The park was created to preserve one of the finest marine gardens in the Caribbean Sea. The elkhorn coral barrier reef that surrounds two-thirds of the island has extrodinary coral formations, deep grottoes, abundant reef fishes, sea fans and gorgonians, and the occasional sea turtle. The island, which has an overland nature trail and white coral sand beaches, is a rookery for endangered brown pelicans and a nesting area for three species of sea turtles. Seasonally Buck Island Reef supports one of the last remaining protected nesting populations of endangered hawksbill sea turtles in the eastern Caribbean.
Visitors can take daily trips to the park.