St. Thomas · U.S. Virgin Islands · Wall · Reef
Carvel Rock
A canyon with almost vertical walls on the north side
Photo: MartinezMD · CC BY-SA 3.0
Carvel Rock is a line of rocks off St. Thomas whose deepest and best part is a canyon with almost totally vertical walls on the north side. Boats tie in to a mooring on the largest rock, and the current here is checked before every dive, since a drift heads toward Tortola.
Where it is and how deep
18.3642° N, 64.7958° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The descent starts from the mooring ball on the south side of the largest rock. The north side is the deepest part of the site, at 24 m (80 ft), and there the route swims through a canyon whose walls are almost totally vertical.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good |
Season follows St. Thomas: Boats leave daily; June brings resting sharks to the Navy Barges, and May to November is the rainy season.
Know before you go
- The current is checked before every entry; a diver who drifts off the rocks can end up heading toward Tortola.
Sources
- AAdivers dive sites — AA Divers
- Carvel Rock (United States Virgin Islands) — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- A white dive boat moored beside a pale craggy rock in choppy dark blue water, with hilly islands on the horizon by MartinezMD, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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