were not allowed to be on the ropes of the catamaran in the front and were told to be carefull and not get sunscreen on the cushions or on the glass. Captain Austin(?) was on his cell phone a lot while being "Captain". The crew was always trying to be cute. After picking up the rest of the passengers we were on our way to Buck Island. On the east side of the island was a beautiful beach. We were there for 30 minutes. Yes, 30 minutes. There were several children on the trip and it took several minutes for the parents to get the kids on and off the boat. That was all part of the 30 minutes. I had asked on the phone when booking if there would be time to hike on the island and I was told, yes. When we got there the captain said no to a hike. After a whole half hour we pulled up anchor and set sail for the reef. The reef is dead. It has been dead since 1989 I was told later. It was a combination of Hurricane Hugo and sunscreen from tourist. There were a few fish there but the coral was and is dead and gray.
After the reef we took our seats on the crowded catamaran and off to another beach to eat. Big Beard's all you could eat hamburgers, hotdogs, and fish was set up on the beach. I cannot remember the name of that beach but there were better beaches on the island. For one and a half hours we got to eat and drink rum punch. We met a couple of really nice people on the boat and one lady on the beach from New Jersey that was a hoot! After the meal it was back to the dock and a tipping plea from the crew. That was low. Give the tourist some rum and ask them to tip and forget about having to sit on top of one another all day.
We got back to the dock and mentioned to the lady at the register that the trip was a bit crowded. She said to talk to Big Beard but, in other words, good luck with the complaint.
I sent an e-mail to Big Beard but the response was less apologetic.

We chose to do the half day trip to Buck Island on Big Beard's. We left in the morning (9am-ish) and returned a little after 1pm, sailing on the "Flyer". Captain Austin and 1st Mate Darby made the trip a good time. They know the waters well and made the sailing trip very enjoyable, inspite of the rough waters heading out to the island.

We had to sail under motor power due to the tides/currents opposing us, which made for a little choppy experience, but still fun.

The snorkeling was awesome. My wife and I enjoyed this part thoroughly. The current was a little strong that day so we found ourselves having to do quite a bit of swimming at times to get where we wanted along the reef, but the sites were stunning. We saw a hawk billed turtle swimming by us, along with several schools of Blue Tang (40-60 fish). The coral itself wasn't particularly stunning, as either a lot of it has died or is not particularly colorful (not sure caused that).

We snorkeled for about an hour or so, which was plenty. We were pretty worn out by the end of that time, and we were the last ones back on the boat -- the other three couples stopped a while before that. Being that we weren't overcrowded made for a nice voyage as well.

Turtle Beach on Buck Island had some of the clearest, most enjoyable water I've ever experienced. Almost no wave activity and just the softest sand you can imagine. A little rain squal came up while we were at the beach which created a nice cooling effect while in the water.

As with most others, I would highly recommend this. Do take a disposable underwater camera with you as well. There is lot to see and definitely beautiful things to capture for memories.

Went to Buck Island yesterday with Big Beard and had a wonderful time. We took the full day trip which I recommend since it includes a lunch and rum punch at the end. All food is cooked outdoors with the mongooses coming up and grabbing the left overs when everyone is finished. Our Captain was a guy named Austin whose Dad is named Dallas and they are from North Dakota. Go figure. He was a great Captain, his crew was a guy named Brad from North Carolina who used to be on the East Carolina swim team, and a very attractive lady named Aaron from Philly who came down to spend a year and has now been here four. The were a very good team and they worked very hard to ensure we all had a great time. If you come to St. Croix this is a must do. The snorkling was outstanding and the water very clear.