Half day snorkeling half day fishing charter

December 18, 2015 by go rockhoppin Posted in Boat Charter Tagged fishing charter, fishing st. john, Norman Island, Snorkeling, St. John, USVI

If you would like to do some fishing while on St. John without going on a hard core full day fishing charter, this trip might be for you.

We will first head to Norman Island where you can snorkel the Indians, Caves or Aquarium, then you can have lunch at Pirate's or The Club and then we take a route South of St. John on the way back (we can start fishing as soon as we hit USVI waters.
We take a maximum of 6 people on this charter.

Snorkeling and Lunch at Norman Island

We start our trip at 9:00 AM at National Park Dock and head to Tortola West End to check you into BVI customs. From there we can go head to some of the snorkeling spots around Norman Island like Indians, Caves or Aquarium.

The water is super nice and clear and you will see tons of different sea life.

As with all trips, you can use our Easybreath Full Face Masks (or traditional fins and masks) for free.

When you have spent enough time snorkeling we can stop for lunch, you have the choice between 2 restaurants at Norman Island, "Pirate's Bight" and "The Club"

Pirates Bight is the traditional lunch choice at Norman Island, they serve Fish Tacos, Chicken Tenders, Chicken Fajitas, Grilled Mahi Sandwich, Chicken Roti, BBQ Bay Back Ribs, Blacken Tuna, Stuffed Eggplant or a tradtional burger.

The Club is a relatively new restaurant in the temporary structure that housed Pirate's Bight during the remodel, it is slightly more upscale and expensive, they serve Maki Rolls, Paella Tasters, Open Face Sandwiches, Fritters and more.

Fishing on the way back to St. John

the second half will be spend fishing, iwe can fish along St. John's South Shore all the way back. After the trip, Captain Steve will clean the fish for you and you can keep enough fish for a big dinner.

Half Day Snorkeling Half Day Fishing Charter Pricing:

Norman Island (Pirates, Willy T., Snorkeling) and fishing on way back (along St. John South Shore): 900$ incl. captain, fuel and fishing equipment use plus BVI customs
other options are available upon request call/text Captain Steve on 340-626-2859 for more information

Booking a Fishing Charter from St. John, USVI

Email us on rockhoppinusvi(at)gmail.com or use the form below to to make a booking. Select your date in the calendar and pay a 150$ deposit. The rest is due on day of charter (after trip, cash, card or cheque). All prices include captain, fuel, water, ice, fishing rods and bait. Not included: BVI customs/mooring fees and gratuity. Should we have to cancel the trip due to adverse weather (which we don't expect) the deposit will of course be refunded.

If you catch some fish that you would like to take home with you for dinner Captain Steve can clean it for you.

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Visit Pizza Pi, the USVI Pizza boat – Open for new Season

November 14, 2015 by go rockhoppin Posted in Boat Charter Tagged Charter, Day Trip, Pizza Boat, Pizza Pi, Powerboat, Rockhoppin, St. John, St. Thomas, VI

UPDATE: Pizza Pi has just re-opened for the season. They will now be there 7 days a week 11am - 6pm. Rain or shine

Day Trips, Half Day Trips and Sunset Cruises in St. John waters are great because you save the time, money and hassle of checking into BVI customs (they have just increased the fees once more). However, the downside so far has been that there are not really any restaurants or bars with docks in the St. John waters.

Not any more, there is a Pizza Pi, a food boat (a 100% customized 37 ft. G.L. Watson design built in 1996 in Sheffield, England) that has taken the familiar food truck concept to the water where it prepares and serves delicious pizza at Christmas Cove, just off Great St. James Island, a short ride from St. John.

Sasha and Tara Bouis are serving fresh baked pizza served on delicious made-from-scratch slow-fermentation New York style crust. Each pizza is made to order with fresh local ingredients. They offer a gluten-free menu and they have even partnered with a local ice-creamery, Scoops and Brew, to serve the best ice cream in the islands! On top of that they provide Wifi Access.

