A sample day of
Diving St. John
with
Down Under Watersports
Just like everything else in the Virgin Islands, our schedule is flexible and we will do our best to make your Caribbean diving experience a memorable one.
We prefer to take certified divers in the morning and Discover Scuba Divers in the afternoon unless they are in the same party, but we are flexible!
MORNING DIVE
8 am Meet at Great Cruz Bay see map/directions, check certification cards and fill out paperwork.
8:30a.m. Generally our dive boat departs at 8:30 am.
9:30 a.m. Our experienced staff will consider water and wind conditions to determine the best dive locations for that day. Most dive sites are less than a 25 minute boat ride, so we’ll be in the water by now!
Our first dive is usually deeper (60-80 feet) for approximately 45 minutes. While it is not required to do a safety stop in most of our dive profiles, we recommend doing a safety stop at the end of every dive (you never know what you’ll see at 15 feet for 3 minutes).
You can enjoy our many amenities on board during your surface interval, which is usually 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Our second dive is shallower (35-50 feet) and bottom times will depend on the first dive’s profile and our surface interval.
Noonish: We will have you back in Cruz Bay between 12:30 and 1 pm, which will give you plenty of time to enjoy St. John above the water!
AFTERNOON DIVE
1 pm Depart Cruz Bay Dock for a two tank dive, returning between 3:30- 4:00.
Directions to
Great Cruz Bay
From Cruz Bay, take Route 105 south past the Marketplace (on the left) and continue up and over a steep hill (Jacobs Ladder) as it turns into Route 104 past the Westin Resort St. John (on both
sides of the road).
Go up the hill past the Westin onto Great Cruz Bay Road and make the first right. Go between two stone pillars on either side of the road which say ‘Great Cruz Bay Estate’ and continue downhill.
After the second speed bump make a right, at Great Landing Drive. This will take you down to the parking lot for the Great Cruz Bay residence dock. We'll see you there!
If you
are coming from Coral Bay via Gifft Hill Road, take a left onto Great Cruz Bay Road as you come downhill before the Westin.
Otherwise, from Coral Bay take Route 10 to Cruz Bay and turn left at the Texaco station to get on Route 105 and follow directions from Cruz Bay above.
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| St. John Dive Sites - North |
Anna's Point
Located on the North shore of St. John, this gentle sloping reef with numerous outcroppings makes for a relaxing dive or snorkel site. From 15-45 feet you’ll be sure to see plenty fish, soft corals, and marine creatures.
Carvel Rock
This is an intermediate to advanced dive due to currents. You will find dramatic rock formations and a variety of coral, sponges, and sea creatures from 20-80 feet deep.
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Congo Cay East
This is an advanced dive due to currents, however that is what makes the marine life so plentiful. Starting in 25 feet, and then diving over a ridge into 60-80 feet this dramatic scenery with pinnacles, coral and large rock formations can also be done as a drift dive.
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Congo Cay West
This popular spot has a scenic ridge that continues down more than 70 feet, with a small canyon and multiple coral encrusted rock formations there is a good chance you’ll see a school of Tarpon, Spanish mackerel, Turtles, and definitely Red-lip Blennies during your safety stop.
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Henley Cay
This small island is located north of Caneel Bay on St. John and makes a wonderful Discover Scuba Dive or snorkel spot.
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Johnson’s Reef
Several dive sites make up Johnson’s Reef with ledges and outcroppings from 35-70 feet Unique coral formations teaming with schools of spade fish and horse-eye jacks as well as spotted drum fish are here for the more advanced dive to appreciate.
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Lovango Cay
Just North of St. John, Lovango offers a beautiful site above and below the water. Garden eels and lobster are just a couple of residence you can see while diving or snorkeling in 15-30 feet of water.
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Mingo Cay
This is a gentle sloping reef from 15-50 feet deep with cauliflower type coral formations, garden eels, puffer fish, smaller schooling fish and sometimes spotted eagle rays feeding in the sand.
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Rata Cay
Located next to Henley Cay, this makes for a beautiful drift dive or snorkel stop. In 15-30 feet of water, the current makes for vibrant corals, abundance of fish and usually great visibility.
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Whistling Cay
Just off of Maho Bay on the North side of St. John, Whistling Cay offers a wide variety of diving from ledges and reef outcroppings at 60 feet to soft coral fields and a small canyon at 35 feet A perfect place to spot Spanish mackerel, Sergeant Majors, turtles, tarpon and even Red lip blennies during your safety stop.
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| St. John Dive Sites - West |
Cow and Calf
With several sites to choose from and an average depth of 50 feet, this location offers many swim throughs, rock formations, reef outcroppings, and schooling fish around every turn.
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Dog Island
There are a few different dive sites around Dog Island. Ledges and canyons make up part of the underwater scenery ranging from 20-45 feet; you’ll also find a wide variety of sea life, including Nurse Sharks, Turtles, Eels, Yellowheaded Jawfish and even octopus.
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General Rogers
General Rogers Sitting upright in 65 feet of water this 120 foot wreck makes a wonderful artificial reef with encrusted corals, numerous fish, and easily penetrable cargo holds. Be aware there may be current.
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French Cap
A pristine location with 2 or more dive sites. A pinnacle on the east side which ranges from 35 feet at the top and descending to at least 100 feet deep with beautiful coral and larger than expected marine life. The northwest site offers 20-30 feet high ledges, swim-throughs, and a stadium like reef formation, soft coral and a wealth of schooling fish.
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WIT Shoal
Located off the west end of St. Thomas (past the airport) this wreck dive is one of the best in the Virgin Islands! This advanced dive (current is likely) offers a 500 feet cargo vessel resting in 90-100 feet of water and coming up to 35 feet at the wheelhouse. This wreck has easily penetrable cargo holds and stern walkways with enormous quantities of schooling fish. If your schedule permits and the water and weather conditions are right this is what Virgin Islands diving is all about.
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| St. John Dive Sites - South |
Booby Rock
This dive can be done as a circumnavigation showing the diversity of coral and rock formations surrounding Booby Rock or a spur and groove reef off the northwest side in 35-50 feet of water.
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Cabritehorn Point
Two different sites for certified divers, Discover Scuba Divers and snorkelers. This quiet and usually protected bay on the south side of St. John has everything from schools of blue tang, tarpon, octopus, yellow headed jawfish, barracuda, nurse sharks and much more.
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Dever's Bay
Located just around the point from Great Cruz Bay, this gentle sloping reef is a great place to dive or snorkel. You can watch Southern Stingrays feeding, and see Angelfish, Triggerfish and beautiful soft coral in 30-50 feet of water.
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Ditliff Point
This is a good site for Discover Scuba Diving, you can relax and learn to dive in 20-40 feet of water with fish, Lobster and coral outcroppings to be explored.
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Grootpan Bay
Rendezvous Bay
A peaceful patch reef surrounded by sea grass at 45 feet makes for a good place to spot Turtles, Rays and schools of fish swimming through the soft coral.
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South Drop
If the water and weather conditions are good, this site is located approximately 7 miles South of St. John, and a MUST for any advanced diver. The remote and unspoiled ledges and ridge-line from 70 feet to miles deep are teaming with thousands of schooling fish, unbelievable topography and chance encounters with enormous marine life.
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The Leaf
On the South side of St. John, you could dive this site several times and never see the whole reef. This dive site consists of patch reef, spur and groove formations, and some large ledges from 50-70 feet Where you can find turtles, green and spotted moray eels and extremely bulky nurse sharks. We've also encountered lemon sharks here on occasion.
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Yawazi Point
Usually done as a drift dive, the spur and groove formations at 40-50 feet are a great place to see a wide variety of fish, lobsters, Nurse Sharks and turtles.
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| St. John Dive Sites - East |
Eagle Shoals
Off the southeast coast of Coral Bay, St. John, this rarely visited site (due to surface exposure to wind and swells) offers exciting swim-throughs and an abundance of sea life in 20-40 feet of water.
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Flanagan
This is the Eastern most point of the US Virgin Islands off of St. John. If the conditions are right this can be a tranquil setting above and below the water with an average visibility of 50-75 feet. There are a couple dives to choose from; a sloping reef from 40-70 feet, to rock formations, and canyon-like areas at 30-40 feet with plenty to see i.e. schools of Horse-eye Jacks, French Grunts, Snapper, Turtles, Sharks, Green and Golden Moray Eels… we could go on and on.
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Le Duc
Located southeast of Coral Bay, this dive site has spur and groove reef formations that range from 45-70 feet and the possibility of some big creature encounters.
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New Found Bay |
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