A wide, soft-sand beach on the south-west shore of St. Thomas, beside the University of the Virgin Islands, with the airport runway reaching out into the sea across the bay. Calm, free and local: sea turtles graze the seagrass, planes come and go on the runway, and at weekends the families come with their barbecues.
Skip today Rough — 3.0 ft SW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast. If you go, the least bad stretch left is 8 am–11 am.
| Day | The call | Why | Best time | Cruise guests here | Sea at the beach | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Skip today | Rough — 3.0 ft SW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast | 8 am–11 am | — | Some chop · 2.7 ft | Thunder |
| Tomorrow | Skip today | Rough — 3.3 ft SW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast | 10 am–1 pm | — | Rough · 3.2 ft | Thunder |
| Sun, Nov 8 | Think twice | Choppy — WSW swell into the bay · Showers likely (67%) | 11 am–2 pm | — | Some chop · 2.3 ft | 67% |
| Mon, Nov 9 | Go | Calm, glassy water | 10 am–1 pm | — | Calm · 0.4 ft | 41% |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Go | Calm, glassy water | 10 am–1 pm | — | Calm · 0.2 ft | 28% |
The call is the same one our beach report makes, refreshed every half hour: the swell reaching the island (Open-Meteo's marine forecast), NOAA's sargassum satellite and the rain forecast. Brewers Bay has no cruise-crowd term — no excursions come here. It is a model, not a lifeguard's report, and we found no lifeguard at Brewers Bay. The bars under each call are the hours from 8 am to 5 pm. Today's beach report
Taxi fares, the airport next door, today's beach and weather reads and the island around it — each one opens the full page.
Brewers Bay from OpenStreetMap: the sand at the head of the bay, Route 30 along the shore, the University of the Virgin Islands campus behind the beach and the airport runway across the bay's south side. OpenStreetMap maps no parking for the beach and no food vans, so they carry no pin: people park along the road. Tap a pin for its section.
Brewers Bay is on the south-west shore of St. Thomas, about three miles west of Charlotte Amalie. Route 30 runs out of town past the airport, climbs through the University of the Virgin Islands campus and comes down the far side to the beach, which it runs along. From the airport terminal it is a short drive round the airfield.
The official taxi tariff has no fare to Brewers Bay itself: the fare in the table is to UVI, and the beach is beside the campus — agree with the driver before you set off that you are going to the beach. We found no taxi stand at the beach, so agree a pick-up time or keep the driver's number. Driving, people park along the road behind the sand — and drive on the left.
| From | 1 passenger | 2+ (each) | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte Amalie | $11 | $9 | 9 min · 5.1 km |
| Airport (STT) | $8 | $8 | 7 min · 3.5 km |
Per person, one way: fares set by the VI Taxicab Commission (rates revised October 24, 2022); night, luggage and waiting surcharges apply. Drive times are Google's for an ordinary day. Fare calculator for any two stops
St. Thomas taxi fares · STT flights today · Rent or take taxis? · The St. Thomas guide
Brewers Bay is free. Under the Virgin Islands' Open Shorelines Act the public has the right to use and enjoy the shoreline — from the low-tide line inland 50 feet, or to the line of vegetation or a natural barrier, whichever is shorter — and no one may block it. There is no gate, no attendant and no closing time. The land behind the beach is the University of the Virgin Islands' St. Thomas campus, which counts the beach among its grounds.
Checked October 15, 2026 against the Open Shorelines Act (12 V.I.C. §§ 402–403), as quoted by the V.I. Superior Court, UVI: the Orville E. Kean Campus, St. Thomas, UVI: the sea turtle project (2017) and DPNR beach advisory, October 9, 2026. We found no rules for the beach itself published by UVI or the territory's government. Travel listings say alcohol and jet skis are not allowed and loud music must stop by 6 pm; we could not trace that to a posted source, so check the signs at the beach on the day.
A wide strip of sand, shade trees, a restroom block and the road behind it — and the bay, which is the point. Bring water, snorkel gear and anything you want to sit on.
