RMS Rhone & Salt Island · British Virgin Islands · Reef
Carval Rock
A rocky islet between Ginger and Cooper, sloping to 30 m
Area photo: Gareth Richards · CC BY 3.0
An uninhabited rocky islet standing between Ginger and Cooper islands, dived as the slope that falls away from the rock. Most of the dive sits in about 14 metres, but the ground keeps going and reaches roughly 30 if you follow it all the way down. That split gives a group with mixed certifications an easy way to share one mooring.
Also known as Carvel Rock.
Where it is and how deep
18.3830° N, 64.4940° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Carval Rock is a bare islet between Ginger and Cooper islands, and the dive is simply the ground falling away from it. From the mooring the slope starts shallow, and most of the dive happens in about 14 metres, working around the rock with structure on one side and open water on the other. That depth suits a long, unhurried circuit rather than a fast lap.
If you want depth, the slope does not stop. Follow it all the way down and you reach about 30 metres, far enough that it has to be a deliberate part of the plan rather than something you drift into. The usual shape is a look at the deep end early on, then back up onto the shallow shoulder for the rest of the dive at 14 metres or less, which also leaves the option of moving to a neighbouring mooring for the second tank.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows RMS Rhone & Salt Island: Nov–Jun is calmest and clearest; Aug–Oct hurricane season brings swell that can close the exposed Rhone site entirely.
Know before you go
- The slope runs from 14 m to about 30 m with nothing to mark the change, so it is easy to go deeper than planned; set a hard depth before you drop in.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Carval Rock?+
Most of the dive is in about 14 metres. If you follow the slope all the way down it reaches roughly 30 metres, which turns it into a deep dive rather than the easy circuit most groups do.
Sources
- Diving in the British Virgin Islands — Wikivoyage
More dive sites in RMS Rhone & Salt Island
Wreck
A 1988 refrigeration ship at 23 m, a long run offshore
Coral ridges in north-south lines with sand lanes between
Wall
A three-step wall with different growth on every ledge
A reef the length of Ginger Island's calm north side
Reef
Pillar and black coral at 21 m with pelagics passing through
Overhangs and a gentle slope in 6 to 15 m off Cooper Island
Pinnacle
A thumb-shaped rock, mostly inside 15 m, in clear water
Wreck
Four scuttled hulls on one mooring, from 20 to 27 m
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