Any advice on diving in/around St. Thomas?

[bsumner]

We dove with Admiralty on St. Thomas in 2008 and I believe their shop is at the hotel where you will be staying. They do a very good job and I can recommend them.

Some friends and I will be on St. Thomas in Charlotte Amalie next month (in the Windward Passage Hotel, if that's important) and we're interested in what dive sites anyone would recommend around there--boat or shore. Distance isn't necessarily that important, since we're planning on renting a car. We're even open to diving around the other islands and/or BVI as well, if it's worth it. We've got 3 days to play around with and would like to squeeze in as much diving as we can. Does anyone have any advice on the most worthwhile places to dive and the best dive boats and dive operations in the area? Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Cheers!

 

[Scuba Laura]

Admiralty Dive Center IS located in the Windward Passage and specializes on the many wrecks and reefs on the south south/west side of St. Thomas. Each charter (2 tank/2 location) usually does a wreck and a reef, giving the divers maximum bottom time and caters to their needs. They do not contract with the cruise ships and take the more serious cruise ship divers when personally contacted by them. With over 60 regularly used dive sites, a repeated dive is unnecessary. The most requested and popular wreck dive is the WIT Shoal and the Miss Opportunity. The Wit Shoal is a WWII LST ship sunk in 90 ft of water covered with sea life which is penetrated. The Miss Opportunity is also an old navy ship sunk at 90 ft and is pentrated from one end to the other. Both, excellent wrecks!!! Why spend your valuable time traveling to sites so far away when you have the best at your fin-tips?

 

[nouse4name]

...cartanza, which is located at buck island is filled with one snorkelers....and novice dives...Blue Water Divers will take you to the really bad A dive spots...

 

[Pelagicus]

From 12/30/2009 to 1/3/2010, I dove 10 times with St. Thomas Scuba Diving - Red Hook Dive Center, including 1 night dive & 1 Nitrox dive. I wholeheartedly recommend them for anyone staying in the Red Hook area (eastern end of St. Thomas). I had the pleasure of meeting all the staff, who are all wonderful & friendly. They are service & safety conscious all the time. I generally prefer my own gear, but Red Hook Dive Center has good gear, which is included in their price. So, its convenient if you don't want deal with the extra luggage for your own gear. However, I still brought my own wetsuit, mask, & boots for optimum fit. Of course, I also brought my computer, but I used their gear for everything else. They are careful to separate beginners & experienced divers so that everyone can get the optimal dive experience & appropriate guidance or attention. Also, when possible, they separate divers with computers from divers using tables, so that no one is limited by someone else's RNT/ABT. Sometimes, one of the staff takes pix which are shared on Facebook for free.

Unfortunately, weather conditions limited us to the dive sites on the South side, but there was lots to see. Most sites are protected, so there were huge 9-10 lb lobsters, nurse sharks, hawksbill turtles, varieties of eel, varieties of parrot fish, varieties of crab (some giant), barracuda, jacks, tarpon, octopi, shrimp, and the usual varieties of tropical fish. Check out their pix on Facebook. Some of the coral was bleaching, but overall, the reefs are relatively healthy.

 

[dhuhman]

Hope you had a great time in the USVI! 84 degreee air temps and 80 degree water temps is hard to beat in California.

Before Christmas this year I received an offer for cheap airfare from LA to St. Thomas, so a couple friends and I jumped on it and booked a mid-January Winter Special with Admiralty Dive Center of St. Thomas USVI. Duane and Laura Hausch run a full-service dive shop in Charlotte Amalie, and partner with a hotel that is only a 1-minute walk from the boat dock. Duane shares boat captain / divemaster / guide duties with John, aka FishButt, and they often have an underwater videographer accompany the dive group.

Most of our dive gear missed the connecting flight, so we used their almost-new rental gear for the first four dives and then mixed and matched for the rest of the trip. Since some of our gear needed a little TLC, Duane (experienced in servicing all makes of gear) even got some of it back in service between trips. We got 9 dives in 4 days, including a night wreck dive, 3 other wrecks, and 2 drift reef dives. John's been known to grab a lobster or two, and if no divers are interested in cooking them he'll give a nature lesson and then get them back in the water to live another day.

If you are headed to St. Thomas for diving, check out Admiralty Dive Center. They go the extra fathom to ensure a safe, affordable, enjoyable, and memorable dive trip