A private island of about 1,800 acres on the south side of the Sir Francis Drake Channel, a half-hour boat ride from Road Town. Most of it is dry, empty hillside; at its north-east end the rebuilt Peter Island Resort lines Deadman's Bay, and its yacht club fills Sprat Bay. Sailors come for the quiet anchorages, Dead Chest Island and the Rhone just along the channel.
Live schedules, official fares, today's beach and weather reads, cameras and maps — each one opens the full page.
Peter Island drawn from the OpenStreetMap shoreline: Sprat Bay and the resort at the north-east end, Great Harbour and Little Harbour along the north shore, White Bay and Key Bay to the south, and Dead Chest off Deadman's Bay. Tap a pin for more.
Peter Island has no airport and no public ferry dock: everyone arrives by boat. Resort guests fly into Beef Island (EIS) on Tortola, take a taxi of about 20 minutes to the resort's ferry launch just outside Road Town, and cross on the resort's own ferry — about half an hour to the dock in Sprat Bay. The resort arranges it with the booking; whether the ferry takes non-guests, and when it runs, is the resort's call, so ask before you plan on it. There is no Peter Island route in the public ferry timetables.
Sailors pick up a mooring in one of the bays or take a slip at the Peter Island Yacht Club in Sprat Bay. From the U.S. Virgin Islands it is an international trip: Peter Island is not a port of entry, so your boat first clears BVI customs at West End or Road Town on Tortola, or at Great Harbour on Jost Van Dyke, and every passenger needs a passport. A private water taxi from Red Hook on St. Thomas takes a little over an hour.
Flights at Beef Island (EIS) · Tortola taxi fares · Request a day charter · BVI customs & entry fees · BVI sailing: the chart table · Mooring fields
There are no public roads, no taxis and no car rental. The resort's roads link the yacht club in Sprat Bay, Deadman's Bay and the beaches on the far side of the island, and guests are driven around by the resort. Boaters go by dinghy: Sprat Bay and Deadman's Bay sit side by side, and Great Harbour and Little Harbour are a short run west along the north shore.
The hills are steep, dry and mostly empty. Trails and tracks cross them, but they are on private land and kept for the resort's guests — ask at the resort before you walk.
The resort lists five beaches: Deadman's Beach and Little Deadman's on Deadman's Bay, White Bay on the south side, Honeymoon Beach and Big Reef Bay. Deadman's is the one boaters see; the others are reached by the resort's roads or by dinghy, and several are kept for guests. Numbers match the map. For which one is calm and uncrowded today, open the beach report.
Photo: Joe Shlabotnik, CC BY 2.0The long, palm-lined beach at Peter Island's north-east end, with the rebuilt resort along it and Dead Chest Island just offshore. The bay is sheltered in the usual trade wind, though a strong easterly sends a chop in. Snorkel the rocks at either end, or out towards Dead Chest.
A curve of sand on the west side of the island's southern half, facing Norman Island across the water. It is a resort beach with cabanas for guests, reached by a track over the hill; boaters see it from a mooring off the beach. Snorkel the rocks at both ends.
Photo: Joe Shlabotnik, CC BY 2.0Peter Island's best-known bay: a long beach under palms at the north-east end, the resort along it and Dead Chest Island just offshore. The moorings off the beach belong to the Peter Island Yacht Club. The resort runs its guests' snorkeling out from the beach towards Dead Chest.
Photo: Joe Shlabotnik, CC BY 2.0The small, uninhabited islet off Deadman's Bay is a BVI National Park, with dive and snorkel sites along its cliffs. It is said to be where Blackbeard marooned his crew with a bottle of rum each — the "fifteen men on a dead man's chest" of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island — but the story is almost certainly a legend that grew from the book, not the other way round.
The two deep bays on the north shore, west of the resort. Great Harbour is the big one, under the long finger of Great Harbour Point, with moorings and room to anchor; Little Harbour, further west, is smaller and quieter. Peter Island is said to be named after Pieter Adriensen, a Dutch privateer who with Joost van Dyk fortified Great Harbour in the early 1600s.
