Aruba 
This week we travel to Aruba! Another warm and tropical place where the lizards lay out on the sidewalk basking in the sun. Being lazy. Like the British Virgin Islands, Aruba has that crystal clear water and white sand beaches.
Wreck of Antilla 
This ship wreck is the largest in the Caribbean, being 400 feet long. It is a German Frieghter, called the "Ghost Ship", was sunk in the 1940's when the Germans invaded Holland in WWII. There are a series of caverns and crevasses that are now home to little critters. The whole ship is covered in tube worms and sponges. Those who have dove this site many times still see new things.

Type of Dive 

• Not for young or beginner divers 
  

Expect to see: 

• Sponges
• Tube Worms 
• Small schooling fish
• Small eels

Some say it is the most beautiful dive around Aruba!

The Painted Walls 

Think Finding Nemo, and that is what the reef looks like underneath the surface at the Painted Walls. It is off of Dead Chest Island in the British Virgin Islands and is, by far, one of the most popular. It is 12 meters deep (that's 36 feet for us non-metric users), and a really easy swim with minimal underwater current. The water is crystal clear and really warm.

The animals to look out for on this dive are:

• Turtles
• Octopus
• Squid
• Frogfish

The Colosseum 
The Colosseum is off the coast of Jost Van Dyke and is a very beautiful dive. It is easy, with minimal current, and a maximum depth of around 25-30ft. This site has numerous rock caverns and niches for small sea life to hide. One really unique thing about this dive is that it has a cave that is only accessible by swimming under the water. This is a great family dive! CAUTION: There have been Lionfish spotted here, both at the surface and towards the bottom. 

British Virgin Islands: Angelfish Reef and RMS Rhone

en.wikipedia.org

The British Virgin Islands are a network chain of islands that center around the island of Tortola. The beautiful water of the BVI's is a mixture of colors; from the dark blue of the deeper waters to the light blue of the shallow waters near land. Typically the more tropical people travel, the more interesting the marine life. The colors are more vibrant and not boring and murky like the waters of New England... Yuckk. But if some people appreciate diving in cold water and love seeing murky sand and boring looking fish, New England is the place for you!

www.sunsail.eu

Angelfish Reef

Nurse Shark at Angelfish Reef.
 www.panoramio.com 

I personally love tropical waters; there is no need for a wet suit, the water is beautiful, and the ocean life is extensive. One of the best sites is one that I have personally dove on; it is called Angelfish Reef (which is strange because there are no angelfish there..). It is off of Norman Island, which is south of Tortola and about an hours boat ride. This spot is known for having sharks patrolling around and nurse sharks sleeping on the sandy bottom, but also for having very nice dive conditions. One of the great things about diving in the BVI's is that there is very little underwater current and great visibility. You will never see the same thing twice.
http://bvidiving.com/divesites_angelfish_reef.html


                                                            RMS Rhone

RMS Rhone
Photo credit
Bonnie Pelnar

Another great dive site in the BVI's is the wreck of the RMS Rhone. The Royal Mail Steam ship sunk on the morning of October 29th, 1867. It is recommended to dive this site twice to be able to see all of the ship. Parts of it are at different depths, the more shallow part is at 35 ft. while the other is at 80ft. There is a resident barracuda named "Fang", and if anyone has swum with barracudas they know that they are some of the most inquisitive fish ever. They like to swim around you just out of arms reach and stare at you, creepily. With their big creepy eyes and big creepy teeth.
http://bvidiving.com/divesites_rhone.html

Part of the RMS photo
credit Bonnie Pelnar

There are so many great dive sites that are open for exploration in the BVI's that I will have to post at least one more entry on this amazing place. :)