BOSS Underwater Adventure, St. Thomas

The Only Machine of Its Kind Here

B.O.S.S. stands for Breathing Observation Submersible Scooter, and the design does something no other St. Thomas activity offers. You sit on a small powered scooter with a clear acrylic dome over your head and shoulders. Air feeds into the dome from a tank on the machine and stays trapped there the way air stays in a glass held upside down in water.

One rider put the sensation better than any brochure: it is as if you turn a cup over in water and breathe the pocket inside. No mask on your face, no regulator in your mouth, no equalising on the way down.

That matters more than it sounds. Every other way under the surface asks something of you. Scuba wants a certification. SNUBA wants you to clear your ears. Snorkelling wants you to hold your breath and swim down. This one asks you to steer. The operator has run it on St. Thomas for 25 years.

How the Day Actually Works

Check in at The Box Bar in Yacht Haven Grande, Charlotte Amalie, at least 15 minutes before departure. Crew in turquoise shirts hold a BOSS sign, so it is hard to miss.

From there you board a 60-foot custom dive yacht and run out to the site, which is the scenic part of the morning. The boat takes a maximum of 24 people and has sun decks and covered shade, so the ride out is part of the trip rather than a transfer.

At the site the group splits into rotations. While one set of guests is on the scooters, everyone else snorkels off the boat or sits in the sun, and snorkel equipment comes with the trip.

When your turn comes, professional divers settle you into the unit in the water and escort you along the reef in small groups, pointing things out as you go. You drive. They stay with you throughout.

Back aboard there is a freshwater shower to rinse the salt off, plus water, juice and cookies. The whole thing runs 3 hours 30 minutes.

What It Feels Like Down There

Strange for about thirty seconds, then easy. That is the consistent account across the reviews.

One rider wrote that having your head in a bubble is unsettling at first and that the moment you start moving you forget about it. Another noted that depth perception warps when you look down or to the sides through the curved dome, while the breathing itself stays completely relaxed.

What you see varies with the day. Riders report a shipwreck on the route, and one family logged barracuda, a nurse shark and puffer fish on a single trip. It is the same water the snorkel boats work, seen from a metre or two above the coral instead of from the surface.

The word that recurs in the five-star reviews is not beautiful. It is fun. One guest compared driving the scooter to an episode of Mario Kart, which is closer to the truth than the marketing copy.

Why Non-Swimmers Book This One

This is the strongest thing about the trip and the reason it holds its rating.

Your head never goes underwater. A life vest holds you at the surface between the boat and the machine, and the crew handle the transfer both ways.

The reviews carry this out repeatedly without being prompted. One guest watched the crew walk a couple who could not swim through the whole process, both nervous beforehand and both thrilled after, saying they would do it again. Another wrote that she does not put her face under water in the shower and still completed it, calling it something anyone can do. A third, an inexperienced swimmer uncomfortable in deep water, said the crew made him feel safe enough to enjoy it fully.

One more group this suits: anyone with ear trouble. There is no descent with your ears exposed to pressure, so the equalising problem that ends a lot of scuba and SNUBA attempts never arises. A reviewer flagged exactly that as the reason to pick this over diving down yourself.

If someone in your party has sat out every water excursion of the trip, this is the one that changes that.

Practical Tips Worth Knowing

Bring a real underwater camera if you want pictures. The crew will shoot with a proper waterproof camera, but they cannot handle a phone in a pouch or case, and no photo package is sold. Several reviewers regretted coming home with nothing, and one advised bringing something water-safe. This is the tip that changes the day most.

Book well ahead. The trip runs an average of 34 days in advance, and 24 seats per departure go quickly when several ships are in port.

Budget for the taxi. The marina is a short ride from the cruise piers, and one family reported about $70 round trip for their group on top of the ticket.

Eat first. Refreshments are water, juice and cookies rather than a meal, which is fine across 3.5 hours but not if you skipped breakfast.

Captain Andrew's name appears again and again in the reviews, usually attached to a story about someone who nearly backed out and did not.

Requirements Before You Book

The limits are firmer than on most water trips, so check them against your group before paying.

Maximum weight 350 lb. Minimum age 10 years. Minimum height 4 feet, or 1.21 metres. Departures cap at 24 travelers.

It is not recommended for pregnant travellers or anyone with heart or lung conditions. A moderate level of fitness is expected, and every participant signs a medical waiver on the day.

If someone falls outside those, the SNUBA session at Coki Point is the closest substitute at $102 for 75 minutes, breathing from a surface air line at 15 to 20 feet. A two-reef dive-boat trip at $129 carries only a handful of people.

Two Things to Be Clear About

Time on the scooter is shorter than the tour length suggests. The operator allows roughly 30 minutes per rotation, and one reviewer timed the actual driving at 8 to 10 minutes, noting the run out takes longer than the time in the water. Both accounts fit: a limited number of scooters serves up to 24 guests inside one window, and the rotation covers kitting up, going down and coming back. Go expecting a long boat day with a short, memorable drive and it lands well.

The booking is non-refundable and cannot be changed. That is unusual here, where most snorkel trips cancel free. The listing also contradicts itself, with the additional-information block mentioning 48 hours' notice while the cancellation policy states plainly that nothing is refunded. Treat the money as committed once you book, and confirm with the operator if it matters.

The rating breaks down as 223 five-star, 14 four, 2 three, 2 two and 6 one. The low scores come almost entirely from people who panicked in the dome and could not settle, worth knowing if anyone in your group is genuinely anxious in water rather than simply nervous.

To see where $131 sits against everything else on the island, our guide to snorkeling tours on St. Thomas lists the range from $89 upward.