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Snorkellers spread across turquoise water over a dark reef line, with waves breaking on the horizon under a pale sky — Prickly Pear Reef, Anguilla

Anguilla · Anguilla · Reef · Cave & cavern

Prickly Pear Reef

A canyon of ledges and caves with a rock chimney

Photo: Terrazzo · CC BY-SA 2.0

Prickly Pear Reef is an underwater canyon off the Prickly Pear Cays, a marine park off Anguilla. Its ledges and caves run from 12 to 21 m (40 to 70 ft), with a chimney-like formation in the rock, and nurse sharks rest on the sand under the overhangs.

Also known as Prickly Pear Cays, Prickly Pear Islands.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Prickly Pear Reef: typical dive 12–21 m (40–70 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit12 m21 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

18.2670° N, 63.1830° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The canyon starts at 12 m (40 ft) and deepens to 21 m (70 ft), its walls cut with ledges and caves. One feature is a chimney-like formation in the rock. Under the overhangs of the caverns, nurse sharks lie resting on the sandy bottom, so the ledges are worth checking one by one.

Background

The Prickly Pear Cays have been designated a marine park with permanent moorings. Taking coral or shells from the seabed is banned outright, and spearfishing is not allowed. With the Seal Island Reefs, the cays form a marine park designated by the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources, one of the six marine protected areas of Anguilla.

Marine life and season

  • Reef sharks
Month-by-month season rating for Prickly Pear Reef
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodFairFairFairFairFairGood

Season follows Anguilla: January to April is the high season; July to November brings the risk of tropical storms and hurricanes.

Sources

  1. Prickly Pear Cays — Wikipedia
  2. Seal Island, Anguilla — Wikipedia
  3. Anguilla dive travel guide — Scubaverse

Photo credits

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