--- title: "Hull Bay, St. Thomas: Free Fishing Beach with a Public Ramp · Virgin Islands Villas" url: https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/hull-bay description: "Hull Bay, St. Thomas: 12 minutes by car from Charlotte Amalie, a free fishing-boat beach with a public ramp, surf on a north swell, The Shack Tuesday to Sunday." updated: 2026-10-16 source: https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/hull-bay --- [St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas) · [Beaches](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches) · North side # Hull Bay Hull Bay, St. Thomas, is a fishing-boat beach on the north side, one bay west of Magens Bay and 12 minutes by car from Charlotte Amalie. As of October 2026 it is free, boats launch from a public ramp, and The Shack across the road opens Tuesday to Sunday. Below: the drive, the ramp, The Shack, the water. **Conditions:** Usually calm; a surf beach when a north swell runs. Rock and pebble at the water's edge along much of the bay. Fishing boats moor off the sand and use the ramp, so keep clear of it. The Department of Planning and Natural Resources samples Hull Bay every week for its Friday beach advisory on dpnr.vi.gov and warns against water taking stormwater runoff from the guts after rain. No public body lists a lifeguard as of October 2026: bring someone to swim with. *Hull Bay, St. Thomas: coarse sand, a small boat at the water's edge and forest down to the shore.* ## Hull Bay at a glance | | | | --- | --- | | Entry | Free; no public body posts a fee or hours, as of October 2026 | | Hours | None posted for the beach; The Shack across the road opens Tuesday to Sunday, kitchen 11:30 am to 9 pm (its own site, as of October 2026) | | Parking | Unpaved lot beside the boat ramp, shared with trucks and trailers; potholed after rain, per the Department of Planning and Natural Resources in August 2023 | | Restrooms | None | | Shade | Plenty | | Snorkeling | 4 of 5, Very good | | Crowds | Quiet | | Drive from Charlotte Amalie | about 12 minutes by car | | Lifeguard | No | Verified Oct 9, 2026. ## Conditions today at Hull Bay As of 7:00 AM on Oct 16, 2026, island time. Read each morning from the National Weather Service, DPNR and Open-Meteo; the bay opens northwest, by our read from the map. **Sea state** **Sheltered.** The swell is from the east at 0.9 m, period 5 seconds; Hull Bay opens northwest, so the bay sits in the lee. Open-Meteo wave model at the nearest ocean cell; the bay's opening is our read from the map. **Rip current risk** Low. Surf around 3 feet, east winds around 15 mph. National Weather Service San Juan, surf zone forecast for St Thomas, St John and adjacent islands, issued 3:51 AM. **Water test** **Met the standard**, week of Oct 9, 2026. Met it in 72 of 72 weeks sampled since Aug 2, 2024. [The advisory](https://dpnr.vi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Beach-Advisory-10.9.26.pdf). DPNR samples for Enterococci bacteria and turbidity weekly; a result after heavy rain can change within the week. **Rain** Dry through the day; the chance of rain peaks at 21%. Open-Meteo hourly forecast at the pin. **The day** UV index up to 8; sunset 5:56 pm; sea 30 °C, 85 °F. Open-Meteo. ## Getting there About 12 minutes by car from Charlotte Amalie. How to reach St. Thomas: [Flights to St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/flights), [How to get around St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/getting-around), [St. Thomas airport](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/airport), [St. Thomas cruise port](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/cruise-port), [St. Thomas map](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/map), [St. Thomas weather by month](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/weather), [Things to do in St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/things-to-do). ## Twelve minutes from Charlotte Amalie, seventeen from Magens Bay By car, Hull Bay is 12 minutes from Charlotte Amalie, 5.9 km by road, measured for this page. It is the next bay west of Magens Bay and 2.8 km from it in a straight line, but the road does not follow the shore. It goes back over the ridge, 17 minutes, so the two beaches are separate trips, not a pair. By taxi it is $18 from town for one passenger or $12 a person for two or more, as the Virgin Islands Taxicab Commission's tariff has stood since October 2022; agree a pickup time before the driver leaves. Parking is free and unpaved as of October 2026: a dirt lot beside the ramp, shared with trucks and boat trailers. The Department of Planning and Natural Resources said in August 2023 that stormwater leaves it potholed and scoured, and its plan for proper vehicle and trailer parking was postponed indefinitely, its commissioner told the Senate in June 2024, after the trees it would have cost drew objections. ## Hull Bay beach: fishing boats, a ramp and a bar Hull Bay is a working beach before it is a visiting one. Fishing boats moor off the sand and come and go from the public ramp, which is why a government department, not a park authority, stands behind the beach. The Shack's own line is that it has been serving fishermen, surfers and other people since 1970, and that is the order of the place. The sand is a short strip under maho and sea grape, the trees the Department of Planning and Natural Resources marked to keep when it