bvi trip report and pics

[edpdiver]

I went to the British Virgin Islands with my son for a diving trip. We left on June 26, but our flights (in the U.S.) were delayed, so we had to stay overnight in San Juan. We made it to Virgin Gorda on the 27th at about 4:30pm on Air Sunshine (they left about 2 hours later than scheduled). We stayed at a Villa in Nail Bay, which was great, beautiful scenery, and a well run operation. A new restaurant that both my son and I liked was Coco Maya, which serves Latin/Asian fusion food (sounds strange, tastes great). We dove with DiveBVI, and they were very good. We dove with them for 9 days, and enjoyed the diving very much. All the sites were very good with the exception of Diamond Reef, which was just mediocre. Some of our favorite sites were Wall to Wall, the Invisibles, Vanishing Rock, and Joe's Cave. I was not very impressed with Ginger Steps, but a lot of people love it, so I guess it is a matter of personal taste.

Here are some pictures from the trip.













Here is a link to the whole set: photos from BVI trip

 

[Scuba_Noob]

Nice photos. I especially like the first one, with all the reef/coral life. The cave swim-throughs were cool too.

 

[altarose]

Hi Edpdiver, nice pics, did you do any snorkeling, we are planning a trip to BVI and USVI, we are avid snorkelers, but do not dive

 

[edpdiver]

Hi Edpdiver, nice pics, did you do any snorkeling, we are planning a trip to BVI and USVI, we are avid snorkelers, but do not dive

I did not do any snorkeling on this trip, but there are a lot of good snorkeling sites in the Virgin Islands. I have done more traveling through the BVIs, and in my experience, I thought that the BVIs had better snorkeling than the USVIs. There are a number of good sites. The Indians is a very popular site for both snorkeling and diving. I have not been there in a few years, but I thought it was very good. Maybe someone else who has been there more recently could say whether it is still good. There are also a number of excellent snorkeling sites just offshore from Virgin Gorda. I do not remember the names of the beaches or areas where they are, but a number of the divers from this recent trip told me that their family members had enjoyed the snorkeling around the island. I hope this helps. Have fun on your trip.

 

[Rhone Man]

Glad you enjoyed yourself. Smart move to visit out of tourist season - lower rates and much less crowded dive boats.

How did you enjoy your stay at Nail Bay?

 

[edpdiver]

Glad you enjoyed yourself. Smart move to visit out of tourist season - lower rates and much less crowded dive boats.

How did you enjoy your stay at Nail Bay?

Hi Rhone Man,

Nail Bay was excellent. Very well run and beautiful area. It wasn't such a smart move to go in July; it was just when it was possible to schedule it. But you are right, it is a great time to go.

Cheers,
Erwin

 

[Dr Dog]

some impressive pictures..

 

[TSandM]

Great photos! We thoroughly enjoyed our BVI trip. I'm glad you posted a report, because it isn't a place people write about very often.

 

[edpdiver]

Great photos! We thoroughly enjoyed our BVI trip. I'm glad you posted a report, because it isn't a place people write about very often.

Thanks. I agree that there is not enough on the web about the BVIs. Probably it is because it is mainly a sailing destination. On the other hand, I have benefited tremendously from the detailed reports by Rhone Man.

Erwin

 

[drrich2]

That's an interesting question (why we don't see more reports about diving the BVI's). There are quite a number of places in the Caribbean that are quite good for diving, but most people can't realistically do all of them, and some are much more popular than others.

I've been to Bonaire and know why it's popular; unmatched shore diving freedom (yes, I've heard about Curacao, with more widely spaces sites, an island road that doesn't hug the shoreline as closely, and longer drives off the main road to get to some sites. The island has it's advantages, too, but Bonaire still gets more attention).

Cozumel's high viz., drift (but comfortable drift in many places, not 'blow you out to sea crazy' drift) diving, nice reefs and fairly cheap airfare and lodging, lots of online reviews and proximity to the U.S. are draws.

So, what would draw the U.S. diving tourist to the British Virgin Islands, as opposed to the U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. Croix), Roatan (e.g.: CocoView) or a trip to the Florida Keys or Cozumel? Are the BVI's a destination you eventually get to 'trying something different,' or are they an underrated destination more people ought to be hitting?

Richard.