Active Pursuits

Fishing -- The U.S. Virgins have excellent deep-sea fishing -- some 19 world records (eight for blue marlin) have been set in these waters. Outfitters abound at the major marinas like Red Hook. We recommend angling off the Fish Hawk (tel. 340/775-9058), which Captain Al Petrosky sails out of Fish Hawk Marina Lagoon on the east end. His 48-foot diesel-powered craft is fully equipped with rods and reels. For the trip, all equipment, and drinks (but not meals) you'll pay $650 per half-day for up to six passengers. Full-day excursions start at $1,300. Peanut Gallery Fishing Charters, 8168 Crown Bay Marina, Suite 310 (tel. 340/642-7423; www.fishingstthomas.com), offers both light-tackle inshore sports fishing and deep-sea sports fishing. Your captain will be Captain Steve Malpere, who has been fishing in Caribbean waters for more than 30 years, or Captain David Pearsall. The vessels provide inshore fishing year-round for the likes of barracuda, bone fish, king fish, mackerel, and tarpon. The cost for 4 hours is $550; 6 hours, $660; and 8 hours, $880.

You can also line-fish from the rocky shore along Mandahl Beach on the north coast. The tourist office in Charlotte Amalie should have a listing of legal spots for line fishing around the island.

Kayak Tours -- Virgin Islands Ecotours/Mangrove Adventures (tel. 340/779-2155; www.viecotours.com) offers half-day kayak trips through the mangrove lagoon on the southern coastline. The cost is $65 per person. The tour is led by professional naturalists who allow for 30 to 40 minutes of snorkeling.

Golf -- Mahogany Run, on the north shore at Mahogany Run Road (tel. 800/253-7103; www.mahoganyrungolf.com), is an 18-hole, par-70 course. This beautiful course rises and drops like a roller coaster on its journey to the sea; cliffs and crashing sea waves are the ultimate hazards at the 13th and 14th holes. Former President Clinton pronounced this course very challenging. Greens fees are $130 to $150 for 18 holes, reduced to $95 to $110 in the late afternoon. Carts are included. Club rental costs $40.

Tennis -- The best tennis on the island is at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Beach Club, 6500 Estate Smith Bay (tel. 340/777-7100), which has three Laykold courts lit at night and a pro shop. Nonguests pay $8 per hour.

Another good resort for tennis is the Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, Bolongo Bay (tel. 340/775-1800), which has two courts that are lit until 6pm. They're free to members and hotel guests, but cost $10 per hour for nonguests.

Marriott Frenchman's Reef Tennis Courts, Flamboyant Point (tel. 340/776-8500), has two courts. Again, nonguests are charged $10 per hour per court. Lights stay on until 10pm.

Taking to the Seas

On St. Thomas, most of the boat business centers around the marina in Red Hook and Yacht Haven Marina in Charlotte Amalie.

The 50-foot Yacht Nightwind, Sapphire Marina (tel. 340/775-4110; www.stjohndaysail.com), offers full-day sails to St. John and the outer islands. The $120 price includes continental breakfast, a champagne buffet lunch, and an open bar aboard. You're also given free snorkeling equipment and instruction.

New Horizons, 6501 Red Hook Plaza, Suite 16, Red Hook (tel. 800/808-7604 or 340/775-1171; http://newhorizonsvi.com), offers wind-borne excursions amid the cays and reefs of the Virgin Islands. The two-masted, 65-foot sloop has circumnavigated the globe, and has even been used as a design prototype for other boats. Owned and operated by Canadian Tim Krygsveld, it contains a hot-water shower, serves a specialty drink called a "New Horizons Nooner," and carries a complete line of snorkeling equipment for adults and children. A full-day excursion with a continental breakfast, Italian buffet lunch, and an open bar costs $110 per person ($55 for children ages 2-12). Excursions depart daily, weather permitting, from the Sapphire Beach Resort and Marina. Call ahead for reservations.

New Horizons also offers New Horizons II (http://newhorizonscharters.com), a 44-foot custom-made speedboat that takes you on a full-day trip, from 7:30am to 4:30pm and also leaving from the Sapphire Beach Resort, to some of the most scenic highlights of the British Virgin Islands. Trips cost $135 for adults or $95 for children ages 2 to 12. You will need your passport and will have to pay an additional $25-per-person customs fee.

You can avoid the crowds by sailing aboard the Fantasy, 6100 Leeward Way, no. 28 (tel. 340/775-5652; fax 340/775-6256), which departs daily from the American Yacht Harbor at Red Hook at 9:30am and returns at 3pm. The boat takes a maximum of six passengers to St. John and nearby islands for swimming, snorkeling, and beachcombing. Snorkel gear and expert instruction are provided, as is a champagne lunch. The full-day trip costs $125 per person for adults and children. A half-day sail, usually only offered during the low season, lasts 3 hours and costs $80 for adults and children.

American Yacht Harbor Marina, Red Hook (tel. 340/775-6454; www.ayhmarina.biz), offers both bareboat and fully crewed charters. Boats leave from a colorful yacht-filled harbor set against the backdrop of Heritage Gade, a reproduction of a Caribbean village. The harbor is home to numerous boat companies, including day-trippers, fishing boats, and sailing charters like Nauti Nymph Powerboat Rentals (tel. 800/734-7345). There are also five restaurants on the property, serving everything from Continental to Caribbean cuisine. Another reliable charter boat outfitter is Charteryacht League, at Flagship (tel. 800/524-2061 or 340/774-3944; www.vicl.org).

Sailors may want to check out the Yachtsman's Guide to the Virgin Islands, available at major marine outlets, at bookstores, through catalog merchandisers, or direct from Tropic Isle Publishers, P.O. Box 12, Adelphia, NJ 07710 (tel. 877/923-9653; http://yachtsmansguide.com). This annual guide, which costs $16, is supplemented by photographs; landfall sketches and charts showing harbors and harbor entrances, anchorages, channels, and landmarks; and information on preparations necessary for cruising the islands.

Under the Sea (Without Getting Wet)

The air-conditioned Atlantis submarine will take you on a 50-minute voyage (the whole experience is really 2 hr., when you include transportation to and from the sub) to depths of 90 feet, where an amazing world of exotic marine life unfolds. You'll have close-up views of coral reefs and sponge gardens through the sub's 2-foot windows. On some voyages, Atlantis divers swim with the fish and bring them close to the windows for photos.

Passengers take a surface boat from the West Indies Dock, right outside Charlotte Amalie, to the submarine, which is near Buck Island (the St. Thomas version, not the more famous Buck Island near St. Croix). The fare is $89 for adults, $45 for children 12 and under; children under 36 inches are not allowed. The Atlantis dives daily and reservations are suggested, as the sub carries only 48 passengers. For tickets, go to the Havensight shopping mall, building 6, or call tel. 866/546-7820 or 340/776-5650. You can also reserve tickets online at www.atlantisadventures.com.