Coki Point

Coki is a short beach on the northeast corner of St Thomas, and its value is entirely underwater: reef starts a few metres out on both sides of the bay, in water shallow and calm enough that people who have never snorkelled before can see something within minutes. Parrotfish, sergeant majors, blue tangs and often turtles work the coral heads. Next door is Coral World, a marine park with an undersea observatory tower, aquariums of local species, and a set of animal encounter programmes. The beach itself is small and gets very busy when ships are in.

What you actually see

• The shore snorkelling - reef within a few metres of the sand.
• Coral World - the marine park and its undersea observation tower.
• Turtles - regular in the bay alongside the reef fish.
• The coral heads - accessible in shallow calm water.

When to go

December to April is the dry season. Cruise days fill the beach entirely; check the port schedule. Mornings before ten are calmest. Winter north swells occasionally make the bay rough and cloudy.

Honest expectations

The beach is small and on a cruise day it is packed, with persistent vendors and hair braiders. Fish feeding by visitors has been a long-standing problem here and damages the reef. Coral World runs dolphin and sea lion encounters, which draw welfare criticism worth considering. Car break-ins in the car park have been reported.

Nearby

Coral World is next door; Sapphire Beach is ten minutes south.