SCUBA Dive Sites in St. Croix

Some of the best SCUBA diving in the Caribbean can be found in the waters surrounding St. Croix. This page will help you to find just some of the dive sites located in St. Croix, USVI.

Click on the numbered map locations for detailed information.

1: Scotch Banks: A flat sandy submerged mountain top Just to the east of Christiansted harbor, Scotch Banks is an underwater mountain whose top is in 25 feet of water. There is a wall to dive on that starts in just 40 feet of water and plunges down to 1000 feet.  Occasionally, you will see eagle rays, manta rays and even whale sharks here.

2: Salt River Canyon East Wall: You pick up a mooring in 40 feet of water here, but off the boat will be 1000 feet of water! You'll see lots of corals and sponges, and tons of fish is this very clear water. This East wall is separated from the West Wall by a canyon that is several thousand feet deep. You will typically see more fish here than anywhere else on the Northshore.

3: Salt River Canyon West Wall: At the mouth of Salt River, in 20 feet of water, is a wall with a sharp drop off. You will find a lot of canyons and groves to swim through. Great dive site for beginners as well as advanced divers. This is the most popular boat dive on St. Croix. This site is steep and rugged on the west side of the Salt River Canyon, which is called "The Pinnacles". This underwater formation has lots of swim-throughs, cuts and ledges, overhangs, and recesses. A great all around dive site!

4: Rust-op-twist: Like many of the sites around the island, Rust-op-twist took the name of a former sugar plantation and shrimp farm. You can still see the huge pipes that were used to bring nutrient rich water from deep in the sea. This site has the deepest water to be found close to shore in the entire Caribbean.  You can use the pipeline as a navigational aid while you follow it down to some great marine life. Great spot for seeing turtles.

5: The Pavilions: Just to the east of Cane Bay is this great wall dive. Lots of corals and schools of fish. Great for beginners and advanced, this site is known for its abundance of marine life.  

6: Cane Bay: This by far the most popular shore dive as well as one of the most popular boat dives. There is a dive shop across the small coast road from the beach where you can rent gear and/or get fills. It is about a 200 yard swim to reach the wall, which plunges to over 3,000 feet. There are beautiful coral gardens, in about 35 feet of water, just before the wall begins, which is great for both beginners and advanced divers.  Lots of tropical fish, turtles and the occasional shark out over the wall. There are three beach bars located here with great food and drinks and live music. A great spot for after your dives! .  You should begin and end your dive at the boat ramp because there are shallow reefs that are on either side it.  Just take your time swimming straight out from the boat ramp, and drop down whenever you want to. You can see where the wall is from shore by the deep blue color! The "Wall"at Cane Bay

7: North star: Located just off shore from the site of the old sugar plantation of the same name. You will find an almost vertical drop off that starts in about 25 feet of water and drops down to 2,000 feet! Lots of schools of fish here. There is a large Danish Anchor embedded in the wall at about 60 feet and another one which lies on a shelf.  This is one of the most spectacular walls on the island and it can be accessed from the shore when the sea is calm. 

8: Davis Bay: located in front of the Renaissance Carambola Beach Resort, this site is a great wall dive. This site is reachable by shore and the resort has on-site dive facilities. It is also a great boat dive.  Davis Bay has many cuts and mini canyons making it great homes for seeing lobsters and an occasional nurse shark.  This site is also a good area to see Southern Stingrays on top of the wall moving along the sand.

9: Eagle ray: This dive site is located just outside of the Christiansted harbor entrance. It is a gently sloping site with large coral heads surrounded by white sand. An awesome dive for both beginners and advanced divers, it is a great spot to see Eagle Rays feeding.

10: WAPA: On Long Reef across from the Adjacent to WAPA (Water and Power Authority) facility, you will find Long Reef with slopes of coral and sand chutes. Lobster and nurse sharks are frequently seen here.

11: Gentle Winds: Just off the shore from the beautiful condo complex called Gentle Winds, this spur and grove reef starts here and runs for over a mile.  You will find awesome hard and soft corals are better than any other dive location.

12: The Fredericksted Pier: The old Frederiksted pier is one of the best macro dives in the world and is easily accessible from the shore. It makes for a great night dive, both for beginners and advanced divers alike. The original pier was torn down due to hurricane damage but several very large features still remain and are covered with breathtaking corals and sponges. The new pier is also a great location to see how coral begins to take over. This spot is also one of the best locations to view Sea Horses.

Butler Bay Shipwrecks: Butler Bay has six shipwrecks located very close to each other. You can see them all in just a couple of dives. The wrecks of the Coakley Bay and Rosaomira are located close to each other, and can be seen in one dive. The wrecks of the Agiers Habitat, Suffolk Maid, Northwind and Virgin Islander are in water 40-65 feet deep. Armageddon sunk in 100 feet of water just south of the others in Butler Bay.

Chubbs Hole: Just north of the Frederiksted pier.  You will find several small caves and hiding spots for lobsters, nurse sharks, moray eels, and turtles.

Swirling Reef of Death: Located just south of the old Frederiksted Pier, this site offers very calm water and really nice coral formations surrounded by white sand.

Sandy Point: A quarter of a mile off shore, are some of the healthiest reefs on St. Croix. You will see many turtles around these reefs.

Frederiksted - West End Ship Wrecks
The Northwind is a 75 foot long, steel hulled ocean tug. Located in the waters on the west end of St Croix.	Seahorse at Frederiksted Pier	Tugboat - Coakley Bay , its bow points toward the Rosa Maria, a ferry sitting in 80 to 90 feet of water. Photo courtesy N2theBlue