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)
All of Undercurrent's information on diving Virgin Islands, including articles, reader reports, Chapbook sections, ...
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
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All 10,000+
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Blue Water Divers/boat Charter Report
in Virgin Islands/British Virgins
"British Virgins - Much better than anticipated!" filed Nov 15, 2022 by Dale Lachman (Experience: 501-1000 dives, 5 reports, Reviewer )
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We did two tanks while we were down on our charter boat. They came by in the dive boat and we did took our dingy to meet up with them ... ... Read more
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Cane Bay Dive Shop Report
in Virgin Islands/St Croix
"Great Boat Dives" filed Nov 3, 2022 by Marianne LeSage (Experience: 101-250 dives, 2 reports)
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Capt Ken and crew took us to some very very good dive sites. They were friendly and very helpful! I have bad knees, so I sat on the swi... ... Read more
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St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures/The Company House hotel. Report
in Virgin Islands/St. Croix
"Fish-watching week in St. Croix." filed Jun 7, 2022 by Mary Adams (Experience: 501-1000 dives, 15 reports, Contributor )
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This was a REEF fish-ID expedition. There were about a dozen divers, all with our checklists. The flights from DC to Christiansted and ... ... Read more
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Red Hook Dive Center/Private Villa Report
in Virgin Islands/St JohnSt Thomas
"Easy, Peasey" filed Nov 8, 2021 by Donald A Ricetti (Experience: 101-250 dives, 8 reports, Sr. Reviewer )
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It is a bit of an effort to get here from St John, requires ferry rides to/from and a short 10 minute walk but well worth the effort. S... ... Read more
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St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures/none Report
in Virgin Islands/St. Croix
"Wrecks and Walls" filed Sep 30, 2021 by Patti Stewart (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 5 reports, Reviewer )
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The retail staff was great to explain that renting a car even if driving on left is an adjustment.
so much to see and do on island bes... ... Read more
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Complete Articles Available to Undercurrent Online
Members; Some Publicly Available as Indicated
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Diving Virgin Islands Articles - Liveaboards
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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 |
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Diving Virgin Islands Articles - Land Based
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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 |
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Virgin Islands Sections from Our Travelin'
Diver's Chapbooks
Reader Reports filed for
that year |
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.
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