Swim with humpback whales in Moʻorea, September 2027 · from CHF 4,500See the trip →
Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Caribbean

Caribbean

US Virgin Islands

Three US islands with a national park and strict federal rules for whales, dolphins and turtles.

Leatherback turtle
Leatherback turtle, found in the waters of the wider region · Photo: Max Gotts on Unsplash
Story only

Story only, for now. We love learning about this place and its ocean, so we share its story here and do not sell trips yet. Checked by Ocean Calling on 6 Oct 2026. Sources: Marine Life Viewing Guidelines: Guidelines and Distances, NOAA Fisheries; Virgin Islands Marine Visitor Use Information, National Park Service; Snorkeling at Virgin Islands National Park, National Park Service.

Why: Over 40 percent of Virgin Islands National Park on St John is underwater, with seagrass beds, mangroves and reefs where green and hawksbill turtles can be seen from a respectful distance. Federal law (the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act) protects whales, dolphins and turtles, and NOAA asks boats to keep 100 yards from whales and 50 yards from dolphins, seals and turtles for no more than 30 minutes, with no swimming with, touching or feeding. In the national park, boats use marked moorings and anchor only on sand so reefs stay safe, and we follow those park rules. We watch turtles and reefs gently from the surface, never chase them, and we avoid the captive dolphin attractions on St Thomas.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 30 Sep 2026. The UK FCDO covers the US Virgin Islands within its USA travel advice, last updated on 18 August 2026, and gives information on the hurricane season. Sources: UK FCDO travel advice, US Virgin Islands Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

TurtlesWildlife watching

Why US Virgin Islands

People come for the cruise stop at St Thomas, the national park on St John and diving at St Croix. Snorkelling with wildlife is an add on. NOAA guidance says keep 100 yards from whales and 50 yards from dolphins and turtles. Federal law bans harassment, and NOAA does not support swimming with, touching or feeding them. We offer no swim with whales here, and captive dolphin shows fail our check. Story only for now.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

United States of AmericaHaitiDominican Rep.BahamasMexicoBrazilColombiaPanamaCosta RicaNicaraguaHondurasEl SalvadorGuatemalaBelizeVenezuelaGuyanaSurinameFrancePuerto RicoJamaicaCubaTrinidad and TobagoSt John and the national park, US Virgin Islands

When to go

Year-round. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We share this place as a story so you can learn. There is no Ocean Calling trip.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Story only

We tell the story. We do not sell a trip here.

Checked 6 Oct 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
The story

Where in US Virgin Islands

We share these places as stories and research notes. We do not offer or sell trips here.

St John and the national park

Story only

A national park island with protected bays, where the park adds its own rules.

Also seen: Sea turtles at a distance of 50 yards, from the boat or shore, Whales at 100 yards, from the boat only

When: Year-round. Turtles graze on the reefs around St John through the year. The park is a gentle place to watch from the surface, with no touching and plenty of space.

Animals

Animals recorded in US Virgin Islands

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Land animals
Leatherback hatchling crossing the sand toward the seaLeatherback turtleDermochelys coriaceaSeen in 76 countries in the AtlasVulnerableGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHawksbill turtle swimming, pointed beak in profileHawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredHumpback whale swimming close with long pectoral finHumpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeSeen in 87 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernCommon bottlenose dolphin swimming over a seagrass bedCommon bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerableTiger shark with clear stripes swimming over a reefTiger sharkGaleocerdo cuvierSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedGreat barracuda cruising in open blue water, showing jagged teethGreat barracudaSphyraena barracudaSeen in 84 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMale magnificent frigatebird perched on a mangrove branchMagnificent frigatebirdFregata magnificensSeen in 52 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernNurse shark swimming over a reef at Fernando de Noronha, BrazilAtlantic nurse sharkGinglymostoma cirratumSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWhitespotted eagle ray gliding over reef and sand in BelizeWhitespotted eagle rayAetobatus narinariSeen in 58 countries in the AtlasEndangeredLemon shark seen from above, gliding over a pale sandy seabedLemon sharkNegaprion brevirostrisSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSouthern stingray resting on white sand, St John, US Virgin IslandsSouthern stingrayHypanus americanusSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedRed lionfish with spread fins over sand in Dauin, PhilippinesLionfish (red and common lionfish)Pterois volitans and Pterois milesSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernCaribbean reef shark swimming close over a reef in the BahamasCaribbean reef sharkCarcharhinus pereziSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasEndangeredLongsnout seahorse holding a red sponge stalk with its tail against blue waterLongsnout seahorseHippocampus reidiSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedNassau grouper with its mouth open, photographed at Los Indios in Jardines de la Reina, CubaNassau grouperEpinephelus striatusSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredMasked booby on Ascension IslandMasked boobySula dactylatraSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernQueen conch with a reddish spiny shell resting on seagrass over sandy seabedQueen conchAliger gigasSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedAdult brown booby standing on a rock with its bill open against blue sky, PrincipeBrown boobySula leucogasterSeen in 104 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernScarlet ibis in flight against a pale blue sky, photographed in Georgetown, GuyanaScarlet ibisEudocimus ruberSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasLives on landLeast ConcernClose view of a red-footed booby head with blue, pink and red bill and throat skin among green leavesRed-footed boobySula sulaSeen in 91 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTarpon swimming in open blue water with a dense school of small fish behind it, off St John in the US Virgin IslandsAtlantic tarponMegalops atlanticusSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasVulnerableBlacknose shark swimming in clear blue water, seen from the sideBlacknose sharkCarcharhinus acronotusSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasEndangeredCrowd of brown pelicans packed together on a coastal roost, one adult with a pale head and coloured bill facing the cameraBrown pelicanPelecanus occidentalisSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAmerican flamingo wading in shallow water with its head lowered toward the surface, Yucatán, MexicoAmerican flamingoPhoenicopterus ruberSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasLives on landLeast ConcernCaribbean spiny lobster at the edge of a reef overhang with long antennae trailing across sandCaribbean spiny lobsterPanulirus argusSeen in 30 countries in the AtlasData DeficientSargasso shearwater gliding over a grey sea, dark above and pale belowSargasso shearwater (Audubon's shearwater)Puffinus lherminieriSeen in 27 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Curious?

Why this is a story, not a trip

Read our ethics check above. If you would like to talk about it, Rocío is happy to explain.

Ask RocíoBack to the Ocean Atlas

Also in Caribbean
AnguillaAntigua and BarbudaArubaThe BahamasBarbadosBelizeBritish Virgin IslandsCaribbean NetherlandsCayman IslandsCubaCuraçaoDominicaDominican RepublicGrenadaGuadeloupeHaitiHondurasJamaicaMartiniqueMontserratPuerto RicoSaint BarthélemySaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSint MaartenTrinidad and TobagoTurks and Caicos IslandsVenezuela

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