You can check out their menu here. Stay tuned, we hear they will be announcing an exciting new menu next week. Read the full story of Pizza Pi here.

Pizza Pi USVI Hours of Operation:

7 days a week 11am - 6pm. Rain or shine

So, how about a day trip "Best of St. John" with a stop at Pizza Pi or a sunset cruise, eating delicious pizza while the sun goes down?

Pizza Pi Pizza Boat Photogallery

Check out our Pizza Pi Photogallery here and here.

Book your unforgettable boat trip to Pizza Pi here:

We can visit Pizza Pi on the day trips and half day trips St. John or on the way back from Jost van Dyke.

B-Line Beach Bar – Day Trip St. John – Jost van Dyke

September 27, 2015 by go rockhoppin Posted in Boat Charter Tagged B-Line, Beach Bar, BVI, Day Trip, Jost van Dyke, Little Jost van Dyke, Powerboat, Private Charter, St. John, USVI

A day trip St. John - Jost van Dyke on our 32 FS Regulator Powerboat can be so much more than just Soggy Dollar. We can for example stop at B-Line at Little Jost van Dyke. It is a charming, low-key bar, that has great drinks, friendly staff on a beautiful beach.

B-Line Beach Bar - Little Jost van Dyke

Their signature drink is the "Passion Confusion" is a mix between a painkiller and a rum punch, with lots of rum soaked pineapple, stop by and try one!

They are open from 10am-10pm daily serving ice cold beer and rum drinks. On weekends they serve up the freshest locally caught mahi, tuna, and wahoo. Hot off the grill items include fish tacos, spicy tuna wrap, veggie burgers, kosher beef hot dogs, and their signature dish fish n foil. You can check out their website here.

You won't get bored. You can play cornhole, board games and there also is great snorkeling on the reef that is right around the corner. Oh and don't forget to leave your name on the wooden roof of the bar. Feeling lazy? They also have a soft white sand beach for laying around and doing nothing at all.

From there we can head over to Sandy Spit for your personal perfect postcard shot. After a lot of erosion what is left of Sandy Spit is tiny, so make sure you visit it before it is gone!

From there we can head to the bubbly pools and then our last stop usually is White Bay, Jost van Dyke. Tired of the Burgers at Soggy Dollar Bar? Try out the other places: One Love, Jewel's and Getrude's have really great meals.

Thank you for a great season!

September 6, 2015 by go rockhoppin Posted in Boat Charter Tagged Charter, Day Trips, Powerboat, St. John, USVI

The first storms have passed, it is the end of a great season and time to thank our awesome captains, wonderful customers and fantastic friends for all the good times we had on www.rockhoppin.com. Thanks for booking with us and we hope to see you again in the upcoming 2015/2016 season! We will remain open in September and are hopeful that "Erika" and "Danny" were the only storms for the season but will tow the boat out of water again in case of another warning. Until then, here are some of our favorite memories from the past season.

Pirates Bight, Norman Island, BVI

September 5, 2015 by go rockhoppin Posted in Boat Charter, Paddleboard Tagged BVI, Day Trip, Norman Island, Pirates Bight, St. John, USVI

Pirates Bight sits on the hauntingly beautiful Norman Island, which is said to be the inspiration for Robert Lewis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island.” The restaurant and bar opened in 2002 and has since become a destination of choice for the sailors and visitors who flock year-round to the British Virgin Islands for its renowned sunshine, seas and beaches. The bar and restaurant earned its reputation as a family place of relaxed afternoons, legendary parties into the night, and the famous cannon shot at happy hour each night.

Now, when the yachts, sailboats and other vessels arrive at this historic spot, they will find a transformed destination. Led by Lane Pettigrew, described by Architectural Digest as “the Caribbean’s architect laureate,” a team of designers, construction crews from Meridian Construction and hospitality experts re-imagined and rebuilt the Pirate Bight experience.

