Page 74 - The Virgin Islands
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CANE BAY: Most popular beach dive as well as boat dive. Accessible also one of the oldest geological areas in the Caribbean. A Hydro lab
from north shore road. 200 yard swim to the wall, drops over 2,000 was here for several years. Scientist would live underwater for a week
feet. A beautiful wall dive. Black coral, pelagic and well as tropical fish. or so doing research on corals and fish life.
Accessible from north shore road. 200 yard swim to the wall, drops LITTLE COZUMEL - has a small wall starting at 40 feet and is vertical
over 2,000 feet. Beautiful wall dive along with great coral gardens just to 72 feet. On top lots of coral soft and hard. Seahorses can be found
before the wall in 30 feet of water. Sometimes you may see reef sharks here. Nice sloping reefs with a large abundance of lobster. Both green
out in the blue. The beach is also a great place to chill out before and and spotted eels live here. At the 50 foot range, beautiful corals with
after your dive. If you are shore diving, make sure and enter and exit tons of fish life.
the water at the boat ramp due to the shallow reefs that run on either NORTH STAR: Named after the sugar plantation on the shore. Verti-
side. Swim straight out from the boat ramp, and drop down when you cal drop off starting at 25 feet plunging down to 2,000. Schooling fish
please. This wall starts in about 30 feet of water straight out from the everywhere. This is one of the most dramatic walls dives on the island
boat ramp. Go East for a deeper profile, and west for a shallower dive. which can also be done from shore when conditions are calm. This
CRAIGS CANYON: deep canyon starts in 40 feet sand bottom 20 feet site is known for hawksbill turtles, and an occasional reef shark mov-
across. Lots of over hangs. Lobster, file fish, durgons and eels. Soft and ing along the wall. Large schools of Horse-eye Jacks can also be seen.
hard corals in abundance. On top, you will run into your schools of Blue Tangs, along with many
DAVIS BAY - Great wall dive with the potential for larger sharks here other species of tropical fish.
such as tiger and black tip. Shallows ruined by hotel construction and RUST-OP-TWIST - named after a sugar plantation. One time home to
hurricanes. There are lots of cuts and mini canyons on this site, and a shrimp farm. Pipes for the deep water intake still underwater. This
after about 65’ the wall turns to sand and slopes out to the deep blue. area has the deepest water closet to shore in the Caribbean. Healthy
This site is also a good area to see Southern Stingrays on top of the wall corals, black durgons, snappers, lobster and eels. Black coral on the
moving along the sand. wall. Two moorings on this wall site. Known for tube and rope spong-
EAST WALL - is in 40 feet of water, the back of the boat usually es, sea fans and gorgonians, the gradual sloping reef has innumerable
hangs in 1,000 feet. Tons of sponges soft and hard corals. Two types of ledges and crevices that often shelter orange spotted filefish, juvenile
black coral, the green and pink ones. Lots of pelagic and tropical fish. burrfish, clinging crabs, slipper lobsters, and lizard fish. A good site for
Grouper, snapper, eels, conch, lobster and crab are found here. Usually encountering turtles.
very clear water. This is a very historical site. Columbus came here
on his second trip to American. He had 17 ships with him. First time
that there was bloodshed between Native Americans and Europeans.
Columbus took some of the capture Indians back with him. This site is