Cruz Bay → White Bay (Soggy Dollar), Jost Van Dyke
2 bids$1,800$1,900
Get bids on a trip like this →US & British Virgin Islands · day charters
Plan your day on the water, see what it costs
Pick the stops you want. The price comes from real bids local captains have sent on CharterBid. Then post the trip and they bid on yours.
Leaving from
Stops
Guests
6
Length
$1,650–2,000
for the boat · about $455 a person with BVI fees and the tip
See the breakdown
- Private charterboat, captain, fuel, snorkel gear
- $1,650–2,000
- BVI entry fees$75–$90 × 6 (varies by day)
- $450–540
- Crew tip15–20%, customary
- $285–380
- Likely total
- ≈ $2,750
The charter range is the middle of real bids on full-day trips. Food and drinks are extra.
A BVI stop means every guest needs a passport. The captain clears customs for you.
Get bids for this trip →Free to post, no obligation. The first bid usually arrives within about 1 hour.
Best day this week for Jost Van Dyke →About 1 houruntil the first bid on a typical trip
2–3 captainsusually bid on each trip, so you compare
Free to postno obligation, no booking fee to look
Recent trips and what captains bid
Real Virgin Islands trips posted on CharterBid, with every bid local captains sent. Names and contact details stay private.
Virgin Gorda → Norman/Willy T - Jost Van Dyke
3 bids$1,700$1,700$1,700
Get bids on a trip like this →St. John → Jost Van Dyke - Sandy Spit - Cooper Island
3 bids$1,350$1,650$1,900
Get bids on a trip like this →Spanish Town → Red Hook
3 bids$1,400$1,400$1,600
Get bids on a trip like this →Smuggler's Cove → Spanish Town
4 bids$1,300$1,600$1,600$1,800
Get bids on a trip like this →Red Hook → Tortola
2 bids$900$950
Get bids on a trip like this →Spanish Town (Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour) → North Sound (Bitter End, Saba Rock), Virgin Gorda; Cane Garden Bay, Tortola; Sandy Spit, Jost Van Dyke; Jost Van Dyke (White Bay, Great Harbour)
3 bids$1,600$1,650$1,700
Get bids on a trip like this →Red Hook → Jost Van Dyke (White Bay, Great Harbour); The Baths, Virgin Gorda
1 bid$3,400
Get bids on a trip like this →Cruz Bay → The Baths and Jost Van Dyke
4 bids$2,500$2,500$2,600$2,600
Get bids on a trip like this →New · updated every hour
Which day this week is best for The Baths, Jost Van Dyke or Norman Island?
Our call for each stop, day by day, from the sea forecast and the cruise ship schedule.
Staying aboard?
Plan a week on a yacht: crewed with a captain and chef, or bareboat
Pick your anchorages night by night and get matched with boats for your dates.
Popular stops in the USVI & BVI
The places people ask captains for most. Tap one to see how to get there and what a trip costs, or to start a trip there. Every stop in the BVI needs a passport for each guest.
British Virgin Islands
Jost Van Dyke
Legendary beach bars, calm anchorages at Great Harbour and White Bay, and an easy run from St. Thomas or St. John.
Start a trip here →
White Bay, Jost Van Dyke · BVI
Soggy Dollar
The swim-up beach bar where the Painkiller was invented. A must-stop on any BVI island-hopping charter.
See the stop →
Virgin Gorda · BVI
The Baths
Giant granite boulders forming sea caves and grottos, one of the most photographed spots in the Caribbean.
See the stop →Coral Bay, St. John · USVI
Lime Out
The floating taco bar in Coral Bay. Swim up for a margarita, then carry on to Salt Pond or Hurricane Hole.
See the stop →St. Thomas · USVI
Mermaid's Chair
A sandbar on the west end of St. Thomas where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean, reached only by boat.
Start a trip here →
Tortola · BVI
Cane Garden Bay
A sweeping crescent of white sand on Tortola's north shore, with beach bars and live music.
See the stop →
North Sound, Virgin Gorda · BVI
Bitter End & Saba Rock
The sailing landmark of North Sound: a protected anchorage, restaurants, and the gateway to Anegada.
See the stop →
Norman Island · BVI
The Caves & the Willy T
Snorkel the caves at Treasure Point, then the Willy T, the floating bar in the Bight.
See the stop →
Cooper Island · BVI
Cooper Island
Manchioneel Bay, a low-key beach club and rum bar, and some of the best snorkeling in the BVI at Cistern Point.
See the stop →Great St. James · USVI
Christmas Cove / Pizza Pi
A protected anchorage off Great St. James with Pizza Pi, the wood-fired pizza boat you order from by VHF.
See the stop →Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Jost Van Dyke, Mattes, CC BY 2.0 de · Soggy Dollar, User:Mattes, CC BY 2.0 de · The Baths, P. Hughes, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cane Garden Bay, Balou46, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bitter End & Saba Rock, kansasphoto, CC BY 2.0 · The Caves & the Willy T, Matt & Nayoung, CC BY 2.0 · Cooper Island, giggel, CC BY 3.0.