The old Willy T — Norman Island's original floating bar, wrecked by Hurricane Irma — was sunk as an artificial reef off Key Bay, on Peter Island's south-west corner, in 2019. Her mast top, about 30 feet down, can be seen by snorkelers on a clear day; divers tie up to the day-use ball. Key Bay is a small anchorage and rolls in any south wind.
The BVI's best-known wreck lies off Black Rock Point on Salt Island, the next island east. In the hurricane of 1867 the Royal Mail steamer Rhone, at anchor off Peter Island, ran for open sea and was driven onto the rocks, where she broke in two. The shallow stern is a snorkel; the bow is a dive. National Parks Trust day moorings only.
Photo: Joe Shlabotnik, CC BY 2.0The island's resort, first built in the late 1960s, was wrecked by Hurricane Irma in 2017 and reopened in December 2024, rebuilt with its rooms along Deadman's Beach, a spa and the yacht club and marina in Sprat Bay. It has closed for part of the hurricane season — from August into October — so check dates before planning a late-summer stay.
Everything to eat and drink on Peter Island is the resort's: the restaurant in the lodge on Deadman's Bay and the Drunken Pelican at the yacht club in Sprat Bay. There is no shop for provisioning beyond the yacht club, so stock up on Tortola. Not a resort guest? Check with the resort or the yacht club before you come ashore for a meal — hours and access change with the season.
Warm all year: highs in the mid-80s °F and a steady easterly trade wind. Great Harbour, Little Harbour and Sprat Bay are sheltered from the trade-wind swell; Deadman's Bay opens to the east and gets a chop when the wind is up, and the south-side bays roll in a south wind. December to April is the dry, busy sailing season. June to November is hurricane season, with the peak from mid-August to mid-October.
| Day | Sky | High / low | Rain | Wind | Seas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Thunderstorms | 86° / 83°F | 38% | E 19 mph | 3.6 ft |
| Tomorrow | Showers | 85° / 79°F | 83% | E 19 mph, gusts 25 | 4.3 ft |
| Wed, Oct 7 | Thunderstorms | 83° / 79°F | 81% | ESE 19 mph, gusts 26 | 3.9 ft |
| Thu, Oct 8 | Thunderstorms | 84° / 79°F | 53% | ESE 16 mph | 3.1 ft |
| Fri, Oct 9 | Drizzle | 84° / 83°F | 41% | E 17 mph, gusts 23 | 3.3 ft |
| Sat, Oct 10 | Showers | 83° / 80°F | 76% | ENE 14 mph, gusts 22 | 2.7 ft |
| Sun, Oct 11 | Drizzle | 82° / 79°F | 71% | ESE 16 mph, gusts 23 | 2.1 ft |
Open-Meteo forecast for Peter Island, refreshed every half hour. Live weather map · BVI sailing weather & marine zones
Peter Island has no reading of its own; these are the waters off Tortola, across the channel. Daily-mean sea-surface temperature, averaged 2021–2024 (Open-Meteo marine reanalysis): warmest in Sep (86.3°F), coolest in Feb (79.3°F). Hurricane history map
Peter Island belongs to the resort's owners. Boaters are welcome on the moorings and at the yacht club, but check with the resort before landing on a beach or walking inland.
Coming from St. Thomas or St. John, every passenger needs a passport and the boat clears BVI customs at a port of entry — Peter Island is not one.
The resort's ferry runs from its own launch outside Road Town, on its own schedule. It is not in the public ferry timetables, so arrange it with the resort.
In the usual easterly, Great Harbour and Little Harbour are the calm nights; Deadman's Bay is lovely by day but open to the east, and Key Bay and White Bay roll in any southerly swell.
Beyond the yacht club there is nothing to buy on the island. Road Town's supermarkets are half an hour away by boat.
Use the moorings rather than anchoring on coral, keep fins up in the shallows, and do not touch or stand on the reef at Dead Chest or the wreck.
U.S. Virgin IslandsSt. 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.
U.S. Virgin IslandsSt. JohnFerries, taxis, beaches, hikes and a true map of St. John — two-thirds national park — with today's weather and the next boat from Red Hook.
