Our Latest Reviews
Beyond expectations. We had a great experience with the 3 hour tour. Captain Kirk made sure we saw lots of amazing things and had great stories. We were originally booked on a different day but got rained out. We were so appreciative of Shades of Blue’s efforts to find another time so that we could still get this activity in. We had adults and teenagers in our group and everyone thought this was one of the best things we did on our trip.
Best day of vacation, hands down! My family and I (grandparents down to young kids) had an amazing day on our charter. Captain Aaron took us to a few snorkeling spots where we got to see fish, seas turtles, and even a shipwreck. He was super knowledgeable about the area and made sure we had the best time. We stopped at Pizza Pi for lunch and had a blast! The communication before our trip was great, and we found the marina easily. Thank you Captain Aaron for our families “best day of vacation” and we hope to see you again!
Mike and Captain Kirk of Blue Shades charter in St. Thomas was for sure the highlight of our cruise on the ncl encore. By far the best excursion we took all cruise and it worked Perfectly into the ships schedule thanks to mike and his awesome connections with Prince the taxi driver who took us to the boat. Mike got back to us in minutes and kept us up to date on weather, sea conditions etc. Captain Kirk was very personable with great sea stories and his experience as a captain was easily seen. He got us to some calm seas for snorkeling for our two 7 year old boys who never been snorkeling before. We saw tropical fish and some cool coral. The second spot was Maho Bay which had some had some huge sea turtles that swam right next to us!! Captain Kirk gave us a great tour and history of all the surrounding islands. We were sad when it ended. Thank you blue shades charters!
Highly recommend Shades of Blue Charters. Had a full-day boat ride & snorkeling tour around St. Thomas in March. Experienced timely, clear communication to help set up expectations and ensure a good guest experience. Our captain, Aaron, was friendly and funny, knowledgeable and skilled. He was very attuned to our interests without being overly involved in our small group's day. This was my first trip to the island, but when I travel back I'll be sure to book again.
My wife and I had a great time with Capt. Kirk on the 3 hour snorkel trip to St. John. He is an excellent boat handler. We had very strong winds with 2-3 footers in Pillsbury Sound and the waters around St. John and the St. James islands. He handled the wind and the waves with ease. The reef snorkel was good, but the best was swimming with the sea turtles. I was able to hang out and watch 4 of them casually swimming around me. Capt. Kirk is a wealth of info about the Virgin Isles and pointed out many points of interest. Highly recommend Shades of Blue!!.
Great day on the water with Captain Aaron. We have been snorkeling St. John for many years, but he was able to find new spots for us to visit. All three spots were beautiful!! This was our second trip with Shades of Blue in two weeks, and both trips were winners. We will definitely do this again next year!!
Best Day on the Water with Teens Not sure where to start but I know we didn’t want our trip to end! Amazing time on the water with Captain Aaron. Completely worth doing a private charter even for our small group - two teens and mom! Teens queued up their own music - important. Aaron knew just where to take us for the best snorkeling at our own pace, pulled up to a pizza boat before our last snorkeling adventure at Christmas Cove, and couldn’t stop smiling. Thank you for the memories. We will be back and maybe for a full day!
Blue shades charters for the Win! Highlight of our cruise on encore! Had the boat to ourselves. 4 adults and two 7 year old boys. Went to two terrific snorkeling spots and Captain Kirk and Mike did not disappoint.
Saw huge sea turtles, coral, a goat chillin on rocks and tour of all the islands.
Saw huge sea turtles, coral, a goat chillin on rocks and tour of all the islands.
Such a fun day!! The captain/crew were so nice, and the boat was beautiful, clean and comfortable with good sun coverage! The 3 stops were nice - our day of travel the waters were a little bit turned up so we visited alternative stops south side of St. John. We had a blast just enjoying ourselves out on the water on an otherwise beautiful day. They did a great job of accommodating the two kiddos 2&4 y/o that we had on board. The kids really like the last stop on the little island with all the hermit crabs. And booking was super easy, and so responsive to our questions. Would 100% recommend Shades of Blue Charters!!
