Buck Island

The normally placid waters in Frederiksted harbor have been unusually turbulent causing the water to be cooler and reducing underwater visibility. Therefore, I was a little concerned that our Buck Island snorkeling trip would be less than optimal. Buck Island is a National Monument under the jurisdiction of the National Park service. The island encompasses approximately 176 acres, but the monument encompasses greater than 19,000 acres. Therefore, approximately 99% of the monument is submerged.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the waters surrounding Buck Island to be several degrees warmer and much clearer. Jonathan and I snorkeled near the boat for about 15 minutes while Matt, Katie, and Phil enjoyed this Caribbean treasure for nearly an hour. I have been a little disappointed on the past few trips because the large fish seem to be gone. The crew aboard the Flyer told us that the big fish disappeared in September 1989 when Hurricane Hugo devastated the island and damaged the reef. The elkhorn and staghorn coral have apparently not recovered from that insult. It may also be possible that the continuing rise in ocean temperatures is impacting the reef as well. Unfortunately I know little about marine ecosystems and impacts of hurricanes, global warming, and other insults.