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USVI Dive Sites
Offshore, Snorkel, Reefs and Wreck Dives

Scuba Diving magazine has recognized the US Virgin Islands for its famed scuba diving and snorkeling with more than a half dozen awards in the "Top 100 Readers' Choice Awards" of its January/February 2009 issue.

Among the destination's awards for popular and most valued dive sites; top wall diving, top shore diving, top snorkeling and top overall value. St. Croix received six awards including "Top Dive Destinations in the Caribbean/Atlantic." St. John and St. Thomas also received accolades as a top destination for snorkelers and beginner divers. Scuba Diving magazine has a combined print and online readership of more than 200,000 from scuba and water sports enthusiasts worldwide.

There are over 80 dive sites in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and nearly a quarter of these are wrecks. The beauty of a wreck dive is that it offers a microcosm of maritime history while at the same time being a sightseeing adventure to a wondrous submerged setting filled with marine life.

St. Thomas
St. Thomas has the largest concentration of wreck dives. One of these, and definitely a must-see, is the W.I.T. Shoal. This 400-plus-foot, 1930s-built Navy cargo ship lies two miles south of the island and 90 feet deep. Mystery surrounds its sinking, yet today it's no secret that it's one of the best man-made wreck dives in the Caribbean. Sitting upright on the sandy bottom, from keel to wheelhouse it spans five decks of spectacular viewing. You'll see everything from intact winches, a coral-crusted crane and the ship's safe rusted shut to large stingrays resting on the decks, a giant grouper in the hold and resident schools of horse-eyed jacks.

Other great wreck dives include the Cartanzar Sr., a derelict freighter dumped in 45 feet of water near the Buck Island Cove. This is a great spot for novice divers to play hide-and-seek with the resident turtles, lobster and schools of squid. East Wind, a corporate yacht that overturned during a squall in the 1960's, offers several swim-throughs at a depth of 50 feet, while Miss Opportunity, a 300-foot former hospital ship, is home to several larger fish such as jewfish and sharks. Yet another excellent offshore dive is on a pair of Navy barges, purposely sunk in only 45-feet of water by a post World War II underwater demolition team during a training session. Stingrays and sea turtles playfully guard the route between the two ships.

There are more than 40 dive sites surrounding St. Thomas. Most are shallow and only a short distance from shore. For example, an easy boat dive is to the Cartanza Sr., a wonderfully coral encrusted World War I tramp steamer that lies 35-feet down in a sheltered cove off Buck Island, south of Charlotte Amalie's harbor.

Reef dives include Flat Cay, a playground for tropical fish and an excellent night dive; Dry Rocks, where grottos and overhangs create a hide-and-go seek opportunities with the sea life; and Easter Reef, a sea mount lying in 80-foot of water and home to sea turtles, eels, and even sharks.

Shoreside diving is excellent at Coki Beach where grunts, wrasses and angelfish are so friendly they'll eat from your hand. Local concessionaires sell fish food from quaint beach huts. Coral World Ocean Park is located here with fascinating exhibits like an underwater observatory, marine garden aquariums and touch pond with sea cucumbers and starfish. Those who would like to dive but aren't certified or too timid to try a resort course can test the waters with Sea Trekkin. To Sea Trek, pull on what looks like a huge space helmet that's connected to a constant stream of pressurized life-giving air. Then, explore a 60-yard submarine path at 15-feet deep lined with fantastic sea life and flaming coral in hues of reds, oranges and yellows.

St. Croix
Wall dives are especially popular on St. Croix. At Cane Bay, feathery black coral outcroppings and multicolor sponges start at a depth of 40-feet and plummet into a vertical underwater wildness to 600-feet. For something shallower, try the Frederiksted Pier. Numerous fish, sponges and sea horses encircle this 250-yard concrete dock. A trio of wrecks is nearby: the Northwind at a depth of 45-feet; the Suffolk Maid, a North Sea trawler, is at a 65-feet; while less than 100 yards away, the Rosa Maria, a 70-foot container ship, sits upright in 100-feet of water. To the north of the island, the Buck Island National Marine Park boasts an underwater snorkel trail and surrounding environs for diving are excellent.

St. Croix has its share of wreck dives. A real hotspot is Butler Bay off Frederiksted, the island's west coast town, where six shipwrecks are located. There are two tugboats — including one used in the filming of Dreams of Gold, the Mel Fisher Story — an oil barge, small cargo boat and large container ship. This last wreck, named the Rosa Maria, reached its submarine life rather ironically. Workers offloading cinder blocks from only one side caused the vessel to flip to the left. It was towed to its present site, where only half of the dynamite employed to sink it worked and the ship lurched to the right before finally finding its way to the ocean's floor at 110 feet. Thankfully, the unexploded dynamite has since been removed.

St. John
Less than three miles separates St. John and St. Thomas by way of Pillsbury Sound, therefore these two islands share many of the same dive sites. These include Congo Cay, Grass Cay, the Mounds at Mingo, and the Arches and Tunnels of Thatch Cay.

Experienced divers will want to venture out to Carvel Rock and Eagle Shoals. Carvel Rock, to the northwest of Cruz Bay, offers dramatic rock formations and a wide variety of sea creatures, corals and sponges in 20- to 75-foot depths. The currents here can make this dive challenging on a rough day. Eagle Shoals, off the southeast coast of Coral Bay, is a site you may have all to yourself due to steep ocean swells. The reward for braving these conditions are exciting swim-throughs and sea life galore in only 20- to 40-feet of water.

St. John is rimmed with reefs, but its wrecks lie closer to St. Thomas to the east and the British Virgin Islands to the west. The General Rodgers is a 120-foot Coast Guard Buoy Tender that sits upright in sand at a depth of 70 feet in Pillsbury Sound. Schools of fish, coral and sponges make this an awesome night dive. The RMS Rhone, a British packet ship, sunk in a storm off the coast of Salt Island. Featured in the movie The Deep, the iron hull is encrusted with corals and the cracks and crevices are home to lobsters, moray eels and octopus.

Most dive shops offers wreck dives as part of a two-dive package, with the first dive to a deep-water wreck and the second to a shallow-water wreck or reef.

Please click on the Activities Directory for a list of SCUBA and dive professionals in the USVI.

Visiting the United States Virgin Islands and want to go fishing or diving, charter a yacht or sailboat for a week, or rent a boat or sailboat for the day? Check out the Activities Directory for contacts and information.