Ginger Steps

Ginger Steps is a beautiful and ecologically rich dive site off Ginger Island — one of the outer Virgin Islands in the southeastern BVI, an uninhabited island whose undisturbed shores and clear surrounding waters host some of the most pristine reef diving in the entire British Virgin Islands archipelago. Ginger Island is accessible only by boat from Tortola or from the sailing charter fleet that regularly visits its spectacular reefs, and the journey itself is part of the experience — sailing through the Sir Francis Drake Channel with the verdant islands and glittering Caribbean visible in all directions before anchoring in the crystal clear waters off Ginger's rugged coast. Ginger Steps is named for the natural rock formation on the island's coast that appears to create a stepped descent into the sea, and the underwater topography continues this stepped character with ledges, overhangs, and graduated reef sections that create the habitat diversity that supports the site's impressive biodiversity. The reef at Ginger Steps features excellent coral health for the BVI, with diverse coral cover including brain coral formations, star coral domes, and extensive sea fan and sea rod growth that sways in the gentle current sweeping around the island's exposed position. Caribbean reef sharks make relatively frequent appearances at Ginger Island's outer sites compared to more sheltered BVI locations — the island's position in the open channel between Tortola and Anegada increases the probability of pelagic visitors. Nurse sharks rest beneath overhangs throughout the reef. Large barracuda cruise the outer reef with predatory alertness. Eagle rays glide through the deeper sections. The combination of pristine location, diverse topography, and excellent marine life makes Ginger Steps one of the BVI's most rewarding and memorable dive destinations.