The Wall

St. Croix’s greatest underwater sight is the Wall, a massive ledge that runs parallel to the island’s north shore for seven miles between Christiansted and Ham’s Bluff on the northwest coast. From the shore, the sea floor slopes gradually to about 30 feet before plunging to depths of 3,200 feet.

The Wall teems with marinelife: extensive hard and soft coral, turtles, eagle rays, barracuda, damsel fish, butterfly fish, cleaner wrasses, gobies, squirrelfish, and more. Since the wall faces deep, open water, large pelagic species like snappers, jacks, and sharks can be seen here too.

There are more than 20 different established Wall dive sites, but the easiest and best place to start is Cane Bay, a sandy beach about halfway between Christiansted and the northwest point of the island. No dive boat is necessary here (although some operators use small dinghies) because you can easily swim the 300 feet offshore to where the Wall begins. Snorkelers can explore the shallow parts of the Wall, but divers get the best views of its intricate holes, passages, and the awesome precipice below.

If one Wall dive is not enough for you, try the Salt River Canyon dives, at the mouth of Salt River Bay. Here, healthy coral gardens border the east and west sides of the large undersea canyon. For experienced divers, Vertigo, at Annaly Bay, is the holy grail of St. Croix diving. Here the Wall slopes back under itself, creating an overhang that puts divers in the middle of wide, dark ocean. This is a challenging, dangerous dive, and not all dive shops will take you there.