Sail Caribbean Divers Tortola Dive Report 26 June- 5 July 2010

[redseal1tx]

Before I provide details of my trip report to Tortola, I would like to say THANK YOU to Rhone Man for recommending Scuba Caribbean Divers (“SCD”) as the dive operation to use on Tortola. I could not have asked for better service from such a thoroughly organized operation. SCD exceeded expectations with their crews, attitudes, and guided dives. The entire team that helped me during the week was nothing short of fabulous. Jen, Rob, Holly, Dale, Kit, Melisande, Laura, Neal, Ria, Steve, and Andy provided exceptional service as boat Captains and Dive Masters during my 10 dives with SCD.
The boat Captain and the Dive Master can easily make or break a dive outing with their attitudes and the SCD crews mentioned above were always on the top of their game even when I showed up at 7:30 AM for an 8:00 AM departure. SCD has set the bar extremely high for future dive operators who I will encounter.
SCD provides 2-tank dives in the morning and 1-tank dives in the afternoon. My non-diving wife went on three morning boat rides and snorkeled at six different locations. She thought all the snorkel locations were great.
SCD’s boats include 1-46 foot Newton, 1-36 foot Newton, 2-26 foot Newtons. The only negative experience I had was that my week diving with SCD went by too fast.
The attached photos were taken with a point-and-shoot Canon “PowerShot SD870 IS” with underwater housing and by activating the manual white balance setting.

Dive Site: Dry Rocks East
Dive Location: East Side of Cooper Island
Water Temp: 83 degrees
Viz: 50 feet
Dive Depth: 60 feet
Rock outcropping that breaks the surface of the ocean between Cooper Island and Ginger Island. Healthy reefs with soft and hard corals
Marine life included: Spotted Trunkfish, Barracuda, Flamingo Tongues, Christmas Tree Worms, Lobsters, Pedersen Cleaner Shrimp in corkscrew anemone.

Dive Site: Devil’s Kitchen
Dive Location: East Side of Cooper Island
Water Temp: 83 degrees
Viz: 50 feet
Dive Depth: 50 feet
Relatively shallow dive site with abundance of natural light that enhances colors of corals. Shallow coral wall with overhanging top with hundreds of hidey-holes for critter searching.
Marine life included: Nurse Shark in distance not close enough for photo, numerous sea urchins larger than 2 closed fists, Juvenile Drum, Slender Filefish, Whitespotted Filefish, Black Durgon, Large Rock Beauties, Barracuda, Flamingo Tongues, Christmas Tree Worms, Lobsters.

Dive Site: RMS Rhone (Bow Section)
Dive Location: West Side of Salt Island
Water Temp: 83 degrees
Viz: 50 feet
Dive Depth: 80 feet
Nice bit of current that moves a diver around the wreck. Started the dive by diving between the white sand bottom and the bow sprint; need good buoyancy as not to silt-out divers behind you. Tons of marine life hiding under the bow of the ship.
Marine life included: Flamingo Tongues, Christmas Tree Worms, Lobsters, Trumpetfish, Arrow Crab.

Dive Site: RMS Rhone (Stern Section)
Dive Location: West Side of Salt Island
Water Temp: 83 degrees
Viz: 50 feet
Dive Depth: 60 feet
Nice bit of current that moves a diver around the wreck
Marine life included: Blue Encrusting Social Tunicates (“Choir Boys”), Flamingo Tongues, Christmas Tree Worms, Schools of Grunts and Yellowtail Snappers, Banded Coral Shrimp, Brittle Stars.

Dive Site: Thumb Rock
Dive Location: West Side of Cooper Island
Water Temp: 83 degrees
Viz: 50 feet
Dive Depth: 60 feet
Healthy coral ledges/overhangs with pinnacle.
Marine life included: Giant Anemone, Foureyed Butterflyfish, Flamingo Tongues, Yellowtail Damselfish.

Dive Site: Dead Chest East Coral Gardens
Dive Location: East Side of Dead Chest Island
Water Temp: 83 degrees
Viz: 50 feet
Dive Depth: 41 feet
Very nice shallow dive with brilliant sun light. Countless nooks and crannies for exploration and several coral ledges.
Marine life included: Foureyed Butterflyfish, Flamingo Tongues, Slender Filefish, Yellowtail Damselfish, Blue Chromis, Golden Crinoid, Christmas Tree Worms, Nurseshark, Tarpon, Silversides, Blue Tangs, Yellow Trumpetfish.

Dive Site: Wreck Alley (4 wrecks)
Dive Location: West Side of Cooper Island
Water Temp: 83 degrees
Viz: 30 feet
Dive Depth: 86 feet
Four wrecks on white sand bottom; one wreck close to reef. The wreck closest to the reef is upside down in the sand. There is enough room between the wreck and the sand bottom to comfortably swim under the wreck. If your buoyancy is good and your dive skills competent, you can swim upside down under the wreck to look at the deck of the wreck.
Marine life included: Silversides, Tarpon, Barracuda, Stingray, School of Squid at the mooring line.


Dive Site: Ginger’s Backside
Dive Location: North Side of Ginger Island
Water Temp: 83 degrees
Viz: 70 feet
Dive Depth: 54 feet
Excellent shallow dive location.
Marine life included: Masked/Glass Goby, Christmas Tree Worms, Barracuda.


Dive Site: Painted Walls (BEST DIVE OF THE WEEK)
Dive Location: South Side of Dead Chest Island
Water Temp: 83 degrees
Viz: 80 feet
Dive Depth: 63 feet
Excellent test of diving skills at this site with current and surge going away from mooring line, around rocks, and back to the mooring line. Excellent canyon with incredible colors on walls.
Marine life included: Spotted Moray Eels in three different locations, Foureyed Butterflyfish, Nurse Shark swimming freely, Hawksbill Turtle, Christmas Tree Worms, Baitballs of Silversides surrounded by multiple Tarpon and Barracuda, Whitespotted Filefish in an Orange Phase.


Dive Site: Chromis Reef
Dive Location: West Side of Cooper Island
Water Temp: 83 degrees
Viz: 50 feet
Dive Depth: 45 feet
Nice shallow dive location. Rumor has it that a sea horse lives one coral head from the mooring pin as you swim toward the edge of the reef (didn’t see the sea horse during this dive).
Marine life included: Blue Chromis, Flamingo Tongues, Stingray along the reef at the edge of the sand, Rock Beauties, Spotted Trunkfish, Hawksbill Turtle.

 

[Rhone Man]

Glad you had a good time. Devíl's Kitchen is one of my favourite sites, partly because not too many people go there. Glad you got to see it.