Boating Information

Welcome to Beautiful Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument

The links below provide you with the information needed to ensure your boating stay in the monument is enjoyable. You will find information on boat exclusion areas, vessel size limits, dinghy channels and anchoring areas.

Virgin Islands Marine Visitor Use Information Site.

Use the interactive map to answer marine use questions such as: where to snorkel, where can you anchor, are there areas to avoid, where to find a buoy and what size or color should you use?

Marine Guide

The official Marine Guide provides a map of the bays, information where you may operate a vessel or find a mooring in the Virgin Islands National Park or Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument. It also includes Visitor Center contact information and instructions on how to pick up a mooring. Pick one up at the Visitor Center in Cruz Bay.


Safe and Legal Use of NPS Mooring Systems
An NPS mooring system has a painter/pennant line extending from the mooring buoy; the end has a plastic thimble or eye. A mariner must affix one end of a line to their vessel, then pass the other end through the mooring thimble, and affix that end to the boat.

To secure your boat to the mooring, secure your line to a cleat on the bow of your boat, run the free end of your line through the plastic thimble on the pennant and back to a cleat on the bow of your boat.

Catamarans must pass two lines through the thimble and affix to their boat at opposite ends, AND ensure the thimble does not move and cut or saw through the lines.

To secure your catamaran boat to the mooring, secure your line to a cleat on the port side of your bow, run the free end of your line through the plastic thimble on the pennant and back to the same cleat on the port side of the bow; secure your line to a cleat on the starboard side of your bow, run the free end of your line through the plastic thimble on the pennant and back to the same cleat on the starboard side of your bow.

Hurricane Hole Storm Refuge information, applications and users guide.

The Superintendent's Compendium contains laws and policies specific to Virgin Islands National Park. (pdf 260 kb) It includes information on closures, public use limits, anchoring and mooring, boat exclusion areas as well as many other activities.

Anchoring, fishing or collecting of any kind is prohibited in the Monument.