The British Virgin Islands consists of more than 40 islands, cays or rocks scattered atop a mountain shelf laying 60 miles east of Puerto Rico. All the islands lie within a 35 mile span, so all dive sites can be reached from either of the two main islands, Tortola or Virgin Gorda. English is the offical language on the islands and US dollars are the official currency.

Tortola the largest island is a splendid rainforest topography that is perfect for bushwalking. Virgin Gorda has the Baths which is one of the prime attractions of the British Virgin Islands. The Baths are a site on the island where large granite boulders are strewn accross perfect white sand beaches above and below the water.

All diving for the British Virgin Islands is done on the mountain shelf and depths rarely exceed 70 feet. Due to the diversity of the dive sites, it is always possible to find a great diving location in any weather, making the British Virgin Islands a great year round diving destination.

Virgin Gorda has good diving at the Baths, where the boulders form caves, caverns and secret rooms. This site is also very good for snorkellers. Marine life to be found includes hawksbill turtles, reef squid, barracuda, arrow crabs, spadefish, moray eels and brilliantly colored sponges.

Anegada with horseshoe reef extending 10 miles from the island has claimed some 300 known wrecks. The most famous of these wrecks is the Greek freighter the Rocus which sank in 1929 leaving cattle bones and machinery littering the ocean floor. Anegada can only be reached with good light conditions, and typical marine life includes elkorn corals, black durgons, moray eels and nurse sharks.

Peter Island provides archways, shoals, vertical canyons, caves, tunnnels and pinnacles. Its special attraction is three vertical canyons, the largest about 40 - 120 feet, and is known as The painted walls due to an array of sponges and cup corals that form a colorful carpet of yellow, red, blue, white and orange. Typical marine life to be seen includes parrot fish, snapper, schoolmasters, fairy basslits and the rare sunburst cremorne.

Norman Island provides reef and caves for diving. Of note this island was the insperation for Robert Louis Stevensens Treasure Island. Typical marine life includes redspotted hawk fish, grouper, queen and french angels and eagle rays.

The Dogs provide rocky cliffs, caves and rocky pinnacles to dive on. Typical marine life includes Queen angels, spotted moray eels, orange file fish. Although in open ocean and not amongst the Dogs, the wreck of the Chikuzen is considered one of the best dives in the British Virgin Islands. The Chikuzen is a 246 foot Japanese refrigerator ship resting in 75 feet of water, on which a large amount of marine life has decided to call home, including a large school of barracuda.

Ginger Island offers huge mushrooms shaped star coral, 10-15 feet high, of which to experience. It also has marine life including large purple and green seafans, yellowhead wrasse, snout nose butterfly, african pompana, jew fish and rays.