Caneel Bay / North Shore St. John Beaches beach forecast: weather, water & waves

Sargassum season at Caneel Bay / North Shore St. John Beaches

Sargassum is rare at Caneel Bay / North Shore St. John Beaches: Veabird estimates moderate or heavier seaweed on the beach in fewer than one week in ten in every month.

Estimated share of weeks in each month with moderate or heavier seaweed on the beach. Veabird takes the landing season seen on Quintana Roo's beaches (a Puerto Morelos beach camera, 2015–2020, and the Mexican Navy's beach alerts, 2022–2026), the nearest coast with a multi-year beach record (this one has none), and scales it by how often NOAA AOML satellites see notable seaweed within about 20 km of this stretch of coast: 6% of weeks here on average, against 54% off Quintana Roo, so 10% of that season. The satellite share (2016–2024, the top fifth of all coast-weeks, adjusted for this beach's exposure of 20%) measures seaweed offshore, not on the sand: off the Riviera Maya it reads high even in winter, when little lands. Very low under 10%, Low 10–24%, Moderate 25–44%, High 45–69%, Very high 70%+. Beach faces 300°; onshore winds from that direction push seaweed ashore. Satellite sargassum data: USF Optical Oceanography Lab (Sargassum Watch System) via NOAA AOML. The satellite record as open data.

The US Virgin Islands month by month

Typical weather, water temperature, seaweed and crowds for every month: the best time to visit the US Virgin Islands.

• The US Virgin Islands in January
• The US Virgin Islands in February
• The US Virgin Islands in March
• The US Virgin Islands in April
• The US Virgin Islands in May
• The US Virgin Islands in June
• The US Virgin Islands in July
• The US Virgin Islands in August
• The US Virgin Islands in September
• The US Virgin Islands in October
• The US Virgin Islands in November
• The US Virgin Islands in December

Weather, water & seaweed by month at Caneel Bay / North Shore St. John Beaches

Average highs run from about 79°F in January, February, March and April to 84°F in August, September and October. The sea is warmest in September and October (about 86°F) and coolest in February and March (about 80°F). March is usually the driest, with about 10 rainy days; October is the wettest, with about 17 rainy days.

Monthly averages from 6 years of ERA5 reanalysis (Open-Meteo) for this area's 0.5° grid cell; rainy days have at least 1 mm (0.04 in). Sargassum is the typical-year estimate described above. Any given year can differ.

Cleanup & barriers

Offshore barriers

No offshore barriers; occasional booms at a few resorts

Public cleanup

Territorial DPNR / hotel crews rake affected beaches; east-end St. Croix and St. Thomas bays hit hardest

Resort crews

Large resorts clear frontage daily in season

Typical clearing time

Same-day at resorts; public beaches can lag days

Safety notes

US territory - no State Dept advisory (verify local guidance)

• Petty theft and car break-ins; avoid isolated areas at night in Charlotte Amalie and Christiansted
• Drive on the left; steep, narrow roads
• 2017 Irma/Maria showed high hurricane exposure Aug-Oct

Check official advisories and local flags before swimming. Decomposing sargassum releases hydrogen sulfide; avoid heavy piles.

Things to do near Cruz Bay, St. John, VI

• Trunk Bay underwater trail (St. John)
• Virgin Islands National Park hikes
• Magens Bay
• Buck Island Reef National Monument
• Christiansted historic district
• Day sail to the BVI

Fly in for the best beach days

Suggested dates are a week in December. Change them to match the live forecast above.

Opens a flight search in a new tab. Partner link: Veabird may earn a commission.

Nearest airports

• Cyril E. King (St. Thomas) (STT), ~19 km

Nearby resorts

• Grande Bay Resort Great Cruz Bay, St. John, VI · 2 km
• Gallows Point Resort Great Cruz Bay, St. John, VI · 2 km
• Mango Mojo Villa Great Cruz Bay, St. John, VI · 2 km
• The Westin St. John Resort Great Cruz Bay, St. John, VI · 2 km
• Elysian Beach Resort Great Bay, St. Thomas, VI · 6 km
• The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas Great Bay, St. Thomas, VI · 7 km