Is U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix & St. Thomas) good for beginner divers?

Yes, partly: 5 of the 10 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Buck Island Reef National Monument (scuba moorings), Cartanser Senior (Cartanza Senora) wreck and Coki Beach. The others need more experience or a higher certification.

What is the water temperature in U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix & St. Thomas)?

The water is usually between 25 °C and 30 °C over the year.

What marine life can you see in U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix & St. Thomas)?

Divers regularly see nurse sharks, reef sharks, turtles, stingrays, barracuda and tarpon (Mar–Jun).

U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix & St. Thomas)

Diving in U.S. Virgin Islands

10 documented dive sites, 5 of them for Open Water divers. Known for nurse sharks, reef sharks and turtles.

Best months: Apr–Jun
Water: 25–30 °C
Levels: Open Water, Advanced
Nearest airport: STX
One dive: €45–80

When to go

Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.

Pick a month

Best
Good
Possible
Closed
Not documented yet

U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix & St. Thomas) in November

Good season

Sea: 29 °C; at the surface
Air: 28 °C; 26 °C at night
Rain: 120 mm; one of the wettest months
Wind: 24 km/h; on average

Exposure suit: swimsuit, rash guard or dive skin · if you feel the cold: 2 mm shorty or 1 mm full suit. How we choose

Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.

Compare with another destination

Diving is year-round; best Apr–Jun (St. Croix). May–November brings fewer people and flat, clear water, while Nov–May cold fronts can bring brief rain and rough seas.

Source: visitusvi.com

Dive sites in U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix & St. Thomas)

From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.

Open Water friendly

usual dive down to 18 m5 sites

Reef

down to 14 m

Buck Island Reef National Monument (scuba moorings)

Shallow 30- to 40-foot dives through haystack formations of elkhorn coral inside a national monument off St. Croix.

Open Water
Turtles

Wreck

down to 18 m

Cartanser Senior (Cartanza Senora) wreck

A steel freighter abandoned in 1970, raised and re-sunk on the west side of Buck Island in 1979, now lying on her port side in 50 feet of water.

Open Water
Reef sharks

Reef

down to 17 m

Coki Beach

Sandy entry from the water's edge into pool-like conditions, with two reefs to 55 feet where eels, rays, turtles and barracudas are common.

Open Water
Turtles

Macro

down to 27 m

Frederiksted Pier

Open Water
Turtles

Rock formations

down to 14 m

Cow and Calf Rocks

Two rocks so-called because whalers mistook them for a whale and calf, popular for intro dives, with turtles and jacks around the outside.

Open Water
Nurse sharks

For Advanced divers

usual dive down to 30 m5 sites

Wreck

down to 21 m

Butler Bay Shallow Wrecks

Three wrecks and the old Aegir underwater habitat sit close together off St. Croix's west end; the tug Northwind's wheelhouse is just 15 feet down.

Advanced
Turtles

Wall

down to 31 m

Carval Rock

In spring and early summer, large schools of tarpon feed on baitfish around this current-swept rock, whose outside drops to 70 feet.

Advanced
Nurse sharks

Wall

down to 27 m

Congo Cay

Advanced
Dolphins

Wall

down to 24 m

Salt River Canyon East Wall (Barracuda Bank)

Billed by gotostcroix as the fishiest dive on St. Croix's North Shore, on the east side of the Salt River canyon.

Advanced

Wall

down to 24 m

Buck Island Point (St. Thomas)

Advanced
Stingrays

Marine life

When the big encounters happen, month by month.

Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
TarponSource: nps.gov
Humpback whalesSource: gotostcroix.com

Peak season
Seen

Also reported here, season not documented yet:

Nurse sharks
Reef sharks
Turtles
Stingrays
Barracuda
Crustaceans
Octopus
Seahorses
Squid
Groupers
Moray eels
Corals
Whale sharks
Manta rays
Blacktip shark
Hammerhead sharks
Dolphins
Eagle rays
Frogfish

What diving costs here

Here a dive costs between €45 and €80, a try dive between €134 and €179 and an Open Water course between €533 and €694, depending on the dive centres we checked.

One dive (certified diver)packages counted per dive: €45–805 centres
Try dive: €134–1793 centres
Open Water course: €533–6944 centres

The cheapest and the most expensive of the dive centres we checked, from the prices on their own websites in October 2026. Prices change: confirm with the centre before booking.

Converted to euros at the ECB reference rate of 30 October 2026; for currencies the ECB does not publish, the official rate of the country's central bank.

Sources (11)

Where is U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix & St. Thomas)?

View on OpenStreetMapLocation: United States Virgin Islands (Wikipedia)Map: Natural Earth

Nearest airport: STX

U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix & St. Thomas): frequently asked questions

When is the best time to dive U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix & St. Thomas)?: The best months to dive U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix & St. Thomas) are Apr–Jun. Diving is year-round; best Apr–Jun (St. Croix). May–November brings fewer people and flat, clear water, while Nov–May cold fronts can bring brief rain and rough seas.
Is U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix & St. Thomas) good for beginner divers?: Yes, partly: 5 of the 10 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Buck Island Reef National Monument (scuba moorings), Cartanser Senior (Cartanza Senora) wreck and Coki Beach. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
What is the water temperature in U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix & St. Thomas)?: The water is usually between 25 °C and 30 °C over the year.
What marine life can you see in U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix & St. Thomas)?: Divers regularly see nurse sharks, reef sharks, turtles, stingrays, barracuda and tarpon (Mar–Jun).
How do you dive U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix & St. Thomas)?: The nearest airport is STX.

About this page

Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.

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Photo: Sarah Lee on Unsplash

Photo credits

Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash