DarrynSami
Contributor
Good for non-Divers. Plenty to see and do. Recommend renting a vehicle.
USVI Dive Vacation - what do we need to know?
- Thread starter Alucard
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Tool Belt
Contributor
If you go to St. Croix and dive Cane Bay you are nearly assured of seeing a huge seahorse. It doesn't wander too far, but you may need to look for it.
drrich2
Contributor
Remembered something...when I stopped in for a dive, Cane Bay dive shop had 100-cf tanks. This is good news; it was such a long swim out, naturally I wanted to enjoy a decent length dive, but it's nice to come most of the way back finning along shallow rather than back swimming at the surface.
As people have discussed in other threads, a typical 100-cf AL tank has a rated fill pressure of 3,300 PSI and often in the real world they're filled around 3,000 PSI (I don't recall the starting pressure for the tank I used) and give around 10 extra cf or so, not 20, but that's a nice extra bit of air to have.
And IIRC, just east of Cane Bay as you're heading up the road, look at the ground amongst the forest. There are land crabs hanging out in plain sight.
Also on St. Croix; you may at times seen what looks like a squirrel on crack dart out, but not get a good look at it. I don't think St. Croix has squirrels; I think those are mongoose. Just another neat topside creature to be aware of.
As people have discussed in other threads, a typical 100-cf AL tank has a rated fill pressure of 3,300 PSI and often in the real world they're filled around 3,000 PSI (I don't recall the starting pressure for the tank I used) and give around 10 extra cf or so, not 20, but that's a nice extra bit of air to have.
And IIRC, just east of Cane Bay as you're heading up the road, look at the ground amongst the forest. There are land crabs hanging out in plain sight.
Also on St. Croix; you may at times seen what looks like a squirrel on crack dart out, but not get a good look at it. I don't think St. Croix has squirrels; I think those are mongoose. Just another neat topside creature to be aware of.
jonhall
Contributor
I hate it when new threads come up about the Virgin Islands, especially St. Croix, because it reminds me of how much I miss it. Haven't been now since Dec. 2012, and my connection (aunt-in-law) to staying there moved back to the mainland after the 2017 hurricanes.
I definitely recommend the diving in St. Croix for the variety (pier, reef, wrecks, walls, seafloor landscape) that it presents on different sides of the island.
Although there are many places to stay in St. Croix, my aunt-in-law owned one of the pink condos before selling it after the hurricanes. They (you can Google pink condos) are generally available to rent and the location is right on a beach less than 15 yards from the water. Located on the west side, a little north of the pier, you get to see the sun set every evening and the snorkeling can be really good - at least it was. Also the west side has the calmer water. Nep2une Scuba (previously N2theBlue) is located at the pier and has great people - some of the same as when I was last there.
Another memory: eating at Rhythm's Beach Bar one night, about 25 crabs clicked their way onto the floor decking at one end of the building. Pretty cool (as long as they stayed where they were!)
I miss it all! Trying to figure a way to get back in the near future.
I definitely recommend the diving in St. Croix for the variety (pier, reef, wrecks, walls, seafloor landscape) that it presents on different sides of the island.
Although there are many places to stay in St. Croix, my aunt-in-law owned one of the pink condos before selling it after the hurricanes. They (you can Google pink condos) are generally available to rent and the location is right on a beach less than 15 yards from the water. Located on the west side, a little north of the pier, you get to see the sun set every evening and the snorkeling can be really good - at least it was. Also the west side has the calmer water. Nep2une Scuba (previously N2theBlue) is located at the pier and has great people - some of the same as when I was last there.
Another memory: eating at Rhythm's Beach Bar one night, about 25 crabs clicked their way onto the floor decking at one end of the building. Pretty cool (as long as they stayed where they were!)
I miss it all! Trying to figure a way to get back in the near future.
