Norman Island, British Virgin Islands

Norman Island British Virgin Islands

Norman Island, British Virgin Islands, has charter yachts visit every single week—a popular spot either at the beginning of the charter week or near the end of the vacation.

Norman Island is the source of the legend Robert Louis Stevenson writes about in his book Treasure Island. We have this map of Norman Island hanging on our walls.

Inside the cover of his book is a map of Norman Island. The caves are the source of the tale. Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, a local fisherman named Henry O. Creque took his dory into one of the caves to shelter it from the many sudden downpours that typify the tropics.

Once in the cave, he was greeted by a mesmerizing sight-shiny fish in the water, moving back and forth in the swell. But upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn’t fish at all but, in fact, gold coins. A chest on a rear shelf had broken open, spilling gold into the water. It was a discovery that could only be described as serendipitous.

The man then used part of the gold to purchase the entire island from the government. His family, the Creques, became the custodians of Norman Island, a responsibility they upheld for generations until only a few years ago. Norman Island is now owned by the Jarecki family, who also own Guana Island.

The initial intention was to build a mega-yacht marina and exclusive homes.

Then, the financial crash of 2008 arrived, so plans for Norman Island have been on hold for almost two decades.

Why BVI Charter Yacht Guests love Norman Island BVI

Enjoy a “blowout Bash” at the floating bar Willy T’s or a deluxe dinner at Pirates Restaurant in the Bight.

There are 2 bars/restaurants on Norman Island, both in the Bight. Pirates restaurant is in the southeast corner and has a dock for dingy’s. It is a great family spot to enjoy the water and a cold drink. At 5 o’clock, they let off a cannon shot to signal happy hour. In the corner of the bay, just next to the jetty, you can see an underwater rock wall, a dock hundreds of years ago. This dock is an indication of how much our sea levels have risen!

The other bar on Norman is the infamous Willy Ts. Willy Ts is the black pirate-looking ship in the southwest corner of the Bight.

It’s one of those “you never know what’s going to happen next” places. Sunday afternoon is a hot time to visit, as is most nights.

They have a large following, with many people who will come here and jump off the top deck naked. A water ski that holds four shots is also another attraction, as is body shots on the bar from topless women.

There is always a party going on here at night, and if there isn’t one, wait thirty minutes, and there will be! Willy T has a tender dock attached to it. “Willy T” came from a famous BV Islander named William Thornton. He was one of 4 people who won a competition to design the United States Capitol Building.

Did you know?

The Bight was the first careenage anchorage. Pirate ships and others would unload everything off ships, turn them on their side, and haul them up the beach by Pirates. After being cleaned and copper sheathed, the entire process was repeated for the other side if lucky.

The careening process would take months of hard labor. At least they had the warm water to jump in afterward. Norman Island was a fantastic spot for pirates. The long-mentioned rumor of Blackbeard’s Gold being buried on the island has brought treasure hunters for centuries to digging holes.

One of the highest points on the island is SPYGLASS Hill. This was a great spot to keep a lookout for ships coming from several directions, and then the pirate ships could sail out of the Bight to intercept them. The anchorage at Pirates is one of the places where cannons constantly show up on the beach where the careenage is.

The Caves

The Caves are probably the most visited spot in the British Virgin Islands. Many day boats from Road Town and the US Virgin Islands bring hoards of cruise ship passengers to Norman Island for a quick snorkel.

Right in front of the caves are about a dozen National Parks moorings. I want you to know that many of these moorings are very close together, so be careful with other boats around you here if you are bareboating.

The boats at the Bight end of the moorings tend to sit to the prevailing wind direction. The balls at the entrance end are so close that they allow even small boats to bump together! The boats at the other end tend to get sucked back towards the shore by the turbulent wind coming off the island. The balls at this end are much further apart. If the balls are full, you can pick up a mooring in Privateer Bay or the Bight and dingy to the Caves.

The dinghy moorings are the blue balls, and snorkeling here is lovely. Tons of fish are very used to snorkelers and their food.

You will find several caves, none deeper than about 15′ and going back about 40′ at the most. They are easy to snorkel.

Playing with the Fish, Norman Island, British Virgin Islands!

Take a slice of bread or some cereal with you. Fish will come up to within inches away from your face mask, looking for treats. A note on fish feeding, some are against it, some are not, I have always been amazed that many that are against it when asked, would have no qualms whatsoever about putting a bird feeder on their porch! What is the difference?

There will be swarms of striped fish called Sergeant Majors, larger silverfish with a dark black/blue stripe along their back; these are Bar Jack.

Then there are the Yellow-tailed Snappers, which are silver with yellow fins and patches. Another fish you may see is the blue tang, better known as the “dory” fish from Finding Nemo.

Types of Fish at the Caves, Norman Island, British Virgin Islands

Sometimes, these fish travel in large schools from boat to boat, feeding on the weed coating on the bottom of the ships. When snorkeling, you may see more Sergeant Majors on the bottom and rock walls, which are much darker in color.
You may see purple patches on the rocks very close to where they are; these patches are fish eggs. The fish are the males that stay on watch the whole time until the eggs hatch. As fish approach their eggs, the Sergeant Majors dart out to shoo them away.
While doing this, other fish often dart in to gobble up some eggs. Many snorkel fins are blue and black. The Sergeant Major’s will often dart out to shoo off these colored fins. The darker the color of the fish, the longer they have been protecting eggs.

Inside the caves, you will see small fish called glassy-eyed sweepers. The walls of the Caves also hide the bright orange cup corals that live in dark spots.

If you want to quickly fill up your fish identification card, go snorkeling at the Caves.

Don’t forget to look for treasure while in the caves!

There is Excellent fishing anchored off Privateer Bay at night. There is such a large opening out into the ocean that the big fish come in and have an easy escape if needed.

Privateer Bay, Norman Island, Angelfish Reef

Privateer Bay is the name of the large anchorage at the Caves. There is excellent snorkeling down this large anchorage.

On the opposite end of the anchorage is Angelfish Reef. Angelfish Reef is one of my favorite SCUBA Yacht Charter dives in the BVI, especially when it is calm enough to get on the outside of the point. It is also the only place I have ever seen seahorses!

Norman Island is a versatile destination for BVI Charter Yachts, offering a wide range of activities. Whether you’re into snorkeling, hiking, or SCUBA diving, there’s something for everyone here. The island’s spaciousness and diverse offerings make it an ideal stop for any charter trip.