A revamped food menu includes a fresh takes on Caribbean classics like fried conch and barbequed ribs, while also extending into freshly caught local fish and locally sourced produce. You can check out their menu Pirates Bight Norman Island Menu.

While much has changed, the spirit of fun and adventure remain at the heart of the experience. Pirates Bight is a great stop on a day trip to the BVIs. You can relax and have lunch there on the way back from the Baths (Virgin Gorda Day Trip) or after snorkeling and before having drinks at Willy T. if you are doing the Norman Island Day Trip.

If you are taking a paddleboard on your day trip, you can also paddle from Willy T. over to Pirates. It takes about 10 minutes, it is mostly upwind but on the way back to Willy T. you will usually have downwind. The beach is flat, sandy and easily accessible. With food or drinks you can use the comfortable beach chairs for free. Aside from the beach, food and drinks there are also restrooms of course and a little souvenir shops with some nice T-Shirts and Cover-Ups for sale.

"The Club" on Norman Island

the temporary structure that hosted Pirate's after the original burned down now is home to a new bar / restaurant called "The Club" which serves great food, check out their menu here.

More information on Pirates Bight, Norman Island:

http://www.piratesbight.com/
http://www.theclubbvi.com/index.htm
https://www.facebook.com/PiratesBightNormanIsland
They are closed for the season now and will open in October for the 2015/2016 season (restaurant and bar is closed, the anchorage remains open). "Prepare for reinventions and exciting innovations"

Day Trip St. John – Cooper Island (BVI)

July 23, 2015 by go rockhoppin Posted in Boat Charter Tagged BVI, Caves, Charter, Cooper Island, Day Trip, Indians, Norman Island, Powerboat, St. John, The Aquarium, USVI, Willy T.

We have quite a few repeat guest and returning St. John visitors who have been to Virgin Gorda and Jost van Dyke and are asking for something new. Cooper Island is a lesser known, small, isolated island and can only be accessed by private boat.

Where is Cooper Island, BVI?

It is on the South Side of Tortola and about half way between Norman Island and Virgin Gorda.

It hosts a small, eco-friendly (75% of their power is solar generated), beautiful resort which has just undergone major renovations. There is great fresh food (it is famous for the chicken roti), awesome cocktails, a beautiful beach and good snorkeling. There are even some tables in the water.

Day Trip St. John - Cooper Island

Here is a quick write up and a few pics and a video from a day trip from St. John to Cooper Island last Tuesday. We met our guests at High Tide at 9:00 AM, filled out the customs forms and checked into the BVI at Tortola Westend. From there we headed straight to Cooper Island.

We arrived there before the rush, beating the bigger boats and went for some snorkeling right off the beach where we saw Barracudas, squid and lots of colorful fish.

We spent some time wandering around the resort, checking out the shop and the coffee bar and then sat down in the comfortable loungers for lunch.

Lunch at Cooper Island Beach Club

We had some excellent Chicken Roti in the beautiful and relaxed setting and then left to snorkel some of the famous but also the lesser known snorkeling spots in the area.

After the snorkeling we went to famous Party Boat Willy T. for some cocktails and of course jumped of the deck. Our jumps were quite stylish compared to the lady after us, who landed flat on her belly.

From there we went along the South Shore of St. John, passing impressive Ram's head and stopped for another snorkel at Tektike, which can only be accessed by boat.

Snorkeling Tektike

The Tektite snorkel is one of the absolute best snorkeling spots on the island of St. John. The name, Tektite, refers to a research project conducted at Beehive Bay a small cove on the southeastern tip of Great Lameshur Bay. The Tektite Project was conducted in 1969 in a cooperative effort by the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Navy, NASA and the General Electric Co. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects on human beings of living and working underwater for prolonged periods of time. More information on the Tektite Project is here.

You will see a very wide variety of fish and amazing coral formations.

We saw some moving sand and after a bit of patience spotted the beautiful ray.

