Diving in the BVI
“The best way to observe a fish is to become a fish” – Jacques Cousteau
Most of us learn how to swim at an early age, be it in a pool, a lake or an ocean. As we grow up, we learn different skills and begin to explore the water world around us. My parents taught me how to swim very early on, in fact one of my first experiences in the water with arm bands on was off of our boat, Endless Summer II in Peter Island in over 30ft of water. Needless to say, I became a water baby.
I can’t remember how old I was when I was taught how to snorkel but I know that my life changed when I put on that mask and saw the underwater world. Being able to breathe via the snorkel and seeing the fish clearly swim by with the help of my mask was eye opening. The next logical step was learning how to dive. At age 12, the earliest legal age possible to learn at the time, I went straight to the dive shop and signed up.
In the BVI, we have numerous dive sites, which range from wall drops to wrecks to easy reefs. The wildlife differs greatly from site to site as well. At the Rainbow Canyons site at Pelican Island you are guaranteed to see turtles. Kelsie Foley, an instructor from Blue Water Divers, has named them all and her favourite is Squeaky.
Our famous wrecks include the RMS Rhone, which sank in 1867 off of Salt Island in a hurricane. This wreck was used in filming the movie The Deep starring Jacqueline Bisset in 1977. There are a few new interactive dive sites, which were built by a local non-profit organization called Beyond the Reef. These sites include the Willy T, which sank during Hurricane Irma, and the Sharkplaneo’s. The Willy T was sank off of Peter Island and rebar pirates were placed on the boat. You can walk the 
plank, play cards and pose in the crows nest all in about 65ft of water! The Sharkplaneo’s are old planes which have been modified to look like sharks! The planes look like a Bull Shark, Nurse Shark and a Hammerhead Shark. They were sunk off of Great Dog Island in about 45ft of water. It is an odd combination but these works of art are fantastic and fun to dive!
Whether you are a complete novice or an avid diver, it doesn’t matter; the BVI has a site for you! Our clear waters, ample underwater life and abundance of sites make this a must do activity when visiting the BVI. The staff at Blue Water Divers, located in Nanny Cay and a short drive from the villa, will ensure you have the time of your life!
