7 Useful Tips for Lionfish Hunting in St. Thomas, USVI

Looking to go Lionfish Hunting in St. Thomas, USVI? These tips will help your dive planning for your spearfishing trip!

I’ve found that it’s hard to come by dive charters in St. Thomas who specifically advertise special events. I’m thinking of occasions like organized marine debris clean-ups, women’s diver day, and lionfish hunting, amongst others.

It’s odd, especially coming from dive destinations like Fort Lauderdale and Jupiter where special events play a heavy role in their marketing. But I guess St. Thomas and the US Virgin Islands are different.

In the Caribbean, we’re reliant on a steady flow of traffic from resort-style divers. The type that’s accustomed to diving once or twice a year – at most. So event-centric diving is arbitrary. It won’t make any difference in your clientele.

Lionfish Hunting in the US Virgin Islands

And by no means is there any problem with that style of diving. That’s the bread and butter of the industry. But nonetheless, that can be frustrating for everyday divers who seek a little more challenge.

Or for divers, like us, who absolutely love lionfish hunting.

So that’s why when we get the opportunity to go on a lionfish hunting spree, we take it.

And now you might be feeling the same way. Looking for a challenge. Something beyond the popular dive sites of the destination. Or simply wanting to hunt lionfish in a kick-ass Caribbean destination. No matter. We got you covered below with the best tips for hunting lionfish in St. Thomas.

Tips for Lionfish Hunting in St. Thomas

Now, if you’re wanting to go lionfish hunting in St. Thomas there are a few things you need to know:

1. Popular dive sites yield very few lionfish

If you book a dive charter and they bring you to a frequently visited dive site, chances are you won’t find any lionfish. It’s just the nature of the game – the most lionfish are at the most infrequently visited sites.

2. Dive with the right boat charter

Not every dive charter operates equally. Some will heavily cater to cruise crowds. Some will heavily cater to locals and advanced divers. So be careful before booking if you’re expecting to go spearfishing.

A few I can recommend are Red Hook Dive Center (I’m a Captain here), and Admiralty Dive Center in Frenchtown.

3. Book a private boat

If you’re financially able, the best way to guarantee a successful lionfish hunt is to book a private charter. That way, the Captain can bring you to distant dive sites presumably filled with lionfish.

4. Bring your lionfish hunting gear with you

As someone who’s lived on this island, lionfish hunting gear is not readily available on St. Thomas. So if you’re wanting to go hunting, it’s best to bring your gear from home. That includes a quality pole spear, Zookeeper, and more.

5. Beware of ciguatera

If you’re accustomed to hunting lionfish elsewhere, eating them is no problem. However, in St. Thomas, it’s possible for lionfish meat to be contaminated with ciguatera – a toxic illness stemming from contaminated fish meat.

It’s a story of bio-accumulation: little fish eat the poison-laden algae and become contaminated. As such, the disease works its way up the food chain culminating in devastating levels in the largest fish like grouper, snapper, and lionfish.

It’s unlikely a few bites of a lionfish taco or ceviche will cause any harm (I’ve eaten them myself to no ill-effect) but given enough of the toxin in your diet, it can lead to crippling symptoms.

All in all, don’t shy away from eating your catch. But be wary of eating large amounts at one given time.

6. Tap into local knowledge

It’s no secret that the locals know best. This is particularly true in St. Thomas, where the local fishermen know every square inch of the underwater world surrounding the Caribbean island.

So my suggestion? Hang around the local dive shop, pull up a bar stool in Frenchtown, or soak up the sun at Hull Bay – you’re likely to discover a wealth of knowledge from one of the locals you’ll encounter. They’ll likely know the absolute best spots for lionfish and how to get you there.

7. Spread the word

Lionfish are increasingly becoming more prevalent in our waters around the US Virgin Islands and the only way they can survive is for you to come here and cull them. We can only do so much ourselves with the limited resources we have.

So come on down, hunt with us, and spread the word back home to inspire more hunters to do the same!

Lionfish Hunting in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands: Debrief

The ease of lionfish hunting isn’t quite the same as it is back in Florida or other Caribbean destinations. But, I must say, given enough effort, we can pull off a pretty stellar lionfish hunt in St. Thomas and the US Virgin Islands.

After all, these fish are devastating our coral reefs. And as a Captain, local divemaster, and genuine lover of the ocean, my livelihood depends on this invasive species being removed from our coral reefs. So please, come down to the US Virgin Islands! We’d love to host your next lionfish culling dive!