St. Thomas is one of the United States Virgin Islands, located in the Caribbean Sea. The island is larger than many of the other islands, at just over thirty-one square miles. St. Thomas houses the capital city of the U.S. Virgin Island, the city of Charlotte Amalie. St. Thomas is a mountainous island, and visitors can enjoy stunning views all over the island. You can reach the island via the Cyril E King Airport.

Water Sports
The Virgin Island Ecotours offers visitors to St. Thomas guided snorkeling and kayaking tours. The tours explore the St. Thomas Marine Sanctuary and Mangrove Lagoon. They educate the visitors about the dangers to the ecosystem of the lagoon and surrounding areas. There are many excellent scuba diving spots, including Cow and Calf, Tunnels of Thatch, and the wrecked freighter W.I.T. Shoel. St. Thomas also offers visitors some marvelous snorkeling locations, including Coki Point, Water Island, and Magens Bay. A relatively new sport, called Snuba, is gaining popularity on St. Thomas. Snuba combines snorkeling and scuba diving techniques, but leaves behind the heavy diving gear. There is less training needed to participate in Snuba. Windsurfing equipment can be rented at several locations on the island. There are also submarine and glass bottom boat tours available, so those that want to stay dry can still experience the beauty of the underwater world. Many people enjoy spending time on a classy yacht or going fishing while visiting St. Thomas. In fact, many record-breaking fish have been caught off the coasts of St. Tomas. Yacht rental is available, with or without a crew.

Island Diversity
Prior to European contact, the island was settled by the Ciboney people. Later the Arawaks and then the Caribs took over. Christopher Columbus was the first European to sight the island, and the entrance of the Europeans led to the elimination of the Carib people, though we are not entirely sure why. Eventually the Danish established colonies on the island through the support of the Danish west India and Guinea Company. Sugar cane production slowed because the activity on the island. The island started to depend on slaves, and many were brought from India and Africa. When slavery was ended, the sugar production gradually fell away, until eventually the island was bought from Denmark by the United States. When the US bought the Virgin Islands, they turned it into a defensive location that was used during both World Wars. After the wars, tourism became the primary industry of the island. Today, tourism is on the increase year by year.

Activities
St. Thomas offers visitors many land activities as well. There is the famous Mahogany Run golf course that was designed by George and Tom Fazio. This par-70 course has a unique feature called the “Devil’s Triangle,” three holes where golfers have to span a stretch of ocean to reach the cup. Visitors can take horse and pony tours on the east end of the island. Also popular is taking a trip over to Water Island, which is just off Charlotte Amalie’s coast. Finally, one of the most popular locations is the Coral World Marine Park and Observatory, which gives visitors and up-close-and-personal look at the ocean’s creatures.