Correct, there are no squirrels on the island, but mongoose, white tailed deer, and iguanas are plentiful. There are several dive operators on the island running boats or guided shore dives if you want a guide. The swim to the reef at Cane Bay is about 250 meters. It's an easy swim, but the surf can make the first 50 meters a little more work. Note that we don't get the kind of surf that California gets daily. The Divi hotel hasn't reopened yet from the hurricane, but the Casino is open. There a lots of smaller hotels and AirBnB options. The newest hotel on the island is The Fred in Frederiksted. We only get about a dozen cruise ships a year, where St Thomas can have 6 in on a single day. It's a very different vibe on St Croix and the beaches are spectacular.
Come on down and see for yourself.
Mike
Jersey
Contributor
Cannot speak to St. Croix, but I did work on St. Thomas for a year and got to dive and find my way around St. T & J. I stayed on the beach at Sapphire Beach Resort which had great snorkeling! Nothing better after a brutal day at work to take a dusk snorkel with turtles, squid, rays and the normal tropicals. Diving was meh. Did Coki from shore once, nothing. Did the rest of my diving with Red Hook, great op, yes you need to be there bright and early for the morning 2 tank. Sites relatively shallow - maybe 60 max to bottom, mostly shoals, hard bottom rock, no walls or cliffs, some cool swim throughs. Better sites - like French Cap - exist, but in a year between weather and skill level of divers on the boat, I only got out there once. I will say I saw more sharks in my dives on St T than all my other diving combined. Nurse, carib, black tip pretty much a shark on every dive, (stalked by a black tip circling our group of 6 in ever smaller circles once which freaked me out). Be aware they drive on the left, but most roads are 1 lane, cant drive too fast. Food is expensive, especially frozen, my STouffers Mac n Cheese was $5 a box. Alcohol was cheap - Cruzan Rum $8, Bombay Sapphire litre $16. St John has some great snorkel spots. My stay was pre-hurricanes, haven't been back since, so no idea what conditions are like now. Every time I hear Cane Bay I am reminded of Brett Gilliams 1972 shark attack. And creatures - yes. Tiny deer running around especially out by Cowpet Bay. Mongoose. Snakes/scorpions/tarantula all showed up in my closet at various points - hint turn your shoes over and shake them out before inserting foot. Large iguanas.
What about the BVI side? Anything worth diving there?
Also, can people fill me in about ferries between the islands? There's lots of web sites for the ferries, so I am assuming there are multiple companies.
More specifically, I am looking at St Thomas - St John and Virgin Gorda transportation. As much as I would like to go to St. Croix, Delta isn't flying there until November. I'm looking at July/August travel
More specifically, I am looking at St Thomas - St John and Virgin Gorda transportation. As much as I would like to go to St. Croix, Delta isn't flying there until November. I'm looking at July/August travel
Jersey
Contributor
St T to St J - in 2014 -2015 multiple companies ran multi ferries over every day from the pier in Red Hook. Schedules were posted and there were passenger only + car ferries. I recall it was like $16 or $18 round trip per passenger, forget what the car + occupants cost. Can't speak to heading to BVI's. Had a couple charters over to other islands - Virgin Gorda, BVs, but not by ferry. Easy peasy, show up on the dock, get a ticket, get a ticket. Think I had reservations once because it was a Corporate event.
TN Traveler
Contributor
Delta is flying to St Croix on Saturday, the flight goes Atlanta to St Thomas to St Croix and back to Atlanta. Flight from St Thomas to St Croix is about 9 minutes from wheels up to touchdown.
St Croix is reopening for guests on June 1.
Had an awesome dive Sunday (private boat) at the end of the Puerto Rico Trench, between Buck Island and Green Cay. Peligics at the trench end at 60-70 ft and all sorts of reef fish at 35-40 ft on the reef. This area is almost never dived, too far from the dive shops in Christiansted. Gorgeous, healthy coral. Felt like Cousteau discovering a new untouched place.
I love this island!!
St Croix is reopening for guests on June 1.
Had an awesome dive Sunday (private boat) at the end of the Puerto Rico Trench, between Buck Island and Green Cay. Peligics at the trench end at 60-70 ft and all sorts of reef fish at 35-40 ft on the reef. This area is almost never dived, too far from the dive shops in Christiansted. Gorgeous, healthy coral. Felt like Cousteau discovering a new untouched place.
I love this island!!
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