February 8, 2023 @ 10:30 AST
Site Visit #75
Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument is similar to Buck Island Reef National Monument which we visited earlier on this trip. It is primarily an underwater park featuring the coral reefs around the southeastern and eastern ends of St. John. Unlike Buck Island, there do not appear to be concessionaires offering access to the reef.
There is a small area of the Monument that is on dry land, near “Hurricane Hole” on the southeast end of the island. I considered taking a taxi there so I could say I was on the park property, but two things convinced me otherwise. First, our time was limited and we wanted to spend some time hiking in the National Park. More influential though, was the $80 round-trip taxi fare to do so. It simply was not worth the cost in time and money just to claim I touched the land.
I did, however, get a passport stamp for the National Monument, which are available at the National Park Visitor Center in Cruz Bay!
Like the reef at Buck Island, this National Monument is intended to protect and preserve the coral reef, which itself is struggling to survive. As truly living rock, coral can suffer from diseases, in addition to damage from water pollution and careless tourists. The coral in this area is experiencing its own pandemic for which the National Park employees and volunteers are providing medicine in the form of periodic treatments.
As I visit the many park sites on my trips, I make notes of those sites where I wish I could have spent more time. Should I be able, I will return to these places once I have visited all of the other sites. Virgin Islands National Park and Coral Reef National Monument are sites on that list. It took me 41 years from my first visit to the Virgin Islands until I returned. I don’t think I have the luxury of that much time until I return again.
Steve
