Rhone Man's British Virgin Islands diving guide

[Rhone Man]

Rhoneman,
I dived a site called Mousetrap in 2006. It was given a 5 star rating by Fromer's Cruising Guide. The winter conditions were terrible. Ground seas rolling in from the northwest. worst surge I've ever been in. Visibility about 5-10 feet. What I could make out looked like it would be awesome in easy, clear conditions.

Do you know this site? Ever tried it?

Do you know it by another name? It is located off the bluffs along the south side of Lee Bay on Great Camanoe Island.

I have never heard of this site outside of the mentioned cruising (for sailors) guide.

Never heard of a site by that name, but I believe there is a site usually called "The Maze" in the area you describe on Great Camanoe. That is the only site I have ever heard of on Great Camanoe, so I am guessing that must be it. I have never dived it myself though. Most of the sites in that area can get pretty hairy when the North West surge comes in. I have dived sites up there in about 3-5 feet viz. Yuck.

 

[diggerled]

Thanks for the reply Rhoneman. The reason I was curious about that site is because were considering chartering a yacht in June thinking all the sites that we could not dive in January may be doable at that time.
We chartered there in '03, '04, '05, and '06. All in January. Rough diving weather prevented us from diving many of the pinnacle sites, the Tabagos (recommended by dive shop), some sites at The Dogs, and the above described site at Lee Bay. We did dive the north west corner of the bay once. That dive was one of my very first in open water. My first thirty or so dives were in the BVI.

 

[VGdiver]

In June, we can get to most sites unless there's some real squirrely weather around. Lee Bay has some great little areas for poking around, excellent for macro shots if you've got the gear. It's the only place I've found some pretty rare critters (at least according to local scientists) consistently. Just a few bays north is a place called Bail's Ground. Great snorkeling along the rocks if you have an eye for the unusual. There should be loads of tarpon around as well if the baitfish are stacking in there like normal.
Jeff

 

[Barry Goode]

Where did you stay on Virgin Gorda? Was there a dive shop on site? Would you stay here if you went back?

Thanks!

I just returned from a trip to Virgin Gorda. I had read this thread before going, and I found it helpful. I have been to the BVIs a few tmes previously, but had not been to all of the sites listed. I thought that I would give my two cents, for what it is worth.

Generally, I agree with the ratings with a few exceptions. First, my favorite dives from this trip were the Rhone, Thumb Rock, Blonde Rock, the Chimney, and Painted Walls. Obviously, I disagree with Rhone Man about Painted Walls. I liked the topography enough to make up for the relatively small size of the site. I also disagree somewhat with the assessment of Ginger Steps. It was a nice site, but I thought that the health of the corals was just okay, and not great. It is worth diving, for sure, but I would not rank it as highly as Rhone Man. Of course, everyone comes away from dives with their own personal viewpoint, and I want to thank Rhone Man for the excellent descriptions and guidance. I found his post very useful.

I dove with DiveBVI out of Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour. They were great. I have previously gone on dives with UBS, and I rate them highly, too.

Here is a link to my pics from our March 2009 trip.

2009 Virgin Gorda trip - a Zoeller family extravaganza - a set on Flickr

 

[edpdiver]

Thanks Barry. We stayed in a large villa in Mahoe Bay called Beachcomber. It was quite expensive, but a good deal because it was a large family trip (7 adults and 3 kids). There was no onsite dive operation around there. There are dive shops in Yacht Harbor and Leverick Bay. We used DiveBVI in Yacht Harbor, and they were excellent. Actually, I have used them a couple of times, and they have been very consistent in their excellent service. From Mahoe Bay, it is about a 10 minute drive to Yacht Harbor, and this is a good way to go. The villas are mostly large ones in Mahoe Bay. For a couple or smaller group, Nail Bay is a better option (and it is about a 15 minute drive from Yacht Harbor; still reasonable in my experience). There are a number of other good lodging choices, but I am not personally familiar with them. Good luck! - Erwin