Your Guide to Diving Virgin Islands
Including the US Virgin Islands (St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas) and the British Virgin Islands (Tortola, Virgin Gorda)

Diving Virgin Islands Overview

British Virgin Islands

The British Virgin Islands offer patch reef diving that is easy, pleasant, and similar. The islands are small, friendly, and great getaways. For wrecks, there is the historic wreck of the SS Rhone, featured as the wreck in the film of Peter Benchley's book The Deep and the MV Chikusen, a refrigerated vessel that sank near Tortola after a fire.

US Virgin Islands

Among the US Virgin Islands St. Croix is getting more attention from divers, thanks to its underwater topography around Cane Bay and improved dive services. Once unfriendly to visitors, the US Virgins are now a good tourist destination with decent Caribbean diving on St. Thomas and St. John.

All the Virgin Islands were hard hit by both Hurricanes, Irma and Maria, in 2017.

Virgin Islands Seasonal Dive Planner

British Virgin Islands: Mild temperatures vary from mid-70°F (23°C) in winter to lower 90°F (33°C) in summer. Wind is the predominant factor affecting diving. It blows much harder during winter. Also, storms in the North Atlantic bring large swells to the island's north shores, making divers move to a south lee. Hurricane season is typical for the Caribbean and Leeward Islands.

US Virgin Islands: Winter air temperatures average about 77°F (25°C) with water temperatures down to around 75°F (24°C). Summer air temperatures average 83°F (28°C) with water temperatures around 85°F (29°C). Heavy fall and winter rains affect water visibility. Winter also blows up some heavy winds, making divers search for a lee. Hurricane season is typical for the Caribbean and the Leeward Islands.

Diving Virgin Islands Reader Reports and Feature Articles

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Latest Reader Reports from Virgin Islands from the serious divers who read Undercurrent All Reader Reports from Virgin Islands	All 10,000+ Reports
Cane Bay Dive Shop Report in Virgin Islands "St.Croix: great below the water,barren above" filed Sep 28, 2023 by Mary K Wicksten (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 17 reports, Contributor )
We rented a car and went to the Arawak Bay Inn. The hotel is OK but located on a steep hill away from any beach access. They serve brea... ... Read more
Aggressor - BVI Report in Virgin Islands "Fanastic" filed Jun 16, 2023 by Kenneth Gilbert New (Experience: 501-1000 dives, 18 reports, Contributor )
[None] The British Virgin Islands Aggressor is based in Tortola for 7 nights and 8 days of scuba diving. I stayed at the Maria by the ... ... Read more
Cane Bay Dive Shop Report in Virgin Islands/St.Croix "Good diving but you may need a car" filed Jun 12, 2023 by Mary K Wicksten (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 17 reports, Contributor )
Our local dive shop booked the accomodations and operator, we selected flights. No trouble getting there; getting back from St.Croix to... ... Read more
Sweet Bottom Report in Virgin Islands "Reefs in tragic condition" filed May 20, 2023 by Sheleigh A Harding (Experience: 501-1000 dives, 4 reports, Reviewer )
The reefs on St. Croix that we visited were 80-90% dead. It’s really sad, because the reefs here were surely magnificent in their day. ... ... Read more
Low Key Watersports Report in Virgin Islands/St. John "St John USVI" filed May 7, 2023 by Henry O Ziller (Experience: 501-1000 dives, 39 reports, Top Contributor )
We stayed at Cruz Bay Boutique Hotel in the heart of Cruz Bay. It is listed as a 3-star hotel. The rooms provide bathroom w/shower, are... ... Read more

Complete Articles Available to Undercurrent Online Members; Some Publicly Available as Indicated

Diving Virgin Islands Articles - Liveaboards BVI Aggressor, British Virgin Islands , better diving than most Caribbean destinations, 6/24 Available to the Public Sick Divers, Macho Divemasters, travels in Egypt, Fiordland, Bonaire, the Bahamas... , 11/16 Cuan Law, British Virgin Islands, first-class trimaran and service, but the diving . . ., 11/15 Adventuring in the Eastern Caribbean, Aboard the “Other” Cuan Law, 1/05 Diving and R&R in the British Virgins, Smooth Sailing Aboard the Cuan Law, 4/00 Quanaut Explorer; Shalimar; BVI, By Catlle Boat and Chartered Yacht, 7/92 The Lammer Law, British Virgin Islands, Largest Trimaran Afloat, 6/81

Diving Virgin Islands Articles - Land Based Available to the Public A Social Media Lionfish Hoax, 1/17 Belize, British Virgin Islands, Hawaii, a KKK leader’s resort, a dive shop’s faulty rental gear, 4/15 Cane Bay Dive Shop, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, easy diving, easy vacation, 11/13 Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands, I sense there’s good Caribbean diving here, but…, 7/12 British Virgin Islands, Utila, Raja Ampat, serious inflator problems, credit card ripoffs, 5/12 Virgins, Little Cayman, Palau, Sipadan…, Trash is drifting, sea life is missing, but these dive sites still shine, 2/11 Land-Based Diving in the BVIs, 4/00 The Bitter End Yacht Club, B.V.I., And The Bitter End à, 3/89 Reader's Reviews: British Virgins, 3/89 The Virgin Islands Law Suit, 4/84 Underwater Photography, St. Thomas, U.S. V.I., The Churches, The Villa Olga, And Mohawk II, 1/83 Cinnamon Bay Campgrounds, St. John, A budget dive trip. Or is it?, 7/78 St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, The burgeoning business of beach diving., 8/77 St. Thomas,Virgin Islands, With three fine guides there' s diving for everyone, 9/75

