Northwind

Northwind is a St. Croix dive site that takes its name from the prevailing trade winds that define the weather and sea conditions of this northernmost of the main US Virgin Islands. The north coast exposure that the name implies also explains the site's character: a reef environment shaped by the energy of the Atlantic trade wind swells, with correspondingly robust coral formations, dynamic fish assemblages, and the kind of conditions that reward divers who can manage mild current and occasional surge with calm technique. As a beginner site, Northwind is dived on the calmer days and in the more sheltered sections of the reef that the name might suggest would always be exposed. St. Croix's north coast is remarkably varied in its degree of exposure — the interaction of the island's terrain with the prevailing northeast trade winds creates pockets of relative shelter that allow accessible diving even on the windward coast, and local operators know exactly which conditions allow a Northwind dive and which call for the south or west coast alternatives. The reef at Northwind reflects the north coast's exposure in its community composition. Encrusting and massive coral species that can withstand wave energy and occasional surge dominate the shallower sections — brain corals of impressive age and size, star corals in large dome formations, and the purple sea fan colonies that tolerate current and movement better than more delicate coral types. The fish assemblages on this exposed reef lean toward the robust species of the current zone: large parrotfish that crunch through coral substrate with audible determination, surgeonfish in feeding groups, and the bigger-bodied snapper and grouper that hold position in the more sheltered sections. The beginners who dive Northwind on appropriate days experience something of the energetic quality of north coast Caribbean diving — a reef with a bit more life and movement than the calm bay sites, an occasional thrill of current around the more exposed sections, and the satisfaction of having explored a coast that the trade winds have designated as their own. On clear