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Diving aboard Cuan Law
The Cuan Law in the British Virgin Islands
This company runs the two largest Trimarans in the world in two incredible, but very different destinations, the British Virgin Islands and the Galápagos. Think of their two boats as luxury country inns with a sporting flavor that move around the seas. The amenities, food and attentive friendly service are what you would expect from a fine family run establishment. The three hulls of a trimaran result in excellent stability and the towering mountains of white canvas are an awesome sight. Of course, the powerful twin diesels give the ships good speed when the wind dies.  The accommodation in light, airy air conditioned staterooms, each for two people, twin or double, and each with private bathroom, is really welcoming. The CUAN LAW carries twenty guests in her 110 foot length. Groups and individuals welcome. The sporting flavor is primarily SCUBA but with lots of activities for the non-diver such as Hobie Cats, Kayaks, water skis, wake and knee boards, snorkeling, island exploration and beach barbecues. Their long years of experience, friendly caring crews and enviable reputation in both destinations, result in heavy bookings and a very high repeat rate. So book early and come and enjoy! Rates are posted on their website or email them now for specials. More...
The Deep
Jacqueline Bisset in the Deep
Did you see the 1976 movie, "The Deep"? Jacqueline Bisset and Nick Nolte starred in the story about a shipwreck. If you saw it, you can't forget the opening scene. Jacqueline Bisset, in scuba gear, probed through a crack in the hull with a stick, trying to grasp a glittery object. Then, suddenly, an unseen moray eel seized the stick from within and very nearly took her arm along with it. It was a very frightening scene. It was claustrophobic. An unknown, unexpected assailant lashed out from the mysterious hulk and caught us all on our blind side. That fictional eel attacked Jacqueline Bisset from inside the hull of a very real ship, the RMS Rhone (see above).
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DESTINATIONS » Caribbean » Aruba | Bahamas | Bay Islands (Honduras) | Belize | Bonaire | British Virgin Islands | Caymans | Costa Rica | | Curaçao | Dominican Republic | Saba | St. Vincent | Turks & Caicos | US Virgin Islands
The British Virgin Islands whose main islands are Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke are known as "Nature's Little Secrets." With little desire for mass tourism, The BVI has remained an escape from the bustling souvenir shops and glittery nightlife associated with so many Caribbean islands. The pure waters also provide a perfect setting for unparalleled diving and snorkeling adventures. Over the last 400 years, many boats have sunk in this area. The combination of reefs and wrecks makes for excellent diving, whether you are an experienced diver or a beginner.
< Most of the diving is done off the islands and the rocks in the Sir Francis Drake Channel - with Anegada being a notable exception; some 300 wrecks adorn its shores. Sites are numerous and undisturbed ensuring high visibility and lush coral reef formations. Diving is personalised, flexible and quite lengthy - most dives are between 20-80ft (7-27m) allowing greater submerge times.
Arguably the Piéce de la Resistance of diving in the BVIs is the wreck of the RMS Rhone. One of the most famous wrecks in the whole of the Caribbean this 310ft (103m) iron hulled steam/sailor was destroyed by a ferocious hurricane between Salt Island and Peter Island in 1867. She weighed in at 2,738 tons and had a beam of only 40ft (13.3m). In
her day she was considered fast and could average a speed of 12 knots. She had a complete sailing rig for auxiliary power and had a large propeller instead of a set of paddles. She was sleek but strong and was expected to serve around 50-75 years. In her day, she was state-of-the-art. Her design and compartmentalised hull was a basic forerunner of the RMS
Titanic's.
On the 29th October, 1867, she was driven on to the rocks off Salt Island by a sudden, late-season hurricane; she was ripped open like a giant tin can and water gushed in, causing her massive boilers to explode. This blew the ship in two and she sank immediately. Of the 171 aboard, 150 died. Diving on the wreck of the Rhone is both a fascinating and
humbling experience, with much of the larger sections of the ship still intact including anchor, mast, hull - even the Crow's Nest. Her bow section lies in about 75ft (25m) of water and her propeller at about 30ft (10m). It is an immense testament to the brutal power of Nature, and a sobering reminder of man's vulnerability.
One would be very much remiss however to forget about the diversity and quality of other dive sites in the BVIs - they are all magnificent in a different way and should be visited. Big tarpon, barracudas and sharks are particularly impressive, especially around the wreck of the Chikusen Blond Rock, Santa Monica Rock and the Invisibles are teeming
with smaller fish including seas of fry that swim like sheets of ice above you.
Visibility is normally in the 60 to 100ft range, with occasional days of 120ft at some dive sites. The water temperature stays between 80 and 84°F most of the year, dropping to around 77°F in the winter. Dive skins are the favorite apparel here but a shorty wetsuit will probably keep you comfortable any time of the year.
Diving and Snorkeling Guide to the British Virgin Islands, by Linda Sorensen | Buy
Diving British Virgin Islands, by Jim Scheiner, George Marier, James B. Scheiner, Odile Scheiner | Buy
The Virgin Islands Illustrated : A Sailing Odyssey, by David Harris, Nancy Harris, David | Buy Lonely Planet :: British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands.com
Ultimate BVI
Welcome BVI
BVI.com
DESTINATIONS » Caribbean » Aruba | Bahamas | Bay Islands (Honduras) | Belize | Bonaire | British Virgin Islands | Caymans | Costa Rica | | Curaçao | Dominican Republic | Saba | St. Vincent | Turks & Caicos | US Virgin Islands
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