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Barbados – First Impressions
We have arrived in Barbados, and to be honest the flight here was a real pleasure. Not only did we find ourselves in premium seats, thanks to the Barbados Tourism team, but we also banged into a friend that we have not seen for some 12 years. So, the trip began with some pretty good omens. And Barbados is just as gorgeous as you might expect it to 
be, with perfect pinkish-white beaches and beautiful blue seas. Our hotel, the Bougainvillea Beach Resort, is lovely too, with the namesake flower lining the poolside with pink and purples, and the rooms and restaurant all overlooking the Caribbean Sea. But, we did not really know what to expect from the diving, so today we were diving into the unknown.
This week we are diving with Barbados Blue, run by local dive instructor and marine biologist Andre Miller, a PADI Ambassadiver. He and his team are looking after us really well, supplying a dedicated model to our group, as well as two other staff members and Andre himself captaining the boat. Our first day was to be one of the most famous dive sites in Barbados: Carlisle Bay.
Carlisle Bay is hugely popular with both divers and snorkelers and as soon as you get into the water here you can see why. The dive site is made up of 6 wrecks, linked together in a large circle by cannons, anchors, pylons and other debris to guide you around. The wrecks themselves range from first world war casualties, to newly sunk wrecks, and this huge artificial reef system is attracting a significant amount of marine life. The deepest wrecks lie in around 20m of water and the shallowest come within 5m of the surface. It is a veritable playground for anyone that likes to spend time in the water. And with the water reaching 28°C, and vis ranging from 10-30m, who wouldn’t want to?
The site is worth diving several times, and we hope to go back again, there is just so much to cover for both the wide angle and macro photographer. Our first day saw us dive all 6 wrecks, and see reef squid, turtles, seahorses, schooling fish and much, much more. It exceeded our expectations and we cannot wait to dive the signature wreck of Barbados, the Stavronikita, tomorrow…
http://www.bougainvillearesort.com
For more from Nick and Caroline, visit www.frogfishphotography.com.
BVI Wreck Week allowed us to dive several of the wrecks the BVI has to offer, as well as sampling some of the best reef sites too. Our previous blog focused on the wreck of the RMS Rhone, so in this one we will try to give you a taste of the rest of the diving on offer.
And there is a great deal of wonderful diving to tell you about. Our first day of diving did not offer the best visibility due to heavy rain earlier in the week. However, we were taken to a rugged dive site that had Caribbean and Lemon Sharks swimming all around us. If we had been able to see the usual 20m+ I am sure we would have been able to talk of dozens of sharks on the site.
The BVI has plenty of artificial reefs, created from wrecks deliberately sunk. A couple of these are artistic creations from Beyond the Reef. The Willy T is a pirate themed party boat sunk in shallow water that now has skeletons of pirates duelling on the deck and going about their dastardly ways. It is a lot of fun and once you have had your fill, you can head up onto the shallow reef. Shark-plano is a series of three planes that were damaged in a hurricane, that have been turned into shark species and sunk. Both these sites are perfect for the diver that loves a bit of Instagram appeal!
Wreck Alley has a series of three boats sunk to create a super dive site perfectly aligned for a single dive where you can explore them all. Moray eels can be seen free swimming along the decks, huge stingrays back the sandy seabed their home. Turtles cruise past as you make your way around and then up onto the reef for your safety stop.
On every dive we did we saw sharks which absolutely delighted us. The local dive shops seem to be particularly engaged in conserving the reefs, taking part in coral reef restoration, lionfish hunting, cleanups and logging their sightings. We were filled with positivity at the end of each day.
We hope that we can return to do it all again at BVI Wreck Week 2024!
Watch out for our full feature on BVI Wreck Week in the next issue of Dive Travel Adventures coming out in July.
For more information about BVI Wreck Week 2024 visit their website here.
Nick and Caroline were hosted by BVI Wreck Week
The Moorings provided their yacht for the week
Host Dive Centres:
You cannot talk about BVI Wreck Week, or diving in the British Virgin Islands, without spending some time on the jewel in their crown of wreck diving – the RMS Rhone. So this blog is going to be dedicated to a wreck dive that we were happy to dive three times on our trip and would have been happy to dive every day!
The RMS Rhone was a UK Royal Mail Ship wrecked off the coast of Salt Island on 29 October 1867 in a deadly hurricane. Now it is the most popular dive site in the region. The dive briefings for the site are filled with stories of the fate of the ship and some eye-opening tales since.
The wreck and surrounding area become the British Virgin Island’s first national marine park in 1980. Many of the underwater segments of the 1977 thriller The Deep were filmed on the Rhone, requiring actors Jacqueline Bisset, Nick Nolte and Robert Shaw to learn how to scuba dive.
You’ll need at least two dives to fully experience the RMS Rhone. The ship split apart on sinking and the bow drifted just a little before sinking. The two halves are about 100 feet apart with the bow sitting in deeper water (around 25 meters / 80ft). So you are best to explore the bow fully on a single dive and then head to the stern on your second dive.
Whilst the history, artifacts and stories from the movies are absorbing, as soon as we got underwater to dive her, it was the incredible marine life that had us hooked. Two seahorses had made their home right at the bow of the wreck. Stingrays lay buried in the sandy sea bed. The structure is covered in colourful corals and sponges. Schools of fish occupy the overhangs and metal remains. We saw sharks on all three dives and were treated to a huge spotted eagle ray gliding over the wreck. Lobsters waved their antennae at us from every crevice. Life is everywhere you look on this dive.
The marine park status has certainly ensured that this is one of the best wrecks we have dived in the Caribbean. Whilst we did not get the chance to do this – we bet it would make an awesome night dive.
Check out our next blog to find out more about the diving and watch out for our full feature in the next edition of Dive Travel Adventures Magazine in July!
For more information about BVI Wreck Week 2024 visit their website here.
Nick and Caroline were hosted by BVI Wreck Week
The Moorings provided their yacht for the week
Host Dive Centres:
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BVI Wreck Week – Diving the RMS Rhone (Part 2)
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Jeff chats to… Dr Katey Lesneski from Coral Vita, winners of the Earthshot Prize (Watch Video)
