The British Virgin Islands are volcanic outcrops of a vast underwater plateau that stretches for more than 70 miles where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic. Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, Anegada, and more than 60 other smaller islands form a protective ring around the crystal-clear aquamarine water known as the Sir Francis Drake Channel. They create a sheltered paradise of secluded coves, calm shores and sweeping beaches. This extraordinary setting provides outstanding underwater visibility, healthy coral and a wide variety of exotic dive sites, with air temperatures between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. Countless reefs, towering coral pinnacles, underwater caves, lava tunnels, canyons, massive boulders and grottoes are strewn across this vast submerged shelf, creating a choice of dive sites that range from shallows for the novice snorkeler to dramatic sea caverns and extraordinary shipwrecks for the experienced scuba diver. Diving in BVI waters where visibility may reach more than 100 feet is always a thrill, and many beginning divers choose to get certified here. Dive shops make it simple for students to take an entire course during their holiday. Or, if you've already begun your certification process, you can complete your open water daytime or nighttime dives in calm, warm seas protected from high wind and waves.

A marine park system and mooring buoy program administered by the National Parks Trust and the Ministry of Natural Resources are dedicated to the preservation of reefs and marine life. These conservation efforts have resulted in vibrant reefs and abundant fish populations. Tiny invertebrates, drum fish, octopus, grouper, crab, starfish, spiny lobster, golden moray eels, yellowtail and barracuda provide visitors to the British Virgin Islands with superb opportunities for underwater exploration and photography.

Accessing this extraordinary undersea realm is easy. Land-based divers can lodge at world-class resorts, quiet villas or campgrounds. No matter which island you choose, there are professional dive operators to help you with snorkeling, dives in sheltered coves off secluded beaches, or moonlit dives in protected marine parks. For those who wish to make diving and boating the focus of their holiday, the options range from adventurous to luxurious. Guided tours of Smuggler's Cove on Tortola, Great Dog Island, Blonde Rock, or dozens of other sites are one possibility. Boating aficionados can charter their own yacht, hire a professional who knows these waters and set their personal diving itinerary. For the ultimate luxury experience, hire a crew to do all the work - perhaps even on one of the world's largest trimarans.

In the British Virgin Islands, there is much to explore with just a snorkel and mask at one of the many incomparable dive sites around 60 islands and cay's. Spring Bay in Virgin Gorda has a gorgeous sandy beach perfect for snorkeling. Nearby at The Baths, an extraordinary natural landscape awaits, with partially submerged grottoes created by huge boulders that were scattered by ancient volcanic activity. Snorkelers can tour giant boulder fields or immerse themselves in coral-encrusted shallows. Brewer's Bay on Tortola holds schools of trumpet fish, barracuda, octopus, stingrays and sergeant majors, and Smuggler's Cove at the northwest end of the island, offers two reefs, just 100 feet offshore, which are the playground of grunts, squirrel fish and parrot fish. Off Anegada, the wreck of the Parmatta, which ran aground in 1853 on her maiden voyage, provides an opportunity to see butterfly fish, turtles and huge groupers.

A tank and a regulator will allow for a closer look at the region's numerous coral gardens, many in less than 30 feet of warm aquamarine waters. The Caves at Norman Island are rumored to have been the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure tale Treasure Island. At Joe's Cave, an underwater cavern on West Dog Island, divers can swim alongside giant grouper, eagle rays or flowing schools of glassy sweepers. The Chimney at Great Dog Island near Virgin Gorda reveals a coral archway and canyon covered with a wide variety of sponges and coral, including the rare white variety.

Swarms of schooling jacks circle the tops of submerged sea-mounts that rise from the depths to within a few feet of the surface. Divers can explore crevices and undercut ledges as they spiral down to depths approaching 100 feet, perhaps catching a glimpse of a tarpon, amberjack, turtle, or shark, and listening for the songs of migrating whales.

For adventure-seekers, many fascinating shipwrecks lie scattered across the ocean floor. If you're a novice, choose from sheltered wrecks like the Rokus off the southeast tip of Anegada, or the Chikuzen off Tortola's East End, a 268-foot steel-hulled refrigerator ship blessed with visibility so good you can stand on the bow and see all the way to the stern. More advanced divers can explore the Rhone off Salt Island, a British mail ship sunk in a storm in 1867, generally recognized as the best dive site in the Caribbean.

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