Caribbean · British Virgin Islands
Virgin Gorda & the Dog Islands
Arches, canyons and swim-throughs among the Dog Islands, a short boat ride out
Photo: O'Dea · CC BY-SA 4.0
Virgin Gorda is a British Virgin Islands dive base whose most popular sites lie in the Dog Islands, a 15-20 minute boat ride from North Sound. The diving is boulders, ledges, arches and coral canyons at roughly 5–21 m (15–70 ft): the Chimney and Bronco Billy on the Dogs, the Aquarium off Virgin Gorda itself, and the Kodiak Queen wreck off Long Bay. The draw is varied rocky topography within a short boat ride.
About diving in Virgin Gorda & the Dog Islands
Diving here is by day boat: shore diving is virtually absent across the British Virgin Islands. The most popular sites are in the Dog Islands, and where a boat goes on a given day depends on the divers on board and the weather. Almost every major site has a mooring ball maintained by the National Parks Trust, and anchoring on the reefs is strictly prohibited. The northern sites are offshore pinnacles in unsheltered water, prone to stronger currents and rougher surface conditions, and several Dog Islands sites are dived only when the current or the sea allows.
Underwater the Dogs are boulders, ledges, arches and coral canyons. Joe's Cave is entered from 6 m (20 ft) of water at the end of a dive and leads under the island, and Big Grotto's cathedral-like room opens to the surface. The south side of Great Dog has a large traditional coral reef, where turtles and lobsters are often found among the coral heads. Nurse sharks hide under the ledges and boulders at Wall to Wall, and at the Flintstones nurse sharks and the occasional eagle ray pass in the deep.
Most sites suit both novice and experienced divers, and the Chimney, Bronco Billy and Joe's Cave are all rated novice. The current-swept sites are for experienced divers: the Visibles and POS off Cockroach Island are rated intermediate to advanced for variable and sometimes strong currents, and POS is diveable only when the current permits. The Flintstones, a boulder site on West Dog rated intermediate, reaches 21 m (70 ft).
Best time to dive Virgin Gorda & the Dog Islands
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime |
High season on Virgin Gorda runs from mid-December through April. Winter brings clearer but colder water and rougher seas, and in the winter months a site such as Bronco Billy can become impossible to dive. Summer seas tend to be warmer and calmer, with visibility slightly lower from plankton blooms. The Caribbean hurricane season runs from June to the end of November and peaks sharply from late August through September.
Dive types & marine life
Large southern stingrays wait to be cleaned at a station at 23 m (75 ft) in the deeper northern part of the Ledges. The summer months are the time for the wash rocks on George Dog, where bait fish bring in barracuda, mackerel, bonito and large tarpon on calm days.
- Reef
- Cave & cavern
- Wreck
- Stingrays
- Sea turtles
- Reef fish swarms
Best dive sites in Virgin Gorda & the Dog Islands
- 1
The Chimney
One of the best-known Dog Islands dives, on Great Dog: an unusual underwater structure at 9–14 m (30–45 ft)
- 2
Bronco Billy
Reputedly Jacques Cousteau's favourite BVI dive, with some of the best staghorn coral in the area
- 3
Big Grotto
Swim-through under an arch into a cathedral-like room, with schools of creole wrasse
- 4
Wall to Wall
No walls despite the name, but often wall-to-wall fish, and sometimes washed by strong currents
- 5
Kodiak Queen
A Pearl Harbor survivor sunk just off Long Bay as part of the BVI Art Reef
- 6
Joe's Cave
Boulder dive on West Dog ending in a shallow cavern often full of glassy sweepers
- 7
The Aquarium
Popular reef dive on the southwest side of Virgin Gorda itself
Site guides
Cave & cavern
Under an arch into a cathedral-like room open to the surface
Reef
An archway into a reef canyon that opens on an amphitheatre of pillar coral
Reef
A shallow cavern under West Dog, often full of glassy sweepers
Reef
Some of the largest schools of reef fish anywhere in the BVI
Reef
High-walled canyons lead to a massive arch lined with yellow coral
Reef
Boulder city off West Dog, with eagle rays passing in the deep
Reef
No walls, but ledges and boulders sheltering nurse sharks and grunts
How to get to Virgin Gorda & the Dog Islands
Virgin Gorda Airport (VIJ) takes a few approved airlines and operates only from sunrise to sunset. Ferries from Tortola's Beef Island airport make several departures a day. Dive centres work from the Yacht Harbour in Spanish Town and from the Bitter End Yacht Club in North Sound.
Photos from Virgin Gorda & the Dog Islands
User:Mattes · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Sunken Airplane, Barracuda! Virgin Gorda Scuba Coral Gardens w/ Dive BVI Caribbean · honeymoon2 on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How far are the Dog Islands from Virgin Gorda?+
From the Bitter End Yacht Club in North Sound, the Dog Islands are a 15-20 minute boat ride, and the Kodiak Queen lies just off Long Bay on Virgin Gorda itself.
When is the best time to dive Virgin Gorda?+
High season runs from mid-December through April, with clearer but colder water and rougher seas. Summer brings calmer, warmer seas with slightly lower visibility, and the hurricane season peaks from late August through September.
Is Virgin Gorda good for beginner divers?+
Mostly yes. The Chimney is a very sheltered and relatively shallow novice dive, while the northern sites and the current-swept Visibles, POS and Wall to Wall are more advanced dives.
How do divers get to Virgin Gorda?+
Virgin Gorda Airport (VIJ) takes a few approved airlines in daylight only; the alternative is a flight to Tortola's Beef Island airport and one of several daily ferries.
Sources
- Diving - Sunchaser Scuba — Sunchaser Scuba
- Crew - Sunchaser Scuba — Sunchaser Scuba
- BVI Dive Sites — Dive BVI
- Virgin Gorda — Wikivoyage
- Diving in the British Virgin Islands — Wikivoyage
- Road Town Average Sea Temperatures — SeaTemperature.org
Photo credits
- A white dive ship flying a red-and-white dive flag lies at anchor in turquoise water, with a granite boulder in the foreground and a green island behind. by O'Dea, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A white dive boat with racked scuba tanks, a boarding ladder and a large red-and-white dive flag, moored at a marina pier. by User:Mattes, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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