LET’S GO DIVING IN THE BVI’s By Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger
When the trials and tribulations of the work week get you down, head to a dive destination that will clear your head and put a twinkle in your eye.
British Virgin Islands is nature’s hidden paradise with a combination of mountainous terrain and magnificent clear blue seas. Island hopping is a favorite on a liveaboard sailboat. Get to know fellow divers in a more intimate setting. But if you happen to be a landlubber, stay at any of the friendly and discrete accommodations and put daily dives on your ‘to do’ list. With some of the best diving sites in the world and the best wreck diving, BVI can boast the most enjoyable underwater experiences you may ever encounter.
Coral Gardens may seem like your traditional dive site reaching down to 50 feet, but with the remains of a small inter-island commuter plane housing a colony of fish, a barracuda and an occasional turtle, it is a definite must do dive site.
Another famous dive location that makes for a scenic morning is The Chimney (Great Dog). This dive takes you down to 45 feet and leads you through a small canyon. The top of the walls form an archway covered in multi-colored sponges and delicate orange cup corals. Large coral formations are a wonder of nature. For the more adventurous diver, Shark Point is right up your alley. At the deepest depth of 70 feet, you will swim along a ledge loaded with snappers, angelfish, grunts and lobsters. Look for sharks, rays and Atlantic Spadefish. Explore small caves and keep an eye out for tarpon.
One of the more spectacular and advanced dives is The Invisibles. The reef is painted in prolific sponges and corals. Due to the strong current, you will find a large amount of fish.
For wreck divers, the dive of the RMS RHONE is not to be missed. Gaining notoriety for its use in the movie ‘The Deep’ where a scene was filmed in the wreck, this ship was sunk in 1867 so you can imagine the huge variety of marine life to be seen. The wreck has been voted the #1 wreck in the Caribbean by Sport Diver and Scuba Diving Magazine. Numerous artifacts are still visible and you will be able to swim through the intact bow section and under the stern near the 15 foot propeller. Peer into the ominous eyes of the giant green moray and get up close and personal with octopus. Whether you take this in on a morning or an afternoon or an evening or all three, the memories will be lasting.
Of course for all non-divers, there are quiet sandy beaches to relax on and ‘The Baths’ at Virgin Gorda as a must do. Giant boulders or batholiths, brought to the surface by volcanic eruptions, form tranquil pools for swimming and snorkeling.
The food is equally as scrumptious and always served with a friendly smile and an accommodating attitude.
If it happens to be a full moon while you are in Tortola, British Virgin Islands vacationing, head on over to Bomba’s Shack for the wild full-moon party and drink some of Bomba’s renowned tea.
Take a break in the land of dreams and promises. It will lure you to its land year after year and send you back to work in a relaxed state of mind.
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