Editor's Book Picks for Scuba Diving Virgin Islands
Including the US Virgin Islands (St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas) and the British Virgin Islands (Tortola, Virgin Gorda)

The books below are my favorites about diving in this part of the world All books are available at a significant discount from Amazon.com; just follow the links. -- BD

Travel Edition of Reef Fish Identification: Caribbean, Bahamas, South Florida
by Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach

Today's airline weight restrictions not only limit the amount of dive gear and cameras you can pack for overseas trips, but also those valuable prized marine life identification books. And with spotty Internet access overseas, it's not like you can look a critter of or fish up easily online. For the divers who still want a book in their hands post-dive to look up the fishes they encounter, Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach are offering "Travel Edition of Reef Fish Identification: Caribbean, Bahamas, South Florida." It's lightweight enough to thrown in your carry-on but rugged enough to withstand frequent saltwater washings on board.

Click here to buy it at Amazon.

World Atlas of Coral Reefs
by Mark D. Spalding, Corinna Ravilious, Edmund P. Green, United Nations World Conservation Monitoring Center.

If there is one book that belongs in every traveling diver's library, this is it. The superb World Atlas of Coral Reefs has everything you want to know about the reefs from Costa Rica and Cuba to the Coral Sea and Cayman. The information is specific and up to date. The photos, maps and layout superb. And the price, for this 424 page, full color, hard bound volume, is a steal at $31.50

The Atlas was released in September by the United Nations World Conservation Monitoring Center to document and conserve the world's coral reefs. Clearly written with divers in mind, it's an invaluable resource for global travelers. Here's what you'll find.

• 94 maps, including global maps of biodiversity and reef stresses, regional maps showing 3-D bathymetry and high resolution maps showing reefs, mangroves, population centers, dive centers and protected areas.
• 280 color photographs, showing reefs, wildlife, people and places, Including 84 photographs taken from space by Shuttle astronauts.
• Text explaining the formation, structure and ecology of coral reefs; their various uses and abuses at the hands of humans; and the techniques used in coral reef mapping.
• Detailed texts describing the distribution and status of coral reefs in every country.
• Data tables listing information on biodiversity, human use, and protected areas. These include statistics on coral reef area, biodiversity, fish consumption, and threats.

For example, you can learn about pollution damage to the reefs at Providenciales and the lack of human impact, as well. Or, where extensive bleaching took place in Honduras 1998. You'll read that Milne Bay in Papua New Guineas has the most extensive reef system in that country and where, in Fiji, the bumphead parrotfish and tridachna clams will not be found, thanks to overfishing. Order now.

The Reef Set: Reef Fish, Reef Creature and Reef Coral (3 Volumes):
Paul Humann ID Books
by Paul Humann, Ned Deloach

The three set fish, creature and coral ID books by Paul Humann are the unparalleled sources for information on Caribbean sea life and identification. Paul and his partner Ned Deloach recently released updated and expanded editions of each, with scores of new critters, even better photos, and information unavailable anywhere else. Why, the Reef Fish Identification book, at more than 500 pages, is 20 percent larger than the previous volume, which came out in 1994. Whenever I travel to the Caribbean, I tote all three books and spend my down hours figuring out what I saw and where to look to find rare creatures. Paul's splendid Reef Creature book (420 pages), covers sponges, nudibranchs, octopus, crustaceans, Christmas tree worms and plenty more. His Reef Coral ID book (276 pages) helps you identify all the hard and soft corals, spawning, and even the growth on top of corals, as well as algae and other plant life. Beginners may want to ID only fish, but I'd recommend that all three books be part of every diver's library. And, if you have an old set, by all means replace it. You'll be delighted at the additions and improvements. Each book normally retails for $40, but are discounted when you order here. And the boxed 3-volume set is available now at a bigger discount, up to 30%. Click below to buy them at Amazon:

* Reef Fish Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas,
* Reef Creature Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas, and
* Reef Coral Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas
* The Boxed Set of all three (you can save up to 30%)

A Guide to the Coral Reefs of the Caribbean
by Mark Spalding

This book doubles as a guide to the natural history of the coral reefs and a diver's travel guide. In addition to providing information about some of the most popular diving and snorkeling, it also offers practical suggestions to divers who want to protect these sites. Author Mark Spalding, a coral reef scientist who has worked on coral reefs in over thirty countries, delves into the eco-problems with a focus on what each person can do to protect the reefs. The guide section covers 35 dive destinations with key information on the reefs, marine parks, remote places, and unusual species as well as excellent maps and a photographic field guide of the marine flora and fauna.
Order Now at a reduced price of only $16.47.

There's a Cockroach in My Regulator
by Undercurrent

The Best of Undercurrent: Bizarre and Brilliant True Diving Tales from Thirty Years of Undercurrent.

Shipping now is our brand new, 240-page book filled with the best of the unusual, the entertaining, and the jaw dropping stories Undercurrent has published. They’re true, often unbelievable, and always fascinating. We’re offering it to you now for the special price of just $14.95.

Click here to order.

You might find some other books of interest in our Editor's Book Picks section.