TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Tarpon under boat

We stayed the night at Maho off St. John and had a school of tarpon under our lighted cat last May. So thick you could nearly walk on them. Back again this May. Are there anchorage/balls in BVI with lots of tarpon at night?

Definitely, almost every place.

They are everywhere and very cool to watch. Just be careful. Lights are illegal in USVI park waters.


https://www.nps.gov/viis/planyourvisit/virgin-islands-marine-visitor-use-information.htm

scroll down to "Moorings"

Yes, most anchorages you will see Tarpon under boats with a good underwater light. Sometimes more than others. Other marine life as well such as rays and occasional turtle. Have also seen a few small sharks.

If anchored near the Willie T or other establishments, you may more frequently see homo sapiens splashing near the lights as they return to their nests.

Very common in the Bight. Also, North Sound and Trellis Bay.

Thanks for the morning chuckle!

We have underwater lights and see tarpon at virtually every anchorage in the BVI. We saw a small feeding frenzy at daybreak one morning last November in Soper's Hole. We kept hearing rushing water and splashes, looked out the escape hatch and there were dozens of tarpon after a bait ball. After several minutes between the hulls the frenzy moved behind the boat, it went on for 10 - 15 minutes.

Something like this at Marina Cay got 3 swimmers out of the water pretty quickly late one afternoon. I didn't think my husband could move that fast. Awesome to watch the school of tarpon from the deck. It was glass flat calm, like looking into an aquarium.

Maho Bay STJ is in the National Park and running underwater lights is not allowed there.
Just the light from the boat will shine on the water and bring the small fish that attract tarpon, no need for more really.