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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 · Cave & cavern

Joe's Cave

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

Area photo: O'Dea · CC BY-SA 4.0

Joe's Cave is a boulder dive tucked against West Dog that finishes in a shallow cavern under the island. Rated novice, it is a scenery dive more than a marine-life one, and the cavern is often filled with glassy sweepers.

Also known as Joe’s Cave, Joe's Cave (West Dog).

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Joe's Cave: typical dive 6–14 m (20–46 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit6 m14 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

18.4835° N, 64.4725° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The route winds among large boulders stacked against West Dog, some of them up to 8 m (25 ft) high, at depths down to 14 m (45 ft). At the end of the dive divers shallow up into 6 m (20 ft) of water and enter Joe's Cave, a small cavern that runs under the island and is often filled with a school of glassy sweepers.

Marine life and season

  • Reef fish swarms
Month-by-month season rating for Joe's Cave
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.

Sources

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

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The Chimney

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The Flintstones

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Wall to Wall

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