drew the ramp plans, so there is shade behind the sand. The water's edge is rock and pebble along much of the bay. Beach shoes help, and the rock is where the fish are. The ramp is the department's: just short of 100 feet long and 12 feet wide, ending in 2.5 feet of water. Its August 2023 plans call for a 120-foot replacement ending in 4.5 feet, with the old ramp staying in use while the new one is built. It has not been built. Two bids opened in March 2024 came in at $4 million and $6 million, and the commissioner told a Senate hearing on Jun 3, 2024 that the job was going back out to bid; the Department of Property and Procurement's bid notice for the ramp still reads open as of October 2026, with no award posted. Across the road, The Shack at Hull Bay lists itself as open Tuesday to Sunday, kitchen 11:30 am to 9 pm, as of October 2026, with a happy hour from 3 to 5 pm, bingo on Tuesday, live music on Thursday and Saturday, a family film on Friday, and a note that the schedule can change. The tradeoff: nobody runs the beach. Magens Bay, back over the ridge, has an authority, a posted fee, opening hours and lifeguards as of October 2026. Hull Bay is free and has none of them. No restrooms or showers listed by any authority. No chair or umbrella rental. ## Surfing, snorkeling and swimming at Hull Bay Hull Bay faces north, so a north swell turns it into a surf beach; the rest of the year it is usually calm. No authority publishes a surf season for the bay or rates the break, so ask what the swell is doing before you count on it. St. Thomas Scuba and Snorkel Adventures, at 10-1 Hull Bay, lists surfing and stand-up paddleboarding among its outings as of October 2026, alongside snorkel and scuba trips, and is the place to ask. On a calm day the draw is snorkeling along the rock off the western point, where the Virgin Islands Department of Tourism describes patch reefs, small caves, lobster and rays; the middle of the bay is open water where the boats moor. It scores 4 of 5 here, and it is a swim out along rock, not a wade in over sand, so it suits a confident snorkeler more than a first-timer. Swimmers share the water with boats using the ramp; stay clear of it. The Department of Planning and Natural Resources samples Hull Bay every week for its beach advisory, published on Fridays on dpnr.vi.gov, and warns against swimming where stormwater runs in from the guts after rain. No public body lists a lifeguard for Hull Bay as of October 2026, so bring someone to swim with. ## What the Hideaway at Hull Bay is The Hideaway at Hull Bay is a private estate behind the beach, not a bar. Its own site, read in October 2026, describes 2 beachfront villas and 8 cottages, 18 bedrooms in all, for up to 36 guests, beside a 2-acre farm, and says the property started as a campground and restaurant in the 1970s. It takes weddings and private events as well as stays. The Shack is the restaurant the estate sends its guests to, and The Shack's site calls the Hideaway its sister. Suits a second or third beach day on St. Thomas, a confident snorkeler, an early dinner with the live music The Shack lists for Thursday and Saturday, and anyone who wants to see the side of the island that fishes. For a sandy bottom, a lifeguard and a shower, Magens Bay is the drive back over the ridge. ## Questions people ask about Hull Bay **Where is Hull Bay, St. Thomas?** Hull Bay sits on the north shore of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, one bay west of Magens Bay and 12 minutes by car from Charlotte Amalie. The road reaches it back over the ridge, so from Magens Bay it is 17 minutes by car. The Shack gives its address as 9-1 Estate Hull Bay, Northside, across the road from the sand. **Is there a fee at Hull Bay?** No. As of October 2026 no public body posts a fee or opening hours for Hull Bay, and the unpaved lot by the ramp is free. No authority lists restrooms, showers or a lifeguard either, so bring someone to swim with. Magens Bay, 17 minutes away by car, has all three under the Magens Bay Authority. **Do you need a car to get to Hull Bay?** A car, or a taxi with the ride back arranged. The beach is 12 minutes by car from Charlotte Amalie by our measurement, and parking is the unpaved lot beside the ramp, shared with boat trailers. From the Red Hook ferry it is $23 for one person or $15 each; set the return time before the driver goes. Written by Virgin Islands Villas. Facts verified Oct 9, 2026. Updated Oct 16, 2026. Facts checked against [the Department of Planning and Natural Resources](https://dpnr.vi.gov/press_releases/pre-meeting-information-on-hull-bay-ramp-renovation/), [the Department of Property and Procurement](https://dpp.vi.gov/?p=10767), [The Shack at Hull Bay](https://www.theshackhullbay.com/), [The Hideaway at Hull Bay](https://hideawayhullbay.com/about-the-estate) and [St. Thomas Scuba and Snorkel Adventures](https://www.stthomasadventures.com/). Checked October 2026. ## Nearby beaches - [Magens Bay Northside · 2.8 km away · entry fee](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/magens-bay) - [Brewers Bay Bordeaux · 4.1 km away · free entry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/brewers-bay) - [Honeymoon Beach, Water Island Water Island · 5.9 km away · free entry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/honeymoon-beach-water-island) [Every beach on St. Thomas, compared](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches)