WRECKS AND REEFS!
Nep2une Scuba is located in Frederiksted just steps from the Frederiksted Pier and less than a 10 minute boat ride to over 30 dive sites along the west end of St. Croix USVI. Our entire staff has been diving these waters for years and are just waiting to show you their favorite spots! Nep2une’s boats are smaller than other St Croix boats which allows us to anchor in spots that larger boats don’t have access to. Plus it makes it easy to drive along the blue waters in search of the perfect viz. Listed below are just a few of our well-known and loved sites.
The Frederiksted Pier is a must see when diving in St. Croix! It is known for its tall pillars stretching up into the light with corals and sponges growing along every inch. The Pier is host to a large variety of Caribbean sea life, including Seahorses, Frogfish, Batfish, Octopus and Sea Turtles (just to name a few)! The Pier is paradise for underwater photographers. The inner section of the Pier is easily accessible from shore for divers and snorkelers.
To avoid that long kick out and the crowds, you can reserve a spot on our boat to dive the middle section(max depth of 45′) or Tres Amigos (aka the end section at 90′). And night dives at the Pier are always a spectacular event with Octopuses out for a stroll along and sleeping Sea Turtle in their nooks. The Pier is a must see and can even be explored by non-scuba certified divers by joining our Discover Scuba Diving course.
Aquarium Reef is a beautiful dive site just south of the Frederiksted Pier that gets its name from the abundance of diverse Caribbean sea life making its home on this stretch of patchy reef. Colorful “aquarium fish” of all kinds can be found here. Depth is from 30-80 feet, with all kinds of interesting critters to find on any given day. You’ll feel like you are diving into a magical fish bowl!
Sugar Reef is the furthest site headed north before Butler Bay. This site has a unique reef line running east to west from 40 to 90 foot depth. This is one of staff’s favorites! And more often than not, it hosts thousands of schooling purple and blue Creole Wrasses along with Turtles and the occasional Caribbean Reef Shark!
Little Mill Point is known for the array of cables running along the reef from a Cold War submarine listening station. These cables run from St. Croix to Puerto Rico and were used to hear enemy submarines entering the US territory. Even though these cables are no longer in use, they have become part of the reef with Azure Vase Sponges, Brain Corals and Barrel Sponges taking over. Depth is from 40-60 feet.
Sprat Hole is a shallow dive site from 25-40 feet and is named after the nearby Sprat Hall Plantation which overlooks it from shore. We typically see many Southern Stingrays hanging out here in the sand, getting cleaned at one of their the cleaning stations. Juvenile fish love to hide in all of the nooks and crannies at this site. This is a great site for new divers and Discover Scuba Divers.
The Swirling Reef of Death is so popular we had to have t-shirts made, but you can only purchase one if you survive this infamous reef… hahaha. This site is both a staff and customers favorite! The depth range is 25-50 feet and this reef is home to some wonderful juveniles, as well as Sea Turtles and Yellowhead Jawfish. Of course there’s a story behind the name, but you have to come dive it with us to hear it!
Armageddon is a staff favorite and not your typical wreck or reef site. It looks like a post-apocalyptic scene in a Hollywood film. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo destroyed the original Frederiksted Pier and what little remained was torn down and brought out to Butler Bay. The old concrete pillars, truck chassis, steel beams, and huge tires were settled in the sand at a depth of 80-100 feet to become a colorful artificial reef for Caribbean Reef Sharks and Angelfish to call home.
The Shallow Wrecks of Butler Bay were voted USA Today’s 10BEST Readers’ Choice 2019 Best Caribbean Dive Site! This site is made up of four individual wrecks all resting in the sandy bottom with depths ranging from 50-90 feet. The Suffolk Maid trawler, Virgin Islander oil barge, North Wind tug boat, and Aegir Habitat cylinder are all excellent havens for a vast array of undersea life. Being so close together offers a unique experience to let divers explore all four wrecks in one dive!
The Deep Wrecks of Butler Bay rest at depths from 70-100 feet but sit close to each other for easy access on a 1-tank dive. This site contains two shipwrecks, the Rosaomaira – a 177 foot long freighter, and the Coakley Bay – an old tug boat. A school of Atlantic Spadefish like to hang out at the helm of the Coakley Bay, as well as Queen Angelfish and Sea Turtles
