Diving & Snorkeling in U.S. Virgin Islands

• Places to Explore
• Sights
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Activities
• Travel Tips
• Features

Diving & Snorkeling

St. Thomas

Popular dive sites include such wrecks as the Cartanser Sr., a beautifully encrusted World War II cargo ship sitting in 35 feet of water, and the General Rogers, a Coast Guard cutter resting at 65 feet. Here you'll find a gigantic resident barracuda. Reef dives offer hidden caves and archways at Cow and Calf Rocks, coral-covered pinnacles at Frenchcap, and tunnels where you can explore undersea from the Caribbean to the Atlantic at Thatch Cay, Grass Cay, and Congo Cay. Many resorts and charter yachts offer dive packages. A one-tank dive starts at $75; two-tank dives are $90 and up. Call the USVI Department of Tourism to obtain a free eight-page guide to Virgin Islands dive sites. There are plenty of snorkeling possibilities too.

Admiralty Dive Center (Holiday Inn St. Thomas, Waterfront Hwy., Charlotte Amalie. 340/777-9802 or 888/900-3483. www.admiraltydive.com) provides boat dives, rental equipment, and a retail store. Four-tank to 12-tank packages are available if you want to dive over several days. BOB Underwater Adventure (Crown Bay Marina, Rte. 304, Charlotte Amalie. 340/715-0348. www.bobusvi.com) offers an alternative to traditional diving in the form of an underwater motor scooter called BOB, or Breathing Observation Bubble. A half-day tour, including snorkel equipment, rum punch, and towels, is $99 per person. Blue Island Divers (Crown Bay Marina, Rte. 304, Estate Contant. 340/774-2001. www.blueislanddivers.com) is a full-service dive shop that offers both day and night dives to wrecks and reefs. Chris Sawyer Diving Center (340/775-7320 or 877/929-3483. www.sawyerdive.vi) is a PADI five-star outfit that specializes in dives to the 310-foot-long Rhone, in the British Virgin Islands. Hotel-dive packages are offered through the Wyndham Sugar Bay Beach Club & Resort. Coki Beach Dive Club (Rte. 388, at Coki Point, Estate Frydendal. 340/775-4220. www.cokidive.com) is a PADI Gold Palm outfit run by avid diver Peter Jackson. Snorkel and dive tours in the fish-filled reefs off Coki Beach are available, as are classes from beginner to underwater photography. Snuba of St. Thomas (Rte. 388, at Coki Point, Estate Smith Bay. 340/693-8063. www.visnuba.com) offers something for nondivers, a cross between snorkeling and scuba diving: a 20-foot air hose connects you to the surface. The cost is $68. Children must be eight or older to participate. Underwater Safaris (Havensight Mall, Bldg. VI, Rte. 30, Charlotte Amalie. 340/774-1350. www.scubadivevi.com) is another PADI five-star center that offers boat dives to the reefs around Buck Island and nearby offshore wrecks.

St. John

Although just about every beach has nice snorkeling -- Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay, and Waterlemon Cay at Leinster Bay get the most praise -- you need a boat to head out to the more remote snorkeling locations and the best scuba spots. Sign on with any of the island's water-sports operators to get to spots farther from St. John. If you use the one at your hotel, just stroll down to the dock to hop aboard. Their boats will take you to hot spots between St. John and St. Thomas, including the tunnels at Thatch Cay, the ledges at Congo Cay, and the wreck of the General Rogers. Dive off St. John at Stephens Cay, a short boat ride out of Cruz Bay, where fish swim around the reefs as you float downward. At Devers Bay, on St. John's south shore, fish dart about in colorful schools. Carval Rock, shaped somewhat like an old-time ship, has gorgeous rock formations, coral gardens, and lots of fish. It can be too rough here in the winter, though. Count on paying $75 for a one-tank dive and $90 for a two-tank dive. Rates include equipment and a tour. If you've never dived before, try an introductory course, called a resort course. Or if certification is in your vacation plans, the island's dive shops can help you get your card.

Cruz Bay Watersports (340/776-6234. www.divestjohn.com) has two locations: in Cruz Bay at the Lumberyard Shopping Complex and at the Westin St. John Resort. Owners Marcus and Patty Johnston offer regular reef, wreck, and night dives and USVI and BVI snorkel tours. The company holds both PADI five-star facility and NAUI Dream Resort status. Low Key Watersports (340/693-8999 or 800/835-7718. www.divelowkey.com), at Wharfside Village, offers one- and two-tank dives and specialty courses. It's certified as a PADI five-star training facility.

St. Croix

At Buck Island, a short boat ride from Christiansted or Green Cay Marina, the reef is so nice that it's been named a national monument. You can dive right off the beach at Cane Bay, which has a spectacular drop-off called the Cane Bay Wall. Dive operators also do boat trips along the Wall, usually leaving from Salt River or Christiansted. Frederiksted Pier is home to a colony of sea horses, creatures seldom seen in the waters of the Virgin Islands. At Green Cay, just outside Green Cay Marina in the east end, you can see colorful fish swimming around the reefs and rocks. Two exceptional north-shore sites are North Star and Salt River, which you can reach only by boat. At Salt River you can float downward through a canyon filled with colorful fish and coral.

The island's dive shops take you out for one- or two-tank dives. Plan to pay about $65 for a one-tank dive and $85 for a two-tank dive, including equipment and an underwater tour. All companies offer certification and introductory courses called resort dives for novices.

Which dive outfit you pick usually depends on where you're staying. Your hotel may have one on-site. If not, others are located close by. If you use the hotel's dive operation, you're just a short stroll away from the dock. Where the dive boat goes on a particular day depends on the weather, but in any case, all St. Croix's dive sites are special. All shops are affiliated with PADI, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors.

If you're staying in Christiansted, Dive Experience (1111 Strand St., Christiansted. 340/773-3307 or 800/235-9047. www.divexp.com) has PADI five-star status and runs trips to the north-shore walls and reefs in addition to offering the usual certification and introductory classes. St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures (Queen Cross St., Christiansted. 340/773-5994 or 877/567-1367. www.stcroixscuba.com) can take you to your choice of more than 75 sites; it also offers a variety of packages that include hotel stays.

Folks staying in the Judith's Fancy area are closest to Anchor Dive Center (Salt River Marina, Rte. 801, Salt River. 340/778-1522 or 800/532-3483. www.anchordivestcroix.com). The company also has facilities at the Buccaneer hotel. Anchor takes divers to more than 35 sites, including the wall at Salt River Canyon.

Cane Bay Dive Shop (Rte. 80, Cane Bay. 340/773-9913 or 800/338-3843. www.canebayscuba.com) is the place to go if you want to do a beach dive or boat dive along the north shore. The famed Cane Bay Wall is 150 yards from the five-star PADI facility. This company also has shops at Pan Am Pavilion in Christiansted, on Strand Street in Frederiksted, at the Carambola Beach Resort, and at the Divi Carina Bay hotel.

In Frederiksted, Scuba Shack (Frederiksted Beach, Rte. 631, Frederiksted. 340/772-3483 or 888/789-3483. www.stcroixscubashack.com) takes divers right off the beach near the Changes in Latitude restaurant, on night dives off the Frederiksted Pier, or on boat trips to wrecks and reefs. Scuba West (330 Strand St., Frederiksted. 340/772-3701 or 800/352-0107. www.divescubawest.com) runs trips to reefs and wrecks from its base in Frederiksted but specializes in showing divers the sea horses that live around the Frederiksted Pier.