Seaplane Adventure

If you've ever wanted a bird's eye view of the US and British Virgin Islands complete with narration, you can find it with Seaborne Airlines. Under new ownership earlier this year, Seaborne looks to conduct ten to fourteen tours per day.

The tour is approximately 1 ½ hours, thirty minutes flight time. The DeHavilland Twin-Otter VistaLiner aircraft can accommodate up to sixteen passengers. The adventure begins as soon as you arrive at their terminal. The eight page flight seeing guide issued prior to the tour describes in great detail the islands and points of interest that will be illustrated during the flight. It's also a nice keepsake from your excursion.

Once aboard the floatplane, the two -pilot crew wastes no time making you feel comfortable. They of course do the required seatbelt-emergency exit-narration but they also introduce you to the plane, the tour and to themselves. Nervous flyers feel a bit more comfortable at this point. Once the crew begins their pre-flight preparations, passengers can admire the many gizmos, switches and dials being used in the cockpit. And of course, take in the beautiful sights that are framed in the extra large windows. Seaborne boasts that their seaplane windows are twice as large as those on standard sightseeing aircraft.

The flight begins from Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas where the plane travels gently through the harbor. Passengers wear headphones that connect to the live narration from the two-pilot crew interrupted only by mood-setting tropical tunes. Once airborne, you are immediately greeted with a full view of the south side of St. Thomas and neighboring Buck Island. A bird's eye view of the islands greets the window as the plane gracefully flies over the chain. St. John, Norman Island, Peter Island, Dead Chest Island, Salt Island, Fallen Jerusalem, Virgin Gorda, Tortola and Jost Van Dyke are all completely narrated and historical landmarks are noted as well.

Before you know it you are back on the harbor runway in Charlotte Amalie. Visions of pirates, treasure, shipwrecks, coal reefs and ruins of unknown origin swirl through your head. After debarkation you have a new appreciation for the chain of islands that are called Virgin.

What to bring: your camera for sure. You can wire for sound with your video camera through a port available in flight so you can capture the live narration.

The airline also offers regularly scheduled commuter flights to and from St. Thomas and St. Croix. For more information, visit their website directly at http://www.seaborneairlines.com/

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic