St. Thomas USVI

[jbm]

It turns out I will be visiting St. Thomas in fairly short order.

Having never been to USVI, I am looking for any information board members would care to share.

I'm looking for dive opportunities, operators etc. as well as any shoreside activities and locations you feel are worthwhile.

Thanks in advance; jbm

 

[Randy Roxson]

My wife and I went there in April 02. Dove 3 days with Chris Sawyer Dive Center. Excellent operator. Don't go without diving the Rhone. St. Thomas itself is kind of a dump. St. John Island is much better. Diving, however is great!

Randy Roxson

 

[MaresMan1]

:doctor:

I did my certs in St. Thomas a while ago. My son is a dive instructor there at Blue Island Divers. Lots of non-diving tourists but the diving can be really nice. Lot of places to dive with lots to see. St. Thomas is a cruise ship island with an American twist, so there tons of vacationers. However there are some great dives to be had, warn water and the vis is quite good. St. Thomas and St. John are close to each other so you can easily dive both with a little planning. St Croix is approx 2 hours away by boat (30min by puddle jumper plane). The list below is what you can dive as far as I know. I have listed them by experience (got the data from my son). ENJOY!

Carval Rock Advanced
Congo Cay Novice
Grass Cay Novice
Tunnels at Thatch Cay

 

[MaresMan1]

:doctor:

I did my certs in St. Thomas a while ago. My son is a dive instructor there at Blue Island Divers. Lots of non-diving tourists but the diving can be really nice. Lot of places to dive with lots to see. St. Thomas is a cruise ship island with an American twist, so there are tons of vacationers. However there are some great dives to be had, warm water and the vis is quite good. St. Thomas and St. John are close to each other so you can easily dive both with a little planning. St Croix is approx 2 hours away by boat (30min by puddle jumper plane). The list below is what you can dive as far as I know. I have listed them by experience (got the data from my son). ENJOY!

Carval Rock Advanced
Congo Cay Novice w/instructor
Grass Cay Novice
Tunnels at Thatch Cay Novice w/instuctor
General Rogers Intermediate
Little St. James Novice
Cow and Calfs Rock Novice w/instuctor
Capella Island Novice w/instuctor
Casterner Senior Novice
Ledges French Cap Cay Intermediate
Pinnacle French Cap Cay Intermediate
Saba Island Intermediate

Tunnels is a blast as you swim into a current driven cavern (not heavy current) that pushes you out of the distant end (about 60ft). Like riding the rapids; lots of fun.

The advanced stuff and great wall diving is at St.Croix, Buck Island. Never been there so I can't say how good. The dive site are:

The Barge Novice w/instuctor
Little Cozumel Novice w/instuctor
East Wall Intermediate
West Wall Intermediate
Rust Op Twist Novice w/instuctor
Cane Bay Novice w/instuctor
Jimmy's Surprise Intermediate w/instuctor
West Palm Beach Novice w/instuctor
Northstar Wall Intermediate
Butler Bay Intermediate
Frederiksted Pier Novice (Good night dive)

Some much to see, so much to do. Have fun

:mean:

 

[scorpionfish]

Hi, gang!

I cannot add much to what MaresMan wrote except to say that Blue Island Divers is an excellent outfit AND that I think the diving on that side of the island is better than the northeastern side. Oh, yes, I should add that Frank and Marion, the owners, are great folks!

For a superb dinner, go to Herve's on the hill. If you have car, it can be a test to get there the first time--a cab will do just fine!

The walls of St. Croix are, I think, the best diving in the vicinity.

I feel the need to dissent on the HMS Rhone. It is not in great shape and, if you are not the first boat on the scene, you will likely be doing a muck dive. In general, if you really want to dive the Rhone, I recommend two courses:

(1) Go from the BVI side since you are likely to be the first boat,
(2) Do a night dive--spectacular corals!

Finally, if you are on the northeast side of the island, Chris Sawyer's is a class outfit--and, if you are lucky, you will have Frank Vince as your DM.

Scorpionfish

 

[GUEdiver]

Great to see others recommending Blue Island Divers. I just dove with them last week. Did seven dives, and what a super experience it was. I'll post a full trip report shortly, but suffice it to say that they were one of the best operators I have ever used.

The reefs in St. Thomas are pretty good, about par with some of the Florida Keys if you've been there. I enjoyed the wrecks the most, particularly the SS Grainton and the WIT Shoal II. Check out www.blueislanddivers.com to see great photos and history of the wreck sites. Co-owner Aitch was very friendly, knowledgable, and quite helpful.

I agree with comments above that St. Thomas itself is a bit crowded and not nearly as nice at St. John. If you like to shop, shop, shop, St. Thomas might be nice for you, but I far prefer the outdoor fun of St. John. There's shopping there too, but not so "touristy."

Enjoy, and let me know if you have additional questions.

 

[DiverBuoy]

Trip report BVI

I prefer the smaller mom-and-pop shop to the larger groups. So I prebooked with Admiralty Dive and I wasn't disappointed!

 

[DiverBuoy]

I leave tomorrow night (Friday 1-24-03) will be visiting Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel - via cruise ship.

 

[jbm]

Thanks for the great information.......much appreciated!

rgds; jbm

 

[A. J. Shark]

I am also going to St. Thomas fairly soon. I hope that you have fun, and let me know where the party spots are!! ut:
- A J