What you can see on the Sapphire Beach cam
The camera looks from a resort deck over the beach: palms and sea grape trees at the back of the sand, a pale strip of beach curving along the bay and the water turning from turquoise to deep blue. Across the bay rise green hills dotted with houses, and on clear days the islands beyond line the horizon. It shows the colour of the water, how calm the bay is and how many people are on the sand.
Sapphire Beach from the resort deck
From a deck at a resort on Sapphire Beach, this camera looks over the sand and the bay. On the left, the boards of the deck and the railing run down towards the beach; palms and sea grape trees line the back of the sand, a pale curve of beach follows the shore, and the sea deepens offshore, with wooded hills and scattered houses on the far side.
It shows at a glance whether the east end of St Thomas is sunny, breezy or under a shower. The resort streams it on its own YouTube channel.
The east end of St Thomas
Sapphire Beach lies near Red Hook, the small harbour at the east end of St Thomas from which ferries cross to St John and to the British Virgin Islands. That makes it a favourite with visitors who want a beach without the crowds of the cruise port at Charlotte Amalie, the island's capital, on the other side of St Thomas. The reef at the north end of the beach, near the point, is one of the easiest snorkelling spots on the island.
When to watch Sapphire Beach
The beach faces the islands to the east, so the morning light is behind the view and the afternoon sun lights it best. Mornings are usually the calmest, before the trade wind picks up.
Nearby
Red Hook, a few minutes away, has the ferry docks, marinas and restaurants. St John, more than half of it a national park, is a short ferry ride across Pillsbury Sound, and Coki Beach and Coral World Ocean Park, at Coki Point, are along the north-east coast of St Thomas.
Getting there
Cyril E. King Airport is on the west side of St Thomas, about 40 minutes by taxi. US citizens arriving from the mainland need no passport, and in the Virgin Islands cars drive on the left.
