Any Great Diving BVI?

[Mark424]

I've only done a couple dives in BVI 15 years ago and wasn't so impressed. Vis on the Rhone wasn't great, so so coral. Some friends are doing a sailing charter and asked us to come, but we are thinking we'd like to find a vacation with better diving. Are we wrong? Are there any great spots in BVI? I found a bunch of trip reports here, but hard to compare with other places.

For reference we've been to Cozumel and Bonaire several times, Coral Sea, Palau, Rangiroa, Fiji, GBR, so the our bar is petty high.

Maybe Belize or La Paz instead, or back to Bonaire.

Thanks

Mark

[TSandM]

I didn't do any dives in the BVI that compared with Rangiroa -- but then again, I haven't done much diving ANYWHERE that did. I did think the BVI diving was better than Hawaii or Tahiti, and the whole experience of sailing and diving was well worth it. If your friends are doing a crewed charter, all I can say is GO. We have done three. They are the closest I've come in my life to being an Arab sheikh. Waiting on hand and foot, every desire anticipated and fulfilled before I knew I had it . . . it's pretty amazingly plush. The diving is good as well. You don't do the trip for the diving, you do it for the total experience. If you haven't read my trip report from our one diving trip to the BVI, it's fairly detailed and has a lot of photos.

[Rhone Man]

I always describe diving in the BVI as "middle third" as far as Caribbean diving goes. Not as good as Saba, Little Cayman or Turks & Caicos. About the same as St Lucia or Dominica. Better than Dominican Republic or St Martin.

At the risk of sounding disingenuous, I think you would find diving in the BVI better now than it was 15 years ago. I have been diving the BVI off and on for a little over 30 years now, and over the last 10 years there has been a noticeable improvement in the quality of the marine life. I don't know for certain, but I think this is probably down to two things: (1) all official dive sites now have national park mooring balls on them, which minimises the damage previously done by anchoring boats, and (2) as the BVI has prospered as a financial centre, more and more people who used to work as fishermen now work as lawyers, bankers and accountants. Certainly when I compare the number of turtles, lobsters and sharks that I see now as against what I used to see when I was a kid, it really is apples and oranges (and that's why we keep log books for all those years!).

If you do come down to BVI, it helps if you can try and dive some of the less commonly dived sites. Don't get pushed into doing the same-old same-old: Indians, Angel Fish Reef, The Rhone again. Try and head out and dive Santa Monica, Devil's Kitchen and The Chikuzen. If you can get really off-piste and do Tow Rock or Mercurious Rock, so much the better (although they don't have mooring balls on them, so take a good guide)!

But I still wouldn't pick BVI over (say) Saba or Turks.

[TSandM]

The Chikuzen was a great dive, and I'm not even a wreck person.

[TN Traveler]

Having recently done a sailing liveaboard in the BVIs, I would say you got lots of good advice above. It was the total experience that made it a great week but if your goal is great diving, day after day, there are better locations. I think Rhone Man's evaluation was spot on.

[VGdiver]

I think that BVI diving is pretty nice, having logged over 1000 dives here in the last 8 years. "Great" is really subjective, to me, it depends on what you are looking for and what your expectations are going in. For consistently nice conditions, both topside and u/w, the BVI is a good bet. Quick boat trips, long dives, and warm water are my criteria for "great" to "pretty good" diving. That and the fact that I can get 3 bottles of Rum for $15!!!

Jeff

[PatW]

I have been to the BVI's twice. I have been diving to Little Cayman, Salt Cay (Turks and Caicos), South Caicos (Turks and Caicos), Roatan (Honduras), Key Largo (FL), and Pompano Beach (FL).

Comparing the diving is sort of a subjective thing because it depends on what you how you rate things. Do you like wrecks? sharks? turtles? wrecks? healthy corals? small critters? The diving in the BVI's is fun. I thought the fishing pressure had done in most of the large fish. The best places I have seen for large stuff have been Little Cayman and Key Largo. South Caicos has the best pelagics.

I think that the BVI's do not rank on the top of the list for scuba diving in the Carribean. So if you are going to dive and only to dive, it is not the top spot you can go. The topside activities on Tortola are really good. It is an interesting island. My wife and I are happy going and doing dive, dive and more dive. We have gone to the BVI's twice with non diving friends. We got to do nice diving and poke around a really nice island. It made for a good change of pace.

I pretty much agree with VGdiver and Rhone Man.