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Close-up of a lizardfish head with mottled green and brown skin, an orange-ringed eye and a long yellow-edged mouth — St. Thomas

St. Thomas · U.S. Virgin Islands · Reef

Cow Rock

A series of swim-throughs cut through the rock

Area photo: Becky A. Dayhuff, Environmental Educator · Public domain

Cow Rock is a rock formation off St. Thomas, right next to Calf Rock but a different dive altogether, and it stays within 14 m (45 ft). Divers come for its series of swim-throughs, and tarpon and usually a turtle or two keep them company around the rocks.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Cow Rock: typical dive to 14 m (to 46 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit14 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

18.3036° N, 64.8477° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The route threads the swim-throughs that run through the formation, never deeper than 14 m (45 ft). Any number of small critters live in the crevices along the passages, so the walls of the swim-throughs are where to look for them.

Marine life and season

  • Sea turtles
Month-by-month season rating for Cow Rock
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodGoodGoodFairPrimeFairFairFairFairFairGood

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

  • With enough wave action, the swim-through called the Champagne Cork sucks a diver up and pushes them out of the top of the rock.

Dive videos

Diving Cow Rock, St. Thomas USVI · Dudley Sparks on YouTube

Sources

  1. AAdivers dive sites — AA Divers
  2. OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap

More dive sites in St. Thomas

Wall

Buck Island Wall

Stingrays and eagle rays cruising a multi-level reef wall

9–21 mintermediate

Wreck

Cartanza Sr. Wreck

Intact engines on a shipping vessel broken into three pieces

to 12 mbeginner

Wall

Carvel Rock

A canyon with almost vertical walls on the north side

to 24 mintermediate

Wreck

Miss Opportunity

A former hospital ship and office complex lying on her side

12–27 mintermediate

Pinnacle

Packet Rock

Lots of barracudas around rocks in the middle of the cut

to 15 mbeginner

Reef

Wye Reef

Huge barrel sponges on terraced rock groupings

to 18 mbeginner

Similar dives elsewhere

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One of only three marked underwater trails in the United States

9–12 mbeginner

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A park reef 25 minutes out, split into three dive points

to 12 m · max 16 mbeginner

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Rocky rises in 4–8 m at the mouth of Simpson Bay, the discovery-dive site

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Jack Neil Point

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to 12 mbeginner