British Virgin Islands / Special Interests / Dive Sites

The British Virgin Islands are famous for their dive sites, and have some great wrecks to explore.  Here we illustrate just a small selection of the most popular BVI divesites.  The information below is courtesy of Blue Water Divers.

The Wreck of the RMS Rhone, Salt Island, intermediate – advanced
The most famous dive site in the BVI is the Royal Mail Steamer "Rhone", setting for the hit movie "The Deep", starring Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bissett. The Rhone foundered during a hurricane in 1867 and is lying in depths from 20 to 80 feet, parts of her still intact. The wreck itself is fascinating to explore. She is colourfully decorated by a good variety of corals and is home to several resident barracuda, sea turtles, stingrays, angelfish, yellowtail snappers and many other varieties of fish life visit the Rhone. This is a "must see" for all levels of scuba divers!

The Indians, off Norman Island, novice - advanced
A popular diving and snorkelling site for all ages and abilities. The Indians is unique rock formation that looms out of the water from a depth of approximately 10ft to 50ft and features a tunnel which divers (with scuba equipment) may pass through to the other side. There is a spectacular variety of corals at the Indians as well as an abundance of reef fish.

Rainbow Canyons, Pelican Island, novice - advanced
This is an ideal dive site for beginner and advanced scuba divers and has a spectacular array of coral formations. Rainbow Canyons ranges in depth from 20 to 60 feet and is home to several colonies of garden eels, a huge variety of reef fish and several nurse sharks.

Angelfish Reef, Norman Island, novice - advanced
Angelfish reef runs from 30 to 80ft depths and is exposed to the open Caribbean Sea. As a result, it is frequented by several large and impressive, deep water species such as eagle rays and southern stingrays. The white sand bottom at the reef is host to many bottom dwellers including snake eels and moray eels.

Painted Walls, Deadchest Island (weather permitting), novice - advanced
It is almost as though an artist of the impressionist era plied their skills at Painted Walls. The walls, at depths of 30 to 50ft, are created by two underwater valleys that converge. They teem with colourful sponges as well as soft and hard corals and look remarkably similar to an artist's pallet! The main inhabitants at Painted Walls are nurse sharks, barracuda and lobsters. This BVI dive site is a great for beginner and advanced divers.

Blonde Rock, between Salt Island and Peter Island (weather permitting), intermediate - advanced
A spectacular, underwater amphitheatre that lies between 20 and 60 feet deep, featuring both large and small overhangs. There is a wide and colourful variety of coral formations and you may occasionally glimpse some sea turtles, sharks and rays of various species along with lobsters, crabs and conch.

Wreck Alley, Cooper Island, intermediate - advanced
Ideal for wreck diving enthusiasts, three wrecks lying in a row lying at 50 to 80ft of water, on a sandy bottom and right next to a mini wall. Plenty of stingrays and a great opportunity for spectacular, underwater photography.

Carrot Shoal, between Peter & Norman Island (weather permitting), intermediate - advanced
An amazing night dive. An oval-shaped reef formation at 20 to 60 feet with resident sea turtles, beautiful French angelfish, nurse sharks and more.

Santa Monica Rock, off Norman Island (weather permitting), intermediate - advanced,
A truly spectacular dive site The underwater topography is made up of a series of rocky pinnacles, some rising to just 10 feet below the surface. It is dived at depths ranging from 20 to 100 feet and you may have the opportunity to see reef sharks, sea turtles and eagle rays among others.

Thumb Rock, off Cooper Island, novice - advanced
An intriguing rock formation which, oddly enough, resembles its name. It attracts a good variety of fish life including tarpon, queen angelfish, French angelfish and the occasional sea horse. Depth ranges from 40ft to 70ft.

Alice in Wonderland, Ginger Island, intermediate - advanced
A beautiful dive site located in South Bay on Ginger Island, ranging in depth from 40ft to 100ft. It takes its name from its amazing mushroom shaped coral formations. It is often frequented by spotted eagle rays, spade fish and stingrays. Caribbean reef sharks have also been seen swimming along the reef edge.

Ginger Patches, Ginger Island, novice - advanced
Ginger Patches is located on the north side of Ginger Island. It starts off in about 20ft of water and slowly descends down to a depth of 70ft, and is a good alternate dive for Alice in Wonderland if the weather is rough. It has a spectacular array of coral in the shallow depths, lots of nooks and crannies for crabs and lobsters.