Sapphire Beach, St. Thomas
The east-end beach that costs nothing, feeds you, and actually has fish. Here is where the reef is, why you want water shoes, and how it stacks up against Magens Bay.
Quick answer
Sapphire Beach charges nothing to enter and nothing to park, which makes it the best-value beach day on St. Thomas. The reef runs along the rocky ledge on the right-hand side, a beach bar and grill sell food on site, and the view crosses to St. John. The entry is rocky, so bring water shoes.
Key takeaways
- Free entry, free parking in a large gated lot
- Reef and rocky ledges on the right-hand side; strong swimmers reach fan coral about 150 yards out
- Beach bar, open-air grill and a drink vendor on site, plus a condo restaurant nearby
- Water-sports booth rents snorkel gear, kayaks, windsurfers and chairs
- Rocky entry underfoot: water shoes save the day, and never stand on coral
- Cruise passengers arrive late morning to early afternoon, so go either side of that
Guided Snorkel Trips from the East End
Sapphire is a walk-in beach with no boats working off it. These trips leave from the same side of the island and reach the reefs and cays you can see from the sand.
from $129 Aqua Marine — Two-Reef Snorkel by Dive Boat
- Two reef snorkel stops
- Small group (15 max)
- Rum punch + snacks
- Dive-boat access
from $99 Cas Cay Mangrove Kayak, Hike & Snorkel (3 hrs)
- Kayak to deserted Cas Cay
- Mangrove marine sanctuary
- Reef snorkel + nature hike
- Small-group guided
from $109 The VI Cat — Buck Island Catamaran Sail & Snorkel
- 54-ft catamaran to Buck Island
- Cartanza Señora shipwreck snorkel
- Open bar + snacks
- Up to 65 guests
Visiting Sapphire Beach
It Costs Nothing
No entrance fee, no parking charge. There is a large car park with a security gate, and you drive in.
This catches people out, because the resort sitting behind the sand makes it look private. It is not. Every beach in the U.S. Virgin Islands is public by law up to the high-water line, and the resort cannot stop you walking on.
Against $7 plus parking at Magens Bay and $5 plus parking at Lindquist, Sapphire is the cheapest good beach day on the island, and it is the only one of the three with both food and a reef.
Where the Snorkeling Actually Is
The right-hand side as you face the water. That is the whole instruction.
A shallow rocky ledge runs along that end with reef and coral formations, and the fish concentrate there. Confident swimmers who push out roughly 150 yards on that side reach fan coral. The middle of the beach is sand and unremarkable, which is why people who swim straight out from the car park report seeing nothing and conclude Sapphire is overrated.
Gear rents from the water-sports booth if you did not bring your own. Visibility is best in the morning before the wind picks up and before the day's swimmers stir the shallows.
Bring Water Shoes
The water in front of the beach is rocky in patches, and this is the most common complaint about Sapphire.
Water shoes turn an awkward entry into a non-issue. They also stop the temptation to stand on coral when you need a rest, which kills it. Coral takes decades to grow back from a single footstep.
Once you are past the entry, the swimming is calm and the bay is protected.
Food, Drink and Rentals
Unusually well served for a free beach. There is a beach bar, a small open-air grill and a drink vendor on the sand, plus a restaurant at the condo complex behind.
The water-sports booth rents snorkel gear, kayaks, windsurfing kit and beach chairs. Restrooms and showers are on site.
In practice this means you can arrive with a towel and nothing else and still have a full day, which is not true at Lindquist, where there is no food at all.
The View and the Wind
Sapphire looks east across the channel to St. John, with the cays scattered between. It is the best view from any easily reached beach on St. Thomas, and it is why the windsurfers are here.
That same exposure means the afternoon breeze is stronger than at Magens Bay. Good if you are on a board, less good if you wanted glassy water for photographs. Mornings are calmer.
Crowds and Timing
Sapphire is popular with cruise passengers, who tend to arrive late morning and leave by early afternoon. Going before or after that window changes the beach.
It still draws fewer ship visitors than Coki Point or Magens Bay, because it is further out on the east end and fewer ship excursions sell it. On a weekday morning it can be close to quiet.
Weekends bring local families, particularly to the shaded end near the car park.
Sapphire or Magens Bay?
The question people ask most, and the answer is not close if you came to snorkel.
Magens Bay is the more beautiful beach, a near mile-long arc of sand with flat, shallow water and no reef to speak of. It charges $7 a head plus parking.
Sapphire is free, smaller, rockier underfoot, and has fish along its right-hand ledge. It also has a bar, a grill and the view across to St. John.
Go to Magens Bay for the photograph and the swim. Go to Sapphire for a cheaper day with something to look at underwater. Our comparison of St. Thomas snorkeling tours covers the boat trips that beat both.
What to Leave in the Car
Nothing worth taking.
Break-ins at St. Thomas beach car parks come in periodic waves, and travellers on the island forums describe the same pattern each time: phones, wallets, cameras and jewellery lifted from vehicles while people are in the water. The gate at Sapphire helps and does not solve it.
Leave valuables at your accommodation. If you have to carry something, stow it out of sight before you arrive rather than in the car park where you can be watched.
Where to Stay Near Sapphire Beach
Sapphire Beach Resort sits directly behind the sand, which is the reason so many searches for this beach are really searches for a room.
The wider east end is the resort side of the island. Red Hook is ten minutes away with restaurants, a supermarket and the St. John ferry, and a spread of condo complexes and villas fill the hills around it. The Ritz-Carlton has its own beach at Great Bay to the south.
Staying out here puts you within a short drive of Sapphire, Lindquist, Coki Point and Secret Harbour, which is four distinct beaches inside fifteen minutes. That is a stronger base for a snorkelling trip than the town side.
Where Is Sapphire Beach?
Sapphire Beach sits on the far east end of St. Thomas near Red Hook, looking across the channel to St. John. The reef runs along the rocky right-hand side of the bay.
Sapphire Beach: Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have to pay to go to Sapphire Beach in St. Thomas?
No. Entry is free and so is parking, in a large gated lot. The resort behind the sand makes it look private, but every beach in the U.S. Virgin Islands is public by law and you are entitled to walk on.
Is Sapphire Beach in St. Thomas a nice beach?
Yes, with one caveat. The sand is good, the view across to St. John is the best of any easily reached beach, and it has a bar, a grill and rentals. The water entry is rocky in patches, so bring water shoes. Anyone who swims straight out from the middle will find sand and be unimpressed; the reef is along the right-hand side.
Which beach is better, Magens Bay or Sapphire?
Magens Bay is prettier and costs $7 per person plus $2 parking, with calm shallow water and almost no reef. Sapphire is free, smaller and rockier underfoot, but it has fish along its rocky right-hand ledge, a beach bar and the view to St. John. Magens for the swim and the photograph, Sapphire for a cheap day with snorkeling.
Where is the best snorkeling at Sapphire Beach?
The rocky ledge on the right-hand side as you face the sea. Reef and coral run along that end and the fish concentrate there. Strong swimmers who go out about 150 yards on that side reach fan coral. The centre of the bay is sand.
Is there food at Sapphire Beach?
Yes. A beach bar, a small open-air grill and a drink vendor operate on the sand, and there is a restaurant at the condo complex behind. That makes it the easier day than Lindquist Beach, which has no food at all.
What is the prettiest beach in St. Thomas?
Magens Bay, for the near mile-long arc of sand between two headlands. Sapphire has the better outlook, east across the channel to St. John and the cays. For what is under the water rather than above it, Coki Point beats both.