After a great day on the water, we arrived back in Cruz Bay, St. John right in time for a beautiful sunset. Here is what our guests had to say about the trip:

5* "Absolutely fabulous!! Had a fabulous time with Captain Steve!" M.H., April,2015

5* "Great day in the BVIs with Captain Steve and Lucy. They will totally customize your trip to what you would like to see and do for the day. We have chartered from other companies in the past and Rockhoppin Adventures is by far the most professional, well run of any that we have used in St. John", E.H. April 2015

Day Trip St. John Cooper Island Video

Send Booking Enquiry Day Trip St. John - Cooper Island

Ready for a great time on the water? You can fill out the form below or send an email to info(at)rockhoppin.com or rockhoppinusvi@gmail.com. We will get back to you within 24 hours, usually faster. We get tons of emails with weird business proposals through the contact form and it does sometimes happen that a booking enquiry lands in the spam folder (or our response lands in your spam folder). You can also text us on 340-514-5527 to make sure it went through.

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Day Trip to Jost van Dyke – Soggy Dollar Bar Oktoberfest Party

June 9, 2015 by go rockhoppin Posted in Boat Charter Tagged BVI, Charter, Jost van Dyke, Oktoberfest, Party, Powerboat, Soggy Dollar Bar, St. John, USVI

The Day trip to Jost van Dyke - Soggy Dollar Bar is still our most popular trip but there has not been much news lately, and there is no need to because why change something that is awesome 365 days per year?

Easybreath snorkeling mask for your powerboat charter

May 30, 2015 by go rockhoppin Posted in Boat Charter Tagged Easybreath, Easybreath Snorkeling Mask, easybreath-snorkeling-mask-stjohn-usvi, Snorkeling, Snorkeling Mask, St. John, Triboard, USVI

We now have 8 Easybreath Snorkeling masks (they come in S/M and L/XL) on board of our 32 FS Regulator Powerboat, which you are welcome to use for free on your Snorkeling Trip with us. You will look a little bit like an Alien, but these masks are truly amazing.

See and breathe underwater as easily as you would on land

The main obstacle to snorkelling is the difficulty in breathing underwater with a snorkel. Indeed, breathing through your mouth is unnatural, and the snorkel mouthpiece is sometimes considered too intrusive, uncomfortable and unhygienic. That's why Tribord invented the Easybreath, the first full-face snorkelling mask, for breathing underwater as easily and naturally as you would on land with your nose and mouth. Thanks to its large size, this innovative mask also offers users an unobstructed 180° field of vision, and s prevented from fogging up by a double air-flow system that is identical to the system used in domestic extraction fans.

The Easybreath snorkeling masks have a soft rim that goes around the edge of your face, no more uggly pressure marks from wearing the mask. They have soft elastic straps going over the back of your face in an X-shape, no more rubber squashing your ears.

Everything will look so clear and bright you will be amazed. They only downside is once you have snorkeling with this mask, you do not want to go back to a traditional mask anymore.

Easy Breath Snorkeling Mask Rental on St. John

Alien invasion on St. John? No, a parcel from France with the Easybreath Snorkeling masks. We also have one mask that has a GoPro Mount so that you can mount your camera right onto the masks for the most amazing photos or videos.

Easy Breath Snorkeling Masks benefits at a glance

breath through your mouth
180 degrees free of vision
no fogging
no pressure on your face or head from straps
free to use on your day trip or half day snorkeling trip with us

Easybreath Snorkeling Mask Video

More information about the Easybreath Snorkeling Mask

http://www.tribord.co.uk/content/easybreath-snorkeling-mask

Weekly Easybreath Mask Rental on St. John

If you want the Easybreath masks for the whole week, you can rent then with SUP-Stjohn.com

Snorkeling Trip

May 12, 2015 by go rockhoppin Posted in Boat Charter Tagged boat trip, Charter, Powerboat Charter, Snorkeling, Snorkelling Trip, St. John USVI

Why book a Snorkeling Trip with us?

