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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 — Virgin Gorda & the Dog Islands.

Virgin Gorda & the Dog Islands · British Virgin Islands · Reef

Bronco Billy

An archway into a reef canyon that opens on an amphitheatre of pillar coral

Area photo: O'Dea · CC BY-SA 4.0

Bronco Billy is a novice reef dive off George Dog, reputedly Jacques Cousteau's favourite dive in the British Virgin Islands. It has some of the best staghorn coral in the area, and its arch, canyon and amphitheatre make a shallow route that suits a second dive or an afternoon dive.

Also known as Bronco Billy (George Dog).

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Bronco Billy: typical dive 6–14 m (20–46 ft), deepest point 15 m (50 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit6 m14 m15 m maxtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

18.4927° N, 64.4563° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

An archway leads into a shallow canyon cut through the reef. On the far side of the canyon the reef curves round to form an amphitheatre, with soft pillar corals standing in its centre. Staghorn coral grows across the site, and the dive stays between 6 and 14 m (20 and 45 ft), reaching 15 m (50 ft) at most.

Marine life and season

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

Month-by-month season rating for Bronco Billy
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodGoodFairFairGoodGoodPrime

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.

Know before you go

  • In the winter months sea conditions can make the site impossible to dive.

Dive videos

Bronco Billy dive site on DPVs, British Virgin Islands · DIVE BVI on YouTube

Sources

  1. BVI Dive Sites — Dive BVI
  2. Diving - Sunchaser Scuba — Sunchaser Scuba

More dive sites in Virgin Gorda & the Dog Islands

Cave & cavern

Big Grotto

Under an arch into a cathedral-like room open to the surface

5–20 mintermediate

Reef

Joe's Cave

A shallow cavern under West Dog, often full of glassy sweepers

6–14 mbeginner

Reef

The Aquarium

Some of the largest schools of reef fish anywhere in the BVI

to 11 mbeginner

Reef

The Chimney

High-walled canyons lead to a massive arch lined with yellow coral

9–14 mbeginner

Reef

The Flintstones

Boulder city off West Dog, with eagle rays passing in the deep

9–21 mintermediate

Reef

Wall to Wall

No walls, but ledges and boulders sheltering nurse sharks and grunts

9–23 m · max 24 madvanced

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