Reefwander
Coral-encrusted iron frames of the RMS Rhone standing in a line on the seabed off Salt Island.

RMS Rhone & Salt Island · British Virgin Islands · Pinnacle · Coral garden

The Indians

Four pinnacles and coral gardens, all inside 15 m

Area photo: Gareth Richards · CC BY 3.0

Four rock pinnacles standing out of the water in the western BVI, dived as a shallow site with nothing below 15 m. Coral gardens fill the ground between the rocks and the tops hold shallow pools, which is why local operators rate it beginner level and put snorkellers over the same four pinnacles while a dive group is down.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of The Indians: typical dive to 15 m (to 50 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit15 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

18.3318° N, 64.6288° WPublished position for this site.

The dive

The site is four rock pinnacles, and the dive works around them in the shallows rather than following one route out and back. Coral gardens fill the ground between the pinnacles, and nothing on the dive goes below 15 m, so the profile stays flat and a tank lasts. Local operators rate the site beginner level, which is the level the depth and the terrain here actually ask for.

The tops of the rocks hold shallow pools, and that shallow ground is the other half of why the site is used the way it is: snorkellers can cover the same four pinnacles from the surface while divers are down on them, so one boat can run both. The rocks take their name from sailors who thought they resembled Native American tepees.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for The Indians
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodGoodFairFairFairGoodPrime

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.

Dive videos

SCUBA dive the Indians - Norman Island - BVI · Sal Delello on YouTube

Questions divers ask

Is The Indians good for beginners?+

Yes. Local operators rate it beginner level and the dive stays inside 15 m, working around four pinnacles with coral gardens between them and shallow pools at the top of the rocks.

Sources

  1. Dive Sites — Sail Caribbean Divers
  2. Dive Sites — Sail Caribbean Divers
  3. OpenStreetMap Nominatim: The Indians — OpenStreetMap

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