Heading to BVI in two weeks! Suggestions??!

[Chris Park]

So i am heading out to the British Virgin Islands in two weeks for a 10day catamaran charter with the family. I am bringing all equipment but tanks of course and i am interested in stocking the boat with a few tanks and rendezvous diving most days. If anybody has experience diving around here please any suggestions would be great!! Can't wait!!
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[Chris Park]

After some further searching i have found more info on diving the area however i am really interested if anybody here has dove off a chartered boat while down there. or any rendezvous diving experience down there. Thanks!

 

[diversteve]

No experience with either except that we dove a week with DiveBVI last April. They're one of two diveops that I'm aware of that do rendezvous diving - the other being Blue Island Divers on Tortola. I can't say enough good things about the service we received from DiveBVI, they're friendly and efficient as well as a lot of fun.

Don't miss diving the Rhone, I don't like wreck diving generally but it was pretty spectacular, well preserved for being so old. And huge.

We also did great dives off the Indians and the Dogs(islands). I really liked diving Seal Dog Rock, it's a pinnacle swarming with baitfish. Aquarium Rocks just off Virgin Gorda was probably the most fish we saw.

A good snorkel(not dive) and must see is the Baths on Virgin Gorda. From the boat, just moor and swim in.

The beach barbeque at Leverick Bay Yacht Club on Friday night is legend. And don't miss the Willy T for lunch.

Vgdiver here is DiveBVI's GM.

 

[eagleray2003]

Also check out Sail Caribbean Divers, www.sailcaribbean divers.com best boats on the island, they operate out of the Sunsail marina and do loads of rendevous diving.
Keep in mind you do not need to rent tanks or weights if you are rendevous diving, they are supplied.
I live on Tortola so can help mwith anything you may need.

 

[Boat Chick]

After some further searching i have found more info on diving the area however i am really interested if anybody here has dove off a chartered boat while down there. or any rendezvous diving experience down there. Thanks!

Chris, what charter company are you using? We chartered a cat in 2006 through the Moorings. It was one of the best vacations we have taken. We also used Dive BVI and they were awesome. Came to the boat, picked us up, took us on dives, then dropped us back at the cat when we were done. We are going again in 2008, and this time we will just rent the tanks and do our own thing. At the Moorings site, they have a dive shop and you can get your tanks there, and it was my understanding that you could call them and they would pick up the empties, and drop off fills for you.

There is a plane wreck of one of the George's (can't remember which one now, I'd have to look in my log book). It was originally in the water at the end of the runway at Tortola, but the tourism board decided that a plane in the water at the end of the runway wasn't good for business, so they moved it off one of the George's. It's a small one, but you can go in the back door, open the overhead bins to see if anything is inside, and then go out by the cockpit, it's sort of a fun thing to do.

 

[Chris Park]

thanks so much for the info guys. Cynde, i have a great book on diving BVI written by a couple that lives down there. they mention that plane, sounds cool. sjspeck, i thought i had heard that the Willy T has been sunk and can now be dived?? i was bummed, was looking forward to the waterski lined with shotglasses. haha. eagleray, thanks for replying, if you don't mind i may find myself sending you some private messages with a few questions. I plan to do a lot of rendezvous diving but i would like to have tanks aboard as well as my brother and i plan to often suck some gas while the rest of the bunch snorkels shallow reefs. Im a photographer so i love diving 15-20ft to just spend some time shooting. Also, I'll be on Tortola for 3 days before any of the rest of the gang get there and i'd love to get wet, are there any good day dives you can recommend to do to start the trip off. I think im saving the rhone for towards the end of the trip as thats when our boats will be passing through the area. Thanks again!!

 

[LOOPS]

Definitely don't miss diving the Rhone but also try and get to Grand Central Station. That was such a fun dive with lots of things to look at and places to explore...

 

[slingshot]

I second Grand Central Station. It was my favorite dive when I visited the BVIs. However, IIRC, it is up north and probably not served by rendezvous dive companies. As it is a cavern dive, I wouldn't go without a guide familiar with the site.

 

[diversteve]

they mention that plane, sounds cool.

The plane is at Coral Gardens. We did it with DiveBVI at night.

sjspeck, i thought i had heard that the Willy T has been sunk and can now be dived?? i was bummed, was looking forward to the waterski lined with shotglasses. haha.

Really?? No way....It was there last April.

The original wooden Willy T did sink some years ago. But I'm pretty sure the new steel boat(bar) is fine.

http://www.williamthornton.com/about.html
http://www.bareboatsbvi.com/norman_island_willy_t.html

 

[Chris Park]

Thanks again for all the tips guys, sjspeck, you're right, i had no clue that there was an upgrade to the older willy T. very happy to hear it is still there. Sounds like a lot of you like DiveBVI. i've also heard good things about Underwater Safaris, any opinions? Thanks again, can't wait to get out of my 7mm and into some warm clear water.