USVI-On-Line

It had long been my goal to snorkel Johnson Reef. Nearly all of the coral reefs in the VI are fringing reefs, and very accessible from the shore. Johnson Reef is a bit of an outlier, in that it is over half a mile offshore. It is that patch of whitecaps on all but a calm day that lies just to the right of Trunk Cay, as seen from the beach. Johnson Reef can also be seen as a long narrow shallow and lighter colored area from the Trunk Bay Overlook, again, with waves breaking over it if there are any swells. The reef is actually about as deep as it is wide, but appears foreshortened as seen from the Overlook; compare my photo from there to one from Google Earth, attached below. Thousands of years ago, when sea levels were much lower, Johnson Reef would have been a second Trunk Cay; today, it is mainly known as a boating hazard, especially for the knuckleheads who don't belong at the helm, and ignore the buoys that very clearly delineate the reef.

Early last week, I purchased a stand up paddle board over at Vessup Beach on St. Thomas. I hadn't actually ever used a SUP before, but thought that for its maiden voyage, having a gander at Johnson Reef would be in order. Alas, projects at Coconuts chewed up the morning, and as could be expected, the lot at Trunk Bay was full when we pulled in shortly after noon. That was too bad, as the reef would have been a simple beam reach from Trunk Bay Beach, perhaps 1.2 miles in all.

The fallback beach to visit for the afternoon turned out to be Hawksnest, with no clear plan to try to get to Johnson Reef from there. I had to put the paddle board in the water, though, and as you might expect, one thing led to another. I paddled out past Gibney Beach and the Oppenheimer cottage, and then along the lee of Peace Hill. Once I rounded Peace Hill, and was exposed to the winter trades, the going became quite a bit harder. Fortunately, the seas were calm, with swells of only a foot or two. Boats can pass inside of the reef, and at one point the wake of a motorboat tipped me into the drink. I figured out after a while that kneeling presented less wind drag, and let me make better headway. At times, though, as the buoys that ring the reef didn't seem to be getting any closer, I had to put my hand in the water to assure myself that I was at least in forward motion against the current. After a lot of strenuous paddling, I finally breached the western buoys, but it took yet more work to get to the eastern side of the reef.

I then stowed my glasses in my snorkeling backpack, and pulled out my fins, mask, and snorkel, along with a twelve foot surfboard leash. I had previously tied a bridle to two forward tie points on the paddle board. I was then able to enjoy a relaxing snorkel with the current, from east to west on a line across the reef. I didn't really have the energy to explore the reef beyond this straight-line westward drift with the current.

I had really been hoping that the reef would be in great shape, although that may have been a bit naive, given the devastating 2005 bleaching event. While there was a nice mix of both live soft and hard corals, the better part of the reef was dead. Johnson Reef is very shallow, and exposed to both winter swells and summer storms, as well as the higher water temperature due to its shallow depth. Many other deeper fringing reefs around St. John are in much better shape. I saw a variety of smaller reef fish, but nothing much larger or more interesting.

The paddle back to Hawksnest was considerably easier, with the trades and current with me. All in, the paddle was about three miles. I was a bit stiff and sore the next morning.

Anyone wishing to snorkel the reef, and not seeking gratuitous physical exertion, would do well to put in further east. Make sure ahead of time that the reef isn't full of breaking waves. Renting a kayak or paddle board at Cinnamon with a bow line as a leash would provide the easiest route, and if you cut into and hugged the shore just outside of the beach buoys on the way back, the paddle back to Cinnamon would be pretty manageable.

All the best,

Kevin

Thank you for that report. We've always wondered what that snorkel would be like and if it was worth the effort.

Thanks for this report. I have always been curious about Johnson's Reef. Too bad that the reef is not in good shape. I am glad you explored and told us about it, it does not really sound like it is worth the effort to get out there.

I had wondered also, about the damage to the reef from that powerboat idiot. Any signs of that damage to the reef?

Thanks for the info! Watching the surf across the reef over the years I imagined a lot of broken coral. It would be great to have a dinghy mooring line out there in concept, but wind and current are real risks in that area.

Cheers, RickG

Thanks Kevin.

Glad you were able to snorkel Johnson Reef. Sorry the reef was not in better shape.
I bet you felt good accomplishing something you have always wanted to do.

we were wondering about that place too. we just left STJ and was unpleasantly surprised at the snorkeling. We love the back side of Waterlemon and North Haulover. Where are we missing as we tend to do the east end most of the time. Thanks!

MG: I was looking for a track in the reef from that boating incident, but didn't see it. The reef has a lot of natural topography going on, and in addition I only crossed an east-west straight line along the center line of the reef.

Johnson reef would be interesting if you took a less strenuous path there, leaving time and energy to explore the reef in more depth, but St. John has lots of very nice fringing reefs to explore. I really like the point between Scott and Turtle beaches at Caneel, and there have been lots of other favorite spots posted about here. One tip that a neighbor provided, which I will explore on our next trip (back in New England and fresh snow today) is near the point between Grootpan and Kiddle Bays; she mentioned great coral there, including a cave and some arches. One forum poster found the area to be uninteresting, though, so it could take a bit of effort to pin down the exact location.

All the best,

Kevin

We usually fit a snorkel in at Kiddle and Grootpan ourselves each year. For us the snorkel out to point between two leaving Kiddle and working our way out to the point. In the past we've found that the coral tends to peter out as you approach the gazebo of the villa on the point. Then we move over to Grootpan and work right side. The left side of Grootpan seems to continue what we had seen coming from the opposite direction.