
Virgin Gorda & the Dog Islands · British Virgin Islands · Cave & cavern · Reef
Big Grotto
Under an arch into a cathedral-like room open to the surface
Area photo: O'Dea · CC BY-SA 4.0
Big Grotto is a swim-through dive whose route passes under an arch into a cathedral-like room that opens to the surface. It ranges from 5 to 20 m (15 to 65 ft) and is a good place for schools of creole wrasse and for small critters such as cleaner shrimps and arrow crabs.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Virgin Gorda & the Dog Islands and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The dive is built around a swim-through: divers pass under an arch and into a cathedral-like room that leads up to the surface. Schools of creole wrasse gather around the grotto, and the rock walls hide cleaner shrimps and arrow crabs. The site spans 5 to 20 m (15 to 65 ft).
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows Virgin Gorda & the Dog Islands: High season runs from mid-December through April, when winter seas are rougher but clearer; hurricane risk peaks from late August through September.
Sources
- Diving - Sunchaser Scuba — Sunchaser Scuba
More dive sites in Virgin Gorda & the Dog Islands
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An archway into a reef canyon that opens on an amphitheatre of pillar coral
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A shallow cavern under West Dog, often full of glassy sweepers
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Some of the largest schools of reef fish anywhere in the BVI
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High-walled canyons lead to a massive arch lined with yellow coral
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Boulder city off West Dog, with eagle rays passing in the deep
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No walls, but ledges and boulders sheltering nurse sharks and grunts
Similar dives elsewhere
Coral chimneys that fill with silversides in high summer
A cavern mouth at 24 metres, just past The Maze
Canyons and tunnels, a mini wall and a white sand plain
An 1872 anchor ringed by grunts beside a cavern labyrinth