OpenStreetMap maps a beach restroom and shower block, a university building, behind the middle of the sand. We could not find who runs it or when it is open, so do not count on it — and there are no changing rooms or lockers that we know of.
Photo: Pauline Walsh Jacobson, CC BY 4.0Green and hawksbill turtles live in the bay year round, grazing the seagrass. The University of the Virgin Islands and the VI Sea Turtle Project catch, measure and tag them here — UVI dates its tagging to the fall of 2014; by April 2017 they had their 100th turtle, and in 2020 UVI's Paul Jobsis put the bay's population at 120 to 130 greens and 75 to 80 hawksbills. UVI's MacLean Marine Science Center, on the point at the south end of the beach, reopened renovated in 2025. Watch the turtles from a distance: touching or chasing them is against the law.
Photo: Lars Schmidt, CC BY-SA 3.0The west end of Cyril E. King Airport's runway — extended in 1992 from 4,200 feet to 7,002, the Port Authority says — reaches out into the sea on the south side of the bay, so the beach is a place to watch planes take off and land. Since April 28, 2026 the runway has been resurfaced overnight, about 10 pm to 5 am; the work is due to run through the end of the year.
Food vans have parked along the road behind the beach for years, from late morning to early evening, selling beach food, drinks and some local dishes, the Source wrote in 2009, and visitors still report a couple of food trucks. We could not confirm who is there now or when, so bring water and a snack.
By the road behind the beach are the ruins of the estate's sugar works: an animal-powered mill on a raised circular platform 86 feet across north of the road, and the T-plan factory of rubble, coral block and brick south of it, later used as a house. They were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The nomination recorded them on private land in 1977: look from the road.
Photo: Kberg115, CC BY-SA 3.0Brewers Bay is one of the beaches the Department of Planning and Natural Resources samples each week for bacteria and turbidity. In its advisory of October 9, 2026 it met the standard and was listed safe for swimming and fishing. DPNR's standing advice is to stay out of water near guts and drainage after heavy rain, or where sargassum has piled up.
Photo: Pauline Walsh Jacobson, CC BY 4.0The snorkeling is mostly over seagrass and sand, and that is where the turtles feed: swim out slowly over the grass and look down. There is coral at the edges of the bay. Bring your own mask and fins — we found no rentals at the beach.
Photo: Calettso2, CC0From the sand you watch the jets and the island props on the runway across the bay. The day's flights, and when the big jets leave, are on our flights page.
Photo: Kberg115, CC BY-SA 3.0The Source's 2009 beach profile describes a shoreline walk from the beach toward Black Point, on university land, with an unmarked trail up a hill to views of the undeveloped coast of Perseverance and Runnel bays — 1½ to 2 miles there and back. The other way, to the point and a cave, is a scramble over rocks with no trail. We could not check its state today: go with water, shoes and someone who knows it.
Photo: Kberg115, CC BY-SA 3.0On weekdays you may have the sand nearly to yourself. At weekends and on holidays families come with barbecues and coolers and the shade under the trees fills up — come early for a spot.
Photo: Mattes, CC BY 2.0 deOn the other side of the airport, Lindbergh Bay has a hotel beach and, anchored offshore, Lime Out's floating taco bar, reached by its own boat. It is a short drive round the airfield, not a walk along the shore.
Photo: Calettso2, CC BY-SA 4.0The campus above the beach is the University of the Virgin Islands' Orville E. Kean Campus, 388 acres overlooking the bay, opened in 1963. Its Sports and Fitness Center was dedicated in January 2001. UVI lists the beach among the campus's grounds.
There is no restaurant at Brewers Bay. Food vans have long parked along the road behind the beach, but we could not confirm who is there now or their hours: bring water and food, and take your trash home.
For a sit-down meal, Charlotte Amalie is back along Route 30, and Lime Out floats off Lindbergh Bay on the other side of the airport.
Warm all year: highs in the mid-80s °F in winter and around 90 °F in late summer, a steady easterly trade wind and short showers rather than all-day rain. December to April is the dry season.
Brewers Bay sits on the south-west side of St. Thomas, its mouth closed on the south side by the runway, so the easterly trade-wind sea and the winter north swells that reach the north shore rarely get in: on most days the water is calm and clear. The call at the top of the page reads the swell, the rain and the sargassum every half hour.
| Day | Sky | High / low | Rain | Wind | Seas offshore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Thunderstorms | 84° / 78°F | 95% | SW 17 mph, gusts 24 | 3.1 ft |
| Tomorrow | Thunderstorms | 82° / 79°F | 88% | WSW 19 mph, gusts 26 | 3.3 ft |
| Sun, Nov 8 | Drizzle | 83° / 81°F | 67% | WSW 13 mph | 3 ft |
| Mon, Nov 9 | Partly cloudy | 83° / 81°F | 41% | NNW 7 mph | 2.4 ft |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Drizzle | 83° / 80°F | 31% | NE 14 mph | 1.8 ft |
| Wed, Nov 11 | Overcast | 83° / 82°F | 25% | E 14 mph | 2.2 ft |
| Thu, Nov 12 | Drizzle | 84° / 82°F | 25% | ESE 12 mph | 2.6 ft |
Open-Meteo forecast for St. Thomas, refreshed every half hour. The seas are offshore; how much of it reaches the sand is the call above. NWS alerts & marine forecast · North swell season
Daily-mean sea-surface temperature off St. Thomas, averaged 2021–2024 (Open-Meteo marine reanalysis): warmest in Sep (86.4°F), coolest in Feb (79.8°F).
No — there is no public live camera at Brewers Bay. The nearest live camera is Lime Out's in Lindbergh Bay, on the other side of the airport, which shows the same planes from the water; the other St. Thomas camera is at Sapphire Beach on the East End.
The bay appears on the maps of St. Thomas as Janprubay (Dewitz, 1732), Baye de Jean Krameur (Bellin, 1764), John Brucebay (Oldendorp, 1777) and Johns Brewers Bay (Hornbeck, 1856), which shows several buildings on the estate.
The estate of Peter James Souffrain passes to his sister, Hortense Souffrain — the first record of ownership. In 1883 it is sold to L. E. de Lafarde for $1,250.
A monoplane of the Aerial Express Company of San Juan lands four passengers at the airstrip at Mosquito Bay — later filled in and renamed Lindbergh Bay — next door to Brewers Bay.
The U.S. government buys the airstrip and expands it as a military airfield, Bourne Field. After the Second World War it passes to the Virgin Islands government, and its old hangar becomes the terminal of an airport named for President Truman.
The College of the Virgin Islands is founded; its St. Thomas campus opens above Brewers Bay in 1963. In 1986 it becomes the University of the Virgin Islands.
The ruins of the Estate Brewers Bay sugar works — the animal mill and the T-plan factory — are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The airport is renamed for Cyril Emmanuel King, the second elected governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The runway is extended from 4,200 feet to 7,002 feet; its west end reaches out into the sea beside Brewers Bay.
UVI's Center for Marine and Environmental Studies and the VI Sea Turtle Project begin catching and tagging the turtles of Brewers Bay; in April 2017 they record their 100th.
UVI opens the newly renovated MacLean Marine Science Building on the beach to visitors: turtle tracking, coral and mangrove restoration, robotics.
Overnight work begins to mill and repave the runway and fit new LED lights, planned to continue through the end of the year.
Sources: National Register nomination, Estate Brewers Bay (1977) · National Park Service: listing record · Virgin Islands Port Authority: the airport's history · Wikipedia: Cyril E. King Airport (Bourne Field, 1935) · Wikipedia: University of the Virgin Islands · UVI, 2017: the turtle project · St. Croix Source, 2020: the turtles of Brewers Bay · UVI, 2025: the marine science open house · St. Thomas Source, 2026: the runway paving
The beach is a local one: nearly empty on many weekdays, busy with families and barbecues at weekends and on holidays.
There are no rentals and no lifeguard that we found, and the food vans are not a sure thing. Bring water, shade, snorkel gear and a snack.
Float above them and let them come and go. Touching, chasing or feeding sea turtles is against the law.
The U.S. Virgin Islands ban sunscreens with oxybenzone, octinoxate or octocrylene. Bring a mineral (zinc or titanium) one.
The beach is a short drive from the terminal, which makes it a place to spend the last hours before an afternoon flight — with your bags in the taxi, not the car.
Parking is along an open road with no attendant. Take valuables to the beach or leave them at home.
Skip today todaySt. ThomasMagens BayRough — 3.3 ft WNW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast
Skip today todaySt. ThomasCoki BeachThunderstorms in the forecast · Choppy — NW swell into the bay
Skip today todaySt. ThomasLindquist BeachThunderstorms in the forecast · Sargassum offshore
Skip today todaySt. ThomasSapphire BeachThunderstorms in the forecast · Sargassum offshore
Good todaySt. ThomasSecret HarbourGlassy, snorkel-clear water · No cruise crowd today
Skip today todaySt. ThomasMorningstar BeachRough — 3.0 ft SW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast
Skip today todaySt. ThomasHull BayRough — 3.3 ft WNW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast
The island guideSt. ThomasThe airport, the cruise docks, the Red Hook ferries, taxi fares and the best beaches on a true map of St. Thomas — with today's weather and the next boat to St. John.Yes. There is no gate and no entry fee: under the Virgin Islands' Open Shorelines Act the shoreline is public — the sand from the low-tide line inland 50 feet, or to the vegetation line if that is shorter. The land behind it is the University of the Virgin Islands' campus.
By car or taxi along Route 30, which runs from Charlotte Amalie past the airport and through the University of the Virgin Islands campus to the beach — about 9 minutes (5.1 km) from town. The official taxi fare to UVI, beside the beach, from Charlotte Amalie is $11 for one rider, $9 each for two or more. There is no taxi stand at the beach, so agree a pick-up time.
The official tariff has no Brewers Bay fare; drivers charge the fixed per-person fare to UVI, which is beside the beach. From Charlotte Amalie it is $11 for one rider, $9 each for two or more; from the airport $8 for one rider, $8 each for two or more. Agree the fare before you set off; night, luggage and waiting surcharges apply.
Yes. The west end of Cyril E. King Airport's runway reaches out into the sea on the south side of the bay, and the terminal is a short drive away round the airfield. From the beach you watch the planes take off and land.
Yes — green and hawksbill sea turtles live in the bay year round, feeding on the seagrass. UVI's researchers, who catch and tag them, estimated in 2020 that 120 to 130 greens and 75 to 80 hawksbills use the bay. Watch them from a distance: touching or chasing them is against the law.
For turtles, yes: the snorkeling is mostly over seagrass and sand, where they feed, with some coral at the edges of the bay. Bring your own gear — we found no rentals at the beach.
OpenStreetMap maps a restroom and shower block behind the sand, a university building. We could not find who runs it or its hours, so do not count on it being open.
There is no restaurant. Food vans have long parked along the road behind the beach from late morning, but we could not confirm who is there now — bring water and food. Charlotte Amalie's restaurants are back along Route 30.
We found no lifeguard at Brewers Bay. The water is calm on most days, but you swim at your own risk.
Brewers Bay is one of the beaches DPNR samples every week. In its advisory of October 9, 2026 it met the water-quality standard and was listed safe for swimming and fishing. Stay out of water near drainage after heavy rain.
The beach is beside the university's St. Thomas campus, which overlooks John Brewers Bay and counts the beach among its grounds, and UVI's marine science center is on the point at its south end. The shoreline itself is public under the Open Shorelines Act.
No public live camera looks at Brewers Bay. The nearest is Lime Out's camera in Lindbergh Bay, on the other side of the airport; the other St. Thomas camera is at Sapphire Beach on the East End.
No. Brewers Bay on Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, is a different beach on that island's north shore, next to Cane Garden Bay. This one is on St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, beside UVI and the airport.