Cruz Bay Beach
Photo: anoldent, CC BY-SA 2.0
Cruz Bay Beach is the town beach of Cruz Bay, St. John's main town and passenger ferry port, a few steps from the ferry dock. It runs along the waterfront at Wharfside Village, where The Beach Bar sits, and High Tide restaurant is on the sand by the dock. Boats dot the water offshore. The Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) tests the water here. In 2026 Cruz Bay failed DPNR's bacteria standard in three of its 11 tests, in the weeks ending January 16, January 23 and March 20, and passed the last one, on July 31. As of DPNR's October 30 advisory, St. John beaches had not been sampled since, so check the latest advisory before swimming. DPNR also advises avoiding water affected by stormwater runoff or heavy sargassum. No source lists lifeguards, public restrooms or a fee. Cruz Bay has several paid parking areas.
Services
- Bars and restaurants on the sand at Wharfside Village and by the ferry dock
- Water tested by DPNR; check its weekly beach advisory
- Paid parking areas in Cruz Bay
- No lifeguard, public restrooms or fee listed
How we checked
Last verified on October 30, 2026. We checked it against the sources below.
Source: V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources beach advisories, https://dpnr.vi.gov/beach-advisory/: every 2026 weekly advisory and data sheet was checked. St. John was sampled in the weeks ending January 9, 16, 23 and 30, February 27, March 13 and 20, May 22 and 29, and July 17 and 31 (11 tests). Cruz Bay was listed as unsafe for swimming in https://dpnr.vi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Beach-Advisory-1.16.26.pdf, https://dpnr.vi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Beach-Advisory-1.23.26.pdf and https://dpnr.vi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Beach-Advisory-3.20.26.pdf (data sheets https://dpnr.vi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Beach-Data-1.23.26.pdf, 373 enterococci per 100 mL in the sheet dated January 16, and https://dpnr.vi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Beach-Data-3.20.26.pdf, 97; limit 70) and as meeting the standard in the other eight, including https://dpnr.vi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Beach-Advisory-7.31.26.pdf; the October 30, 2026 advisory, https://dpnr.vi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Beach-Advisory-10.30.26.pdf, says no St. John beaches were sampled and advises avoiding water affected by stormwater runoff or large amounts of sargassum, and the data sheets show no St. John samples from August 7 to October 30, 2026; High Tide website, https://www.hightidevi.com/welcome (on the beach a few steps from the Cruz Bay ferry dock, 4-B Wharfside Landing); USVI Department of Tourism, https://www.visitusvi.com/listing/st-john/213402/the-beach-bar/ (4A Wharfside Village, Cruz Bay) and https://www.visitusvi.com/experience/best-beach-bars/ (sand and water dotted with boats); National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/viis/planyourvisit/gettingaround.htm (updated December 10, 2024; paid parking areas in Cruz Bay); all accessed 2026-10-30. No source describes lifeguards, restrooms, a fee or swimming conditions. Map point: GNIS feature 1993430 (Beach, 'Cruz Bay Beach'), U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System, Virgin Islands file published September 29, 2026, https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/GeographicNames/DomesticNames/DomesticNames_VI_Text.zip, accessed 2026-10-30.
USVI Realty does not rank, rate or endorse the places and services in this directory. Hours, fees and rules change, so check the official source before you go.
Around Cruz Bay
Photo: anoldent, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Photo: Fred Hsu, CC BY-SA 3.0
