Renting a Dinghy on St. John: Know Before You Go

One of the most fun and memorable ways to spend a day on St. John in the US Virgin Islands is to rent a dinghy for the day. In fact, it’s currently one of the most in-demand activities available for booking on our website. (Hot tip: Keep that in mind and reserve yours as far in advance as you can – dinghies sell out quickly!)

A St. John dinghy day gives you unique access to beaches, coves, and cays that can be tricky (or near impossible) to reach on land. If you’re thinking about renting one to explore on your next trip to the USVI, here are a couple of things to know beforehand:

A little boating experience goes a long way.

While you will be given a briefing when picking up the dinghy, it’s important that you have enough boating experience that you can confidently operate the vessel. If you’ve never driven a boat or dinghy, we recommend that you hire a captain to take you out for your first time.

If you want to go farther, go bigger.

The dinghy rentals’ range is limited to the Northshore of St. John – that means from Cruz Bay to Waterlemon Cay. This range still gives you amazing access to many top beach and snorkel spots. However, if you’re wanting to hit up some of the food boats such as Pizza Pi VI or Lime Out VI, you will need to select a Zodiac rental instead.

Do yourself a favor and get the insurance.

You’ll be given the opportunity to add damage insurance onto your rental for a small fee. We advise that you take it! This will provide a cushion if anything unfortunate happens and not put a downer on your vacation budget.

Bring beach gear to maximize your day out.

Pack a cooler, chairs, floats, towels, snorkel gear – whatever you tend to prefer for the ultimate beach day. We have snorkel gear available for rent that you can bring with you. There are so many unbelievable snorkel spots; you won’t want to miss the opportunity to properly explore.

Take it slow and enjoy the views.

You’re on island time – there’s no need to rush! Keep yourself, your passengers, and anyone (or anything) in the water safe by driving slowly. At slower speeds you will be able to take in the beauty around you, and give yourself plenty of time to avoid any obstacles in the water such as rocks, reef, snorkelers, turtles, etc.