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Why Hansen is the BEST bay in St. John, USVI

sailawayblog
Oct 7, 2016
3 min read

Hansen Bay, in our opinion, is one of the absolute best and totally underrated beaches on the island of St. John in the US Virgin Islands. Located on the east end of the 7 mile wide island, this quiet, peaceful bay gets the most action from locals, but has gained popularity recently. And we can see why.

Here's a few reasons why we fell in love with Hansen Bay, and why we think it is the BEST anchorage on St. John.

Good Anchoring (For Free :) )

The bay offers good protection, a soft sand bottom along the shore, and we were one of three boats anchored overnight, so there was lots of space to swing. We anchored here on three separate ocassions, following the tips on ActiveCaptain. The only issue was once we anchored too close to Pelican Rock, and got our anchor rode caught in a coral head. Otherwise, this anchorage is super calm, quiet, and safe, even in a blow. The best part is this area is totally free of charge, which is unheard of on St. John, where park moorings are a whopping $26 per night.

Thalia's Honor Bar

Yep, that's right, an honor bar is nestled into the shady trees on shore in Hansen Bay. The owner of the land, Thalia, and her sisters, open their gates to locals and tourists, provide picnic tables, benches, bathrooms, and wastebins, but don't have a liquor license. Therefore, folks are allowed mix you own drink from the spread on the picnic tables, and leave an appropriate "donation" for what you drank. Plus, on Sundays, she does an absolutely delish shrimp boil for lunch! If you come by car, I believe they charge $5 to park, but well worth it!

Angel's Rest Floating Bar

If you get sick of the honor bar on the beach, you can jump in the dinghy, or slip on your flippers and swim on out to the floating bar, Angel's Rest, that anchors off of Hansen Bay on weekends. The owner, Peter, is an awesome wealth of information for cruisers and sailors, and is funny to boot. He let us know how to get water in town, where to get parts, how to grab a mooring in Coral Bay for supplies, and how to get mail. Plus, he makes an outta-this-world painkiller!

Vital Free Dive Shop

This beach shack dive shop, Vital Free Diving, can't get any more island-esque, and we loved it. Rob is the owner and instructor, and is a talented free diver and spear fisherman. He offers beginner and advanced freediving techniques including yoga breathing, and practices ocur all over Hansen Bay. He also sells really high quality dive gear at great prices.

Fishing & Lobstering Are Permitted

Because Hansen Bay sits just outside the Virgin Islands National Park, fishing and lobster diving are permitted here, which can't be said for almost all of the rest of the island of St. John. We saw a few lobsters along Pelican Rock, but too small to keep. If you want to increase your "luck," book a spearfishing or freediving session with Rob at Vital Freediving.

Kid & Dog Friendly

The place was crawling with local families and friendly pups. Most beaches on the island are part of the Virgin Islands National Park, which means canine crew are not permitted on shore, so we were thrilled to be able to bring our Ruca pup with us. Also Hansen is the perfect beach for families searching for playmates. Quinn's family, who lives on the island, joined us for a couple weekends of good fun and splashing with her two small nephews, Jayden and Quintin and their buddies.