ANGEL FISH REEF
Dept; 25 - 45ft
Location; Southwest tip of Norman Island
Angelfish Reef is located where Norman Island shelves steeply away and features huge barrel sponges and sea fans. There is a good number of angelfish here; four specifies the Queen angelfish, Grey angelfish, French angelfish and Rock beauty. In deeper waters turtles and southern stingrays are often encountered half hidden under a fine coating of sand or in the sea grass. The reef on the corner of the island is cut by a series of narrow gullies where might find trunkfish, queen trigger fish and Sea horses.
THE INDIANS
Dept; 20 – 50ft
Location; West of Pelican Island
The Indians is a spectacular dive and snorkel site, called the Indians as from a distance, these four rocky outcrops in a row resemble an Indians headdress and it is only when you get closer that you can see the distinctive rugged structure of these offshore stacks. The walls are covered in a variety of sea plumes and sea fans all of which feature arrow crabs, small mollusks and tiny attendant fish. A small tunnel can be easily negotiated and there are usually silverside minnows around the summer months.
SPYGLASS WALL
Dept; 40 – 60ft
Location; East of Benures bay, Norman Island.
Spyglass wall is about 1500ft long, stretching east of Benures Bay. This steep sloping mini-wall drops from 20ft to the sandy seabed at 60ft. There is a mooring buoy at the western limits and divers depart from here to the seabed, travelling along the wall at depth and returning to the moorings and hard corals as well as some huge purple tube sponges. Tarpons and Atlantic spadefish are common travelling with the current gently flowing from the East.
THE FEARLESS and WILLIE T WRECKS
Dept: 50 - 80ft
Location; Great Harbor on Peter Island
The fearless (said to be the sister ship of Jacques Cousteau’s Calyso) was intentionally sunk in 1986 as an additional attraction to the mini-wall which extends westwards from the northern Peter Island. The original Willie T was a popular drinking bar which used to moored at Norman Island; It was sunk in 1995 to the south of the Fearless. Both ships have a healthy covering of corals. However, they are wooden construction and deteriorating so penetrating them is not recommended. The nearby mini –wall is known for its black coral trees and large schools of fish.
PAINTED WALL
Dept; 30 – 40ft
Location; Dead Chest Island
At this site the volcanic rock has been carved by centuries of wave and tidal action in to long galleries, caves and tunnels, the sides of which are festooned in brightly colored sponges – hence the name. Turtles can be seen and small Caribbean reef sharks often hunt in the gullies. In the third canyon a small circular cavern faces you, covered in orange and yellow sponges, while branching to the right is a huge natural arch which superb for photography. Surge can be experienced on the surface.
CISTERN POINT
Dept; 17-40ft
Location; Cooper Island
This is a shallow dive at the southern end of Manchioneel bay where large schools of snapper, grunt, chromis, damselfish and wrasse are always found amid the boulders here. Turtles and Southern stingray are found in the sea grasses. The site is popular with snorkelers as it offers protected waters off a gorgeous beach.
RMS RHONE
Dept; 20 – 90ft
Location; Salt Island
The RMS Rhone is one of the most famous divable shipwrecks in the world.
This historic site of the RMS Rhone, a royal mail steam ship; made in Southampton England was commissioned for the Royal Mail Packet Company in 1965 to carry mail and passengers from England to the Caribbean. Her length was 310ft, it was designed for both sail and steam power which was unique at the time.
The ship had anchored in Peter Island’s Great Harbor, due to an outbreak of yellow fever in St Thomas. On the morning of 29th October 1867, Captain Woolley awoke and found that there was a sign. Bad weather was coming through the barometer was falling steadily; he never dreamed it would be a hurricane because the season was over. As the eye of the storm came over and a lull ensued, Captain Woolley tried to up anchor to leave and reach open water so as not to be near land. The crews were ordered to tie people to their beds depending what class they were in, first class would be tied to beds, 2nd class tied to bunks 3rd class tied to anything. All crew at this time would not be able to swim as this was thought unlucky. Unfortunately he lost his anchor and had to head out to sea, due the severity of weather the captain did not realize that he was heading straight for land. For Captain Woolley this did not really matter as when he stepped out of the bridge area he was swept overboard. For the rest of the crew and passengers this was not good and the boat headed straight towards Salt Island. It hit Black Rock Point (called the Can Opener by the locals), as the water rushed in it hit the boiler and a big explosion went off, splitting the Rhone in two.
It was told that there were from 2 to 22 survivors, with only one Italian Passenger who survived by swimming to Salt Island and a lucky crew member was found on the mast. Apparently he had been there for a few days so it was said, ‘all the belongings were sent back to Queen Victoria’. She was so impressed by this that she gave the Island to the People Charging only one pound of Salt per year.
The RMS Rhone is a great wreck to dive but can be better covered by doing two dives if so desired. The depth is from 40ft to 80ft and does have some current running. It is a beautiful wreck to see and port holes can still be seen to this day. The fish life is excellent and plentiful.
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VANISHING ROCK
Dept; 20 – 50ft
Location: Cooper Island
Swept by the current which passes between Salt Island and Cooper Island, this cluster of boulders is covered in a dense mat of coral growth, mainly sea fans and plums. Around the bottom of the boulders and coral ridges are large numbers of corkscrew anemones. The site has Barrel Sponges, Shrimps, Sergeant Majors, and all types of small and large fish, even Eels. Current can be experienced making this site undivable.
AQUARIUM
Dept; 30ft
Location; Virgin Gorda
This is a large jumble of boulders and stones with a light coral covering of small knobby corals, some sea fans and small plumes. Pillar corals can be found in deeper water and the area has lots of sergeant majors. Also in the deeper water are small schools of snapper and grunt and moray eels are common, although they are rather timid.
CORAL GARDENS & AIRPLANE DIVE
Dept; 20 – 40ft
Location; Great Dog
This site has a lot to offer starting reasonably shallow site with great topography and a small airplane wreck. There are lots of fish here large and small, Sting Rays, Barracuda, snapper and sergeant majors. As you go along the reef it starts to change in style to a sandy slope and then an airplane appears which is inhabited by larger fish such as Barracuda and Snappers. The airplane was never recovered but just left to grow into a man-made wreck. You have entry and exit points which can easily take 2/3 divers. The seabed is home to hundreds of orange-spotted gobies which live the burrows alongside a commensal snapping shrimp. Garden eels are also common the coral shelfs.
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