Located between Peter Island and Salt Island, the British Virgin Islands’ Dead Chest Island is tiny. More like a massive rock formation that rises up from the crystalline blue sea than an actual island, it is said to be the site where the fabled pirate Blackbeard left fifteen of his men who had fallen out of favor, with only a bottle of rum to sustain them. This minuscule island is uninhabited, and has just three known dive sites, all of which are worth exploration. Let’s take a look beneath the waves – treasure awaits!
Dead Chest West
A wonderful multi-level dive site which is suitable for intermediate divers and up, Dead Chest West features spur and groove formations which are home to an endless and colorful parade of marine life, large and small. With overhangs and even an archway to swim through, the topography is just as fantastic as all that dwells there, and as there are colorful corals and sponges, beautiful bryozoans and anemones everywhere you look, it is the ideal place to put your underwater photography skills to work. Watch for brilliant yellow and purple fairy basslets, gorgeous grunts and little spotted hawkfish, wrasse, gobies, and chromis as you explore. A gang of juvenile Spanish hogfish have set up an active cleaning station on a fantastic mushroom-shaped coral head, so larger occupants can be seen relaxing as the younger ones pay their respects.
Maximum depth here is 55 feet, but there is plenty to see in just fifteen to twenty feet of water, so you can simply relax and enjoy both the wonderful topography and the abundance of life that is found here.
Coral Gardens
Just right for all divers, and great fun for snorkeling on calm days, Coral Gardens is a beautiful site where you can swim among healthy coral formations teeming with fish and other creatures. With brain and star coral, sheet coral, and massive sea fans, as well as lush gorgonian growth and brilliantly colored sponges everywhere along its overhangs and rocks, the reef features maximum depth at just 35 feet, and begins in the shallows. You’ll find everything from goatfish and grunts, squirrelfish and damsels, butterfly fish and angelfish, to big barracuda and huge snappers here, all trying hard to point you toward a hidden anchor and a tunnel full of glassy sweepers.
Painted Walls
With passages and walls, plus three colorful canyons to explore, all covered in shades of purple, red, green, orange and yellow, it is easy to see how this site got its name. Probably one of the most photographed dive sites in the British Virgin Islands, and without a doubt one of the most popular, it is teeming with colorful fish that add even more color to the site. You’ll find a swimthrough and a shallow pool to explore here, along with big colonies of pillar coral, and besides the countless smaller creatures that inhabit these sparkling waters, you will find huge silver tarpon, as well as nurse sharks, hawksbill turtles, and moray eels. Maximum depth is 50 feet, although most features are in much shallower water. Suitable for all divers when the ocean is calm, this site is not usually diveable if surge is present.
Charters from other Virgin Islands destinations make regular trips to these sites, and they are often part of a BVI liveaboard itinerary, as well. Best of all, visibility is excellent, often as good as 100 feet, allowing for even more enjoyment of these beautiful and memorable sites. Be sure to book ahead, especially if you plan to visit during the summer months.