The British Virgin Islands are located 60 miles east of Puerto Rico and 20 miles northeast of the US Virgin Islands. BVI are a group of approximately 60 islands and islets, most of which are within a few miles of each other. The main airport is located on Beef Island. Virgin Gorda and Anegada also have their own smaller airports. The main harbor is in Road Town. Scuba diving in British Virgin Islands is an adventure that will not be forgotten. While diving in British Virgin Islands divers will have a chance to encounter an abundant marine life and enjoy clear waters. The impressive variety of underwater creatures includes sharks (particularly nurse sharks), eagle rays, moray eels, southern stingrays, angel fish, grouper (including Goliath grouper), jewfish, lobster, barracuda and tarpon as well as several species of turtles and dolphins. Every island in the BVI is surrounded by coral reefs of varying size, health and composition. Almost all of the major dive sites have mooring balls for boats which are attached and maintained by the National Parks Trust and Ministry of Natural Resources, which are dedicated to the preservation of the reefs and local marine life. There are more than 100 dive sites in the area and almost none of the sites go deeper than 30m/100ft. The British Virgin Islands are renowned for their healthy, living coral reefs, great walls, wrecks, canyons, tunnels, seamounts, pinnacles and caves. Virgin Gorda and Anegada draw divers interested in wreck diving, since they have several interesting shipwrecks. Good sites to visit around the BVI include The Dogs, Jost Van Dyke, Great Tobago Islands, Tortola, Norman, Pelican, Peter, Dead Chest, Cooper, Salt, Gingers, Guana and Scrub Islands. Also, Sandy Cay and Sandy Spit islets are highly recommended. The most famous dive site is the Wreck of the RMS Rhone, which is considered a world class underwater destination. The minimum depth of this site is 9m/30ft and the maximum is around 27m/90ft. Some other interesting wrecks include Chikuzen, where divers can observe most of the remains of the ship still intact. Airplane wreck and Wreck Alley are a collection of 4 wrecks and a great location to visit. Some unforgettable reef dives in the area include Angelfish Reef, Indians (4 rocky pinnacles), Painted Walls (great for beginners), Alice in Wonderland, Black Forest, Twin Towers, Spyglass, Rainbow Canyon, Vanishing Rock (the rock is completely covered with corals, sponges and gorgonians), Santa Monica Rock (for advanced divers), Blonde Rock (a deep water pinnacle and a natural magnet attracting all kinds of marine life, depth 6-24m/20-80ft), The Invisibles and last but not least Ginger Steps (a wall dive).
Open Water Courses