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What captains bid, by group size
The middle of real bids on Virgin Islands day charters. Group size moves the price less than you'd think: you pay for the boat, not the seat, so the per-person cost falls as the group grows.
1–6 guests
Center console or small powerboat
Full day$1,600–2,000
Half day$1,000–1,500
7–12 guests
Power catamaran
Full day$1,600–2,000
Half day$1,350–1,900
13+ guests
Large catamaran or motor yacht
Full dayAsk for bids
Half day$1,900–2,200
20+ guests
Crewed yacht or large catamaran
Full dayCustom quote
Half dayCustom quote
What captains bid, by trip length
Half day (about 4 hours)
$1,000–1,500
One or two nearby stops: a snorkel, a beach, a bar. Christmas Cove, St. John's north shore or Lime Out.
Full day (about 8 hours)
$1,600–2,000
The classic island-hop and the most requested trip: Jost Van Dyke, Norman Island, The Baths, with time to relax.
Sunset cruise (about 2 hours)
Ask for bids
A short evening run with drinks, popular for couples, birthdays and anniversaries. Fewer trips, so post yours to see prices.
What's included, and what moves the price
Knowing what a bid covers is the difference between a fair price and a surprise at the dock.
Usually included
The boat and a licensed local captain
Fuel for a standard day within the islands
Basic snorkel gear and safety equipment
Ice, cooler, and often water and soft drinks
Often extra
BVI customs, immigration and national-park fees
Food, alcohol and restaurant stops
Captain and crew gratuity (15–20% is customary)
Fuel surcharge on long open-water crossings
Heading into the BVI? Budget a little extra.
A BVI day needs a valid passport for every guest and adds BVI entry fees of $75–$90 a person, depending on the day (VIslandGuide's customs guide, passports). USVI-only days skip both.
When to book for the best price
Best value
Shoulder season and late summer / early fall
Midweek trips (Tuesday to Thursday)
Filling the boat: price is per charter, not per person
Premium pricing
High season (roughly December to April)
Holidays, spring break and weekends
Last minute: the best boats book out early
USVI & BVI charter questions
The questions we hear most about a private day charter in the Virgin Islands.
How much does a boat charter cost in the USVI & BVI?
Most private full-day charters in the Virgin Islands are bid at about $1,600–2,000, and half days at about $1,000–1,500. Those are the middle of hundreds of real bids local captains have sent on CharterBid. Group size barely changes it, because you pay for the boat, not the seat. Large catamarans and crewed yachts for big groups cost more.
What's included in the price?
Each captain's bid lists what it includes (fuel, snorkel gear, drinks, lunch and so on), so you can compare like for like. BVI customs and park fees are paid on top, and a 15–20% gratuity is customary and not included.
How much are BVI customs and entry fees?
BVI entry fees on a private day charter from the USVI are $75–$90 a person, depending on the day, children included, on top of the charter price (VIslandGuide's BVI customs guide has the breakdown). Every guest needs a valid passport on any trip that crosses into the British Virgin Islands.
Do I pay for the captain's fuel?
Most full-day bids on CharterBid include fuel, and every bid says whether it does. Long open-water runs, for example out to Anegada, may add a fuel surcharge, so check the bid or ask the captain.
When is it cheapest to charter?
On CharterBid, bids for August to October trips have come in a little lower than the rest of the year, and weekend trips haven't been bid higher than weekdays. The price index at boatcharterbid.com/usvi-bvi/prices shows the latest by month. Book early for December to April, when the best boats fill up.
How do I get an exact price for my trip?
Post your trip on CharterBid. It's free and takes a minute. Local captains send real bids for your date, group and route, usually starting within about 1 hour, and you compare them side by side with no obligation.
Want the exact price for your trip?
The numbers here are the middle of real bids. Post your trip on CharterBid, free and with no obligation, and local captains bid on your date, group and route.
Boat charters in the US & British Virgin Islands: a quick guide
The Virgin Islands are one of the easiest places in the Caribbean to charter a boat for the day. Dozens of islands and cays sit within a few miles of each other, so a single day on the water can cover snorkeling reefs, white-sand beaches, and the famous beach bars of the British Virgin Islands, all from a departure in St. Thomas or St. John.
USVI vs. BVI day charters
USVI-only days need no passport and no customs stop; BVI days add both (fees, passports on VIslandGuide).
Choosing a boat
Center consoles are the workhorses for groups of six or fewer and the fastest way to cover ground. Power catamarans give bigger groups shade, a head, and a stable platform for swimming. For twenty or more guests, a crewed motor yacht or sailing catamaran is the usual fit; expect a custom quote.
How CharterBid pricing works
CharterBid is a reverse marketplace: you post your date, group size, and where you'd like to go, and local captains bid on the trip. The prices on this page come from hundreds of those real bids, so they reflect what charters in the Virgin Islands actually go for, not a list price. Posting a trip is free with no obligation to book. Every route side by side is on the price index.
The rest of your trip
Islands, ferries, taxis, beaches and weather are on our sister site VIslandGuide; a week aboard a yacht is its charter planner.