Carval Rock Southeast Wall
Dive site
Carval Rock juts from the surface 2 kilometres off St Croix's southeast tip — an exposed seamount ringed by vertical walls that fall into blue water. Caribbean reef sharks are resident on the southeast face, joined by occasional bull sharks in late summer and autumn. The wall itself is alive with black coral trees at depth, dense wire coral on the mid-wall, and brilliant orange elephant ear sponges at 25 metres. Surface swells can make entry and exit sporty, but the diving below is among the most dramatic anywhere in the Virgin Islands.
Conditions
Depth
6 to 40 m
Advanced depths
Current
Usually gentle
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
18 to 30 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
25 to 30°C
Shorty wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 |
| Vis (m) | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 18 |
| Current | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Moderate | Strong | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Caribbean reef shark
Photo: Rafi Amar · CC BY-NC
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Black coral
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Elephant ear sponge
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Spotted eagle ray
Photo: michel candel · CC BY-NC-SA
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Bull shark
Photo: Luis P. B. · CC BY-NC
Rare
Now and then
Field journal
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