U.S. Virgin IslandsSt. CroixGetting from St. Thomas to St. Croix by seaplane or ferry, the airport, taxi fares, Buck Island, Christiansted, Frederiksted and every main beach on a true map.
U.S. Virgin IslandsWater IslandThe ferry from Crown Bay, Honeymoon Beach, Fort Segarra and a true map of the smallest U.S. Virgin Island, with today's weather and the next boat.
U.S. Virgin IslandsLovango CayHow to reach Lovango Cay from St. Thomas or St. John, who can visit, the Beach Club and Crescent Beach, the snorkeling at Congo Cay and Carval Rock, and a true map.
British Virgin IslandsTortolaFerries, taxis, beaches and a true map of Tortola — the BVI's capital island and charter base — with today's weather and the next boat from St. Thomas.
British Virgin IslandsVirgin GordaThe Baths, Spring Bay, Savannah Bay and North Sound on a true map, with the next ferry from Road Town, the official taxi fares and today's weather.
British Virgin IslandsJost Van DykeHow to get to Jost Van Dyke, what the taxis cost, White Bay and the Soggy Dollar, Foxy's in Great Harbour, the Bubbly Pool and Sandy Spit — with today's weather and the next boat.
British Virgin IslandsAnegadaThe flat coral island at the top of the BVI: how to get there, what the taxis cost, Loblolly Bay, Cow Wreck Beach, the flamingo ponds, Horseshoe Reef and lobster on the beach — with today's weather.
British Virgin IslandsNorman IslandThe boat-only island: day sails and charters from St. Thomas, St. John and Tortola, the Caves at Treasure Point, the Indians, the Bight and its floating bar.
British Virgin IslandsCooper IslandThe boat-only island across the channel from Tortola: the beach club and its moorings on Manchioneel Bay, Cistern Point, Wreck Alley and the RMS Rhone next door.
British Virgin IslandsScrub IslandThe private resort island off Tortola's east end: how the launch from Trellis Bay works, the 55-slip marina, three small beaches, Marina Cay and the live marina cam.
British Virgin IslandsNecker IslandBranson's private island off Virgin Gorda: no public landing and no day visit. How guests arrive, the Celebration Weeks, Moskito Island, and North Sound next door.By boat only. Resort guests fly into Beef Island (EIS) on Tortola, take a taxi of about 20 minutes to the resort's ferry launch just outside Road Town, and cross on the resort's ferry in about half an hour; the resort arranges it. Sailors pick up a mooring or take a slip at the Peter Island Yacht Club in Sprat Bay. Private water taxis also run from Red Hook on St. Thomas, a little over an hour.
There is no Peter Island route in the Virgin Islands' public ferry timetables. The resort runs its own ferry from Tortola for its guests; ask the resort whether it can take non-guests, and when it sails.
Yes. The resort closed after Hurricane Irma in 2017 and reopened in December 2024, rebuilt with its rooms along Deadman's Beach and a new yacht club and marina in Sprat Bay. It has closed for part of the hurricane season, from August into October, so check dates for a late-summer trip.
By boat, yes: the bays and moorings are open to boaters, and the Peter Island Yacht Club in Sprat Bay has slips, moorings and the Drunken Pelican restaurant. The island itself is private, so check with the resort or the yacht club what is open to non-guests before you go ashore.
The Van Andel family, co-owners of Amway, who took full ownership in 2001. A Norwegian, Torolf Smedvig, bought the island in 1968 and built the first resort; the families behind Amway bought it in 1978.
The small uninhabited islet just off Deadman's Bay, now a BVI National Park with dive and snorkel sites. It is said to be where Blackbeard marooned his men — the "fifteen men on a dead man's chest" of Treasure Island — though historians treat that as a legend inspired by Stevenson's book.
Close: the wreck lies off Black Rock Point on Salt Island, the next island east along the Sir Francis Drake Channel. The Rhone was at anchor off Peter Island when the hurricane of 1867 drove her onto the rocks. Dive and snorkel boats use the National Parks Trust day moorings.
Yes. Peter Island is in the British Virgin Islands, so a trip from the U.S. Virgin Islands is international: every passenger needs a passport, the boat clears BVI customs and immigration at a port of entry first, and BVI entry fees apply.