Our visit to Virgin Gorda, BVI, Feb 2017..

[67Satisfaction]

For your entertainment, here is a video I edited of my 14 year old and my visit to Virgin Gorda and Fallen Jerusalem almost a year ago... February 2017. My son's first visit and snorkeling experience. Primarily snorkeling, as I didn't bring the GoPro's dive housing. We explored anywhere we felt like snorkeling, off the beaten track and found good conditions... but that's almost secondary to the people and delicious food on Virgin Gorda..

One day we hired a launch to drop us off on Fallen Jerusalem - we had the island to ourselves.


We are going back again this coming February - we will just see what conditions are like after the BVI were devastated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria - we will rough it as necessary..

Cheers,
- Art

 

[drrich2]

Not a destination I read many reports about. How did you pick it over other options? Think you’d choose it for a dedicated Scuba trip?

Richard.

 

[67Satisfaction]

Good question Richard - thanks for asking.
We basically chose VG for the difficulty of getting there. It's private, relaxed, and friendly.

My first time to VG was in 1989, to think that's almost 30 years ago. We had a hard time getting info on the place, but there is a good dive shop, we called them and got interested. So, we were two couples that went in 89, and we have been going back ever since.

SCUBA DIVING:
- It's most famous site is the nearby wreck of the RMS Rhone about 60ft down. Beautiful wreck, great marine life. The MS Chicuzen is another really good wreck, 80ft down. DiveBVI is the local shop that runs dives there.

- We did a lot of shore diving. More private and we explore places others don't. See the reasons for this below. Rented tanks and got our refills at DiveBVI. Big pelagic life off Copper Mine Point and Stoney Bay, or reef life in Savannah Bay, and South Sound, sometimes we collect conch for dinner.

- Night diving from shore was a whole nother aspect. Fantastic.

THE ISLAND: 75% of visitors are off charter or cruise boats, they all go to the popular places, and head back on board by 3-4pm. So if you rent a house and jeep on the island instead, you can have most of the island to yourself - as you can sort of tell by my video. All of Savannah Bay had one other elderly couple. Long Bay, Handsome Bay, South Sound - there was NOBODY else but us there.. well, except the octopi, turtles, eagle rays, cuttlefish, tarpon, morays, and so on.. pretty nice for people who like privacy.

Luxury comes at a price - conditions are tough on anything manmade, everything has a little wear and tear. Water is scarce, and little nutrition in the soil makes for wildlife that is as tough as nails. Chickens and goats everywhere, ants, lizards, spiders, scorpions, you just live with them all.

This trip was just the two of us. My original dive buddy is no longer alive, so a little sad going back without him. But I checked one item off our bucket list for him: We hired a launch and spent a day snorkeling alone on Fallen Jerusalem, a National Bird Sanctuary. He would've liked that.

Cheers,
- Art

 

[drrich2]

So, we were two couples that went in 89, and we have been going back ever since.

That's a strong endorsement for any destination.

- We did a lot of shore diving.

Okay, this should raise interest in the topic. Many of us love the 'dive freedom' of shore diving, but in the Caribbean/Florida region have precious few mainstream options; judging from other forum discussions, mainly Bonaire, Curacao, Grand Cayman, some at St. Croix (especially the pier; some long swim-out options at Davis Bay & Cane Bay), some Cayman Brac discussion, and in Florida, Blue Heron Bridge (for 1 dive/day) and Lauderdale by the Sea (plus some Boynton Beach options I'm not familiar with). I'm talking warm water, so I'm leaving off California (though if you're cool with cold, that would open a lot of options).

Now you mention Virgin Gorda. Just how nice is the shore diving there? Should shore-diving lovers put it on their to-do list?

There are a number of Caribbean destinations that seem well-liked by those who go, but seldom chosen for dive trips judging by forum trip reports. St. Thomas comes to mind, though a number of us have dove there on cruise ship stops. It's got shopping, white sandy beaches & activities (e.g.: cruise ship-style excursions). So when people post on ScubaBoard asking about a destination for a mixed group of divers & non-divers, why doesn't St. Thomas get mentioned more? St. Croix is one of these possible hidden gems; I finally got curious & took the family to check it out last August (a good trip!). And when I read about the BVI, IIRC, 2 themes come up; diving the wreck of the Rhone, and it's a pretty place to charter a boat and roam around to different islands/places?

But why aren't more of the people headed to Belize (Ambergris Caye), Roatan (those staying near town) & Cayman Brac instead opting for Virgin Gorda?

Disclaimer: I'm not saying any of these is better than any other; I want to tease out the pro.s & con.s driving the decision-making process.

Richard.

P.S.: There are other 'mystery' destinations spoken well of for diving but strangely seldom; Carriacou comes to mind.