Our comfortable 32 FS Regulator with twin Yamaha 250s can take you to the best snorkeling spots, some of which can only be accessed by boats. You will be on a private charter that means only you, your friends and/or family. Our experienced captains will choose the best route in line with what you want to do and wind, weather and crowds. You will avoid the crowds from the bigger boats, because how much fun is it to snorkel with 30 or 40 others in the water?

We have stepladder which will make it very easy to get in and out of the boat and our captains will give you guidance and help you in and out and watch over your safety. We also have fins and mask on board which you can use for free. Aside from normal masks, we have the new truly magic Easybreath Snorkeling Masks from France, they have a 180degree of vision, don't fog and you can naturally breathe through nose and mouth. More about these masks is here.

You might see Angel Fish, Parrot Fish, Seargent Majors, Yellow Tail Snapper, Puffer Fish, Rays, Squid to name a few and of course Sea Turtles.

Snorkeling Trip Options

Half Day Snorkeling Trip St. John/USVI waters 10.00 - 14:00: 400$ incl. captain and fuel
Full Day Snorkeling Trip St. John/USVI waters (both North and South Side including famous Tektike and Booby Rocks): 600$ incl. captain and fuel
Full Day BVI Snorkeling Trip. Visit the famous BVI Snorkeling Spots like Indians, Caves, Aquarium and then do more snorkeling at St. John South Shore (Tektike and Booby Rock), you can stop for lunch and drinks at Pirates Bight or Willy T. on Norman Island: 800$ incl. captain and fuel (850$ if you want to go to Cooper Island as well)
Half Day Snorkeling and Half Day Fishing/USVI waters: 700$ incl. captain and fuel

Food and Drink

We will provide you with water and ice and will have plenty of space in our cooler should you wish to bring your own food and drink.
For the St. John/USVI trips we can stop at Pizza Pi, the Pizza Boat for food or we can pick up a delicious "Boater's Lunch" from North Shore Deli (Sandwich, Salad and Desert) for 15$ per person. For the BVI trip we can stop at Cooper Island Beach Club, Pirate's Bight or Willy T.

St. John Snorkeling Trip Reviews

"Unbelievable Great Day"

We had an unbelievable great day around St John on Thursday. The snorkeling was the best we have seen!

Reviewed July 2015, by Eric M. who has was on his 5th trip to St. John since 2007 with snorkeling as the main activity during all those trips

“Best Snorkel Charter and SUP Lessons on St. John”
***** Reviewed May 7, 2015

We chartered Rockhoppin' Adventures for an all day snorkel trip around St. John. Our Captain, Steve, discussed the trip, helped to plan the day and assured that every detail was to our liking. Every snorkel spot we visited was different and enjoyable. With Steve's help and guidance we were able to fully appreciate each stop on the trip. The trip was an outstanding value and truly enjoyable.

While on St. John my wife decided to try Stand Up Paddleboard. She started with a lesson from the very skilled and talented Lucy. The lesson was great and she had a wonderful experience for first time SUP.

We would definitely recommend Rockhoppin Adventures for any of activity you're considering on St. John.

Select your date and pay a 150$ deposit. The rest is due on day of charter (after trip, cash, card or cheque). All prices include captain and fuel.

Top 4 beachfront heavens of the BVI

April 30, 2015 by go rockhoppin Posted in Boat Charter Tagged best beach bars, BVI, Charter, Powerboat, Rockhoppin, top 4 beachfront heavens, USVI

Virgin Islands Property and Yacht Magazine has just published in article with the top 4 beachfront heavens. And the winners happen to all be destinations we cater to with our 32 FS Regulator Powerboat. While the first 3 can be easily combined into a day trip, Saba Rock is a bit far out and we are not sure it is worth to go all the way to bitter end just for Saba Rock, if you want to go to Virgin Gorda you will surely want to also see the Baths and some of the other sights.... Read More