U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — Content creators posted at least nine YouTube videos showing expeditions to Jeffrey Epstein's former private island in 2026, accumulating more than fifty-two million views in total. The expeditions to Little Saint James, located about one thousand miles off the coast of Florida, were not approved by its current owner Stephen Deckoff.
Creators traveling to the island typically fly to St. Thomas, speak to locals for tips, rent Jet Skis or snorkel gear, and then swim to the island or fly drones over it. Influencers appeared to use Coastal Water Sports Jet Ski rental service to travel toward Little Saint James in eight videos from 2026.
YouTubers are shown signing papers before using Jet Skis to approach the island. A man at the Jet Ski rental service is heard saying, "Not more YouTubers." The same man is heard saying, "No, don't go there. It's somebody's island."
For eight YouTubers, their videos visiting Little Saint James rank among their five most-viewed videos.
Ben Lisi posted a video in February 2026 attempting to visit Little Saint James and did not step onto the island because of legal concerns. "The island is owned by a new person now, so I don't really know much about them, but I did obviously want to respect that," Lisi said.
Jordan-based YouTuber Ahmad Aburob posted a video that has been viewed more than fifteen million times showing him stepping onto Little Saint James and approaching a structure known as the "temple." Searches for "Little James Island" and "Epstein Island" reached an all-time high in February 2026, according to Google Trends data.
Stephen Deckoff purchased Little Saint James and Great Saint James for sixty million dollars in 2023. Deckoff planned to develop a five-star, twenty-five-room luxury resort on the islands that was scheduled to open in 2025.
The Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources had not received any plans for a resort development on Little Saint James or Great Saint James as of March 2026, a spokesperson said. In recent videos, the structure known as the "temple" on Little Saint James appears to have been painted over and boarded up.