Why the Virgin Islands have so many wrecks
The Virgin Islands have been a shipping crossroads for centuries. Sailing ships, steamers, freighters and working boats have all been lost here to reefs, storms and accidents, and others have been sunk on purpose to create artificial reefs. In the warm, clear water, a wreck is quickly colonised by sponges, corals and fish, so even a ship that went down a few decades ago can look like part of the reef.
For divers, that means wrecks to suit every level. Some lie in water shallow enough to snorkel; others sit deep enough that only part of the ship is within recreational limits. The guide below groups them by island.
St. Thomas wrecks
WIT Shoal II
- Large freighter
- Sits upright
- Upper decks open water, hull advanced
The headline wreck of the US Virgin Islands. Built as a World War II era landing ship and later used as a freighter, she now lies off the south coast of St. Thomas near Saba Island. Her superstructure rises high enough that newer divers can explore the upper decks, while the hull and deck below are deeper and best left to divers with advanced training. The ship is large, so most divers return for a second dive to see more of her.
Cartanser Senior
- Cargo ship
- Broken in sections
- Shallow, all levels
Off Buck Island on the south side of St. Thomas, this cargo ship lies in shallow water, broken into sections that are easy to swim around. It is a great first wreck dive and is often full of fish, which makes it popular with photographers and snorkelers too.
General Rogers
- Vessel
- Mostly intact
- Intermediate
Near the Cartanser Senior and a little deeper, the General Rogers is more intact, and boats often visit both on a two-tank trip. Ask your operator about current conditions on the day.
More about diving these sites, and the reefs around them, is in the St. Thomas scuba diving guide.
St. Croix wrecks
The Butler Bay wreck trail
- Several wrecks
- Close together
- Range of depths
North of Frederiksted on the west end, Butler Bay holds a group of wrecks including the Rosaomaira, the Suffolk Maid and the Northwind. They lie at a range of depths, from ones that suit newer divers to deeper hulls for advanced divers, and the west end is often calm when winter trade winds are blowing on the north shore.
Frederiksted Pier
- Not a wreck
- Shallow
- Wreck-like structure
Not a shipwreck, but its pilings give the same kind of man-made structure that wreck divers enjoy, and the critters living on it are some of the best macro subjects in the islands.
See the St. Croix scuba diving guide for the north shore wall and the rest of the island.
Wrecks next door in the British Virgin Islands
The most famous wreck in the Virgin Islands, the RMS Rhone, a steamship lost in a hurricane in 1867, lies in the British Virgin Islands, not the USVI. Some St. Thomas and St. John operators run trips there. The BVI are a separate country, so you need a passport and the trip goes through customs both ways.
Wreck diving safety
- Stay outside unless you are trained to go in. Penetrating a wreck needs wreck training, a guideline and the right equipment.
- Watch your depth and no-decompression time. Large wrecks tempt divers deeper than planned.
- Mind sharp edges. A full wetsuit protects against scrapes and stinging growth; see the USVI dive gear checklist.
- Carry a light. Even outside a wreck, a torch brings out colour under overhangs.
- Leave everything in place. Wrecks are habitat, and many are protected.
Planning your trip around the wrecks? The USVI dive trip planning guide covers how to get between St. Thomas and St. Croix.