We chartered with Shades of Blue. We had Captain Kirk and I can tell you that this was one of the best days we had on the water. His knowledge of the island was incredible. We swam with turtles, got up close with a hump back whale and had a great lunch at lovango Bay. I would highly recommend shades of blue. Our charter was one for the record.
Day on the water with the kids and grandkids…..priceless! Captain G. was awesome with the kids, aged 5 - 10, and there are 4 of them! Christmas Cove snorkeling the sunken wreck, lunch at the pizza boat, Pizza Pi. Cruised the coastline all the way to the airport. Watched a jet land…..kids loved that. They even drove the boat! A day they’ll remember for the rest of their lives! I can’t recommend this charter company enough, the owner Mike, his 3 captains (G., Aaron and Kirk) and the perfect sized catamaran for a group up to 10 people! This is our 4th or 5th time out on the Island Girl with another one coming up next week!
Went out with Shades of Blue Charters today for a full day tour of St. John’s and a lunch stop on St. Thomas. We were picked up in Cruz Bay on a beautiful power catamaran with twin 300hp Suzuki 4 stroke motors. The engines were super quiet and smooth. The boat had a Bimini cover for the entire boat to keep us shaded from the sun. Captain Aaron was delightful and accommodating. He first took us on a sight seeing tour of some of the most beautiful coves on the north side of the island. Then we went snorkeling at a few of his favorite spots that are difficult to access by land. He gave us numerous lunch options, but we ultimately decided on Sapphire Beach on St. Thomas since we had not been over there. The food was great and there were multiple options including gourmet pizza and tacos overlooking a gorgeous beach with probably the nicest view of the islands to be found. Booking the boat was also quite easy and they were very responsive answering the phone. This was our family’s favorite day in St. John getting to see the islands by private boat. Thanks so much again for the experience and look forward to seeing you guys again on our next visit. Cheers!
Captain Aaron took us out on a fantastic thanksgiving adventure. The boat was fabulous. The rum punch was top notch. I know he didn’t make the weather but the weather was perfect! We went to St. John and explored some of the beaches and crystal blue waters. If your gonna take a tour the St. John waters is the best I have seen in my life. Aaron was east to talk with. Easy to deal with. Super chill.
Absolutely loved my time spent with Blue Charters. Our Captain was great and extremely accommodating. Took us to see all kinds of fun places and snorkel areas you couldn't get to by driving. The Painkillers did their job, and we all had a blast. We would book with them again without question.
This trip was amazing. My husband and I heard about shades of blue after meeting one of the crew members while at a restaurant. We decided to splurge for it and it was completely worth it. Kirk was amazing so knowledgeable and a great guy all around. He made us feel at home on the boat and took us for some great snorkeling and to a great spot for lunch. We tried snorkeling the day before on our own and it did not compare to this experience at all. Hands down best day of our honeymoon so far!
This was our second trip with Shades of Blue. Mike has a fantastic team assembled to make a perfect day for clients on the water. Our first trip was with Captain 'G' and our second was with Captain Kirk. Both trips were excellent! The crew is extremely accomodating and you can easily create your own design for the day. There is an extended sun canopy for plenty of shade and sun protection on board and a great variety of music play lists. Shades of Blue is very fuel efficient and has a smooth ride even in choppy water due to its double hull design and yet there is plenty of power to move from place to place quickly. The boats low draft allows the crew to easily nose you in to the beach for a walk or swim. I can't recommend Shades of Blue high enough. We can't wait to return for our next adventure!
What an amazing experience! The captain and staff were so much fun and extremely knowledgable. It was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday. The beaches of St. John are mind blowing and the staff makes awesome Painkillers! If I ever find myself in St. Thomas again, I'll definitely reach out to Shades of Blue for a day at sea.
Fabulous Time! We loved everything about our day on the water with Shades of Blue! Captain G was the best! I highly recommend this charter service to anyone vacationing on the USVI. A custom trip versus a cattle boat. You can bring snacks, beverages and music. A unique way to see the beautiful islands of USVI.
Once again Captain Arron provided us with a great time on the water. First Mate Amy was great as well. The boat was perfect even with 9 guests aboard. It was very roomy with plenty of seating and compartments for everything. It was also very clean. The boat design makes it very stable and it cuts through the waves cleanly. The highlight of the day was the dolphin activity in Maho Bay... amazing! Thanks for a great day on the water!
We had a fantastic day with Captain Kirk! He is very knowledgeable about the USVI and all things boating so he had great stories and history to share with us. We went to some excellent snorkeling spots and saw lots of wildlife. The boat was in great shape and recently updated. I highly recommend a day charter with Shades of Blue! It was a highlight of our trip!
An exceptional experience led to an exceptional day! From the first call with Mike, the owner, helping with any and all questions, even before booking, to an amazing day on the water with our Captain Kirk, it was great! We had an extraordinary time snorkeling around St. Thomas and St. John’s! Captain Kirk was full of knowledge, experiences and took us to many fantastic places! We highly recommend Shades of Blue and will definitely be back! Thank you Mike and Captain Kirk for an amazing experience!
Amazing Day on the Water We had our daughter, son in law and a bunch of friends down and did our second charter with Shades in early March 2022. It was another amazing day on the water! It was Captain Aaron’s first day taking the boat on his own and with the help of first mate Nick, did an awesome job. We put them to the test with a full day of travel! First to Lime Out then all the way to Water Island then back over to Lovango with some other stops along the way. The boat gives a smooth ride even when crossing Pillsbury Sound and the twin 300’s provide more than enough power. What more can I say! All our guests had a day they’ll never forget.
Best day of our vacation! What a great day! Our captains, Arron and Gerren were both welcoming and fun. They went above and beyond to make sure we had the best day of our vacation. A call the night before gave them an idea of the kind of day we were looking for. They put together an itinerary for us that made it the perfect day.They brought us to unbelievable snorkeling spots they knew to be less crowded than the well known spots. They even brought us to a ship wreck to explore which was amazing. For lunch, we took a ride to Pizza Pi which I would highly recommend. My 11 year old daughter said it was the best pizza she’s ever had. I wouldn’t go that far but it was a really good pie. After lunch they brought us to a beach to hang out and were the only ones there! We also swung by happy island and did some exploring where we found an unbelievable amount of hermit crabs and really cool shells. If you’re looking to do charter a boat for the day, I strongly recommend Shades of Blue. The boat is comfortable with plenty of space. The double hull design makes for a smooth ride even in rough seas. The crew couldn’t have been better. Once you step on board, you feel like your hanging out with longtime friends for the day. The crew was very capable and safety conscious. Being locals, they had plenty of interesting information to offer throughout the day. We learned a lot! All in all, it was a great day to spend the day as a family in one of the most beautiful places on earth. We will definitely be back next year!! Thank you, Arron and Gerren!
Our group of 3 adult couples took a full day trip with Shades of Blue going all the way around St. John on 1/12/2022 and it was fantastic! Our captain Gerren was very entertaining with facts and history about St. John and surrounding islands and took us to some of the best snorkeling and swimming beaches we've ever seen. We swam with dozens of huge sea turtles, starfish, stingrays, and saw beautiful coral and fish as we hopped from beach to beach and cove to cove. We even had time for a quick spin around the St James islands and a mega yacht that was anchored near Cruz Bay. Scheduling the trip was a breeze. The pickup and drop off was simple (right off the Cruz Bay beach) and even the snorkeling equipment exceeded our expectations. We absolutely recommend Shades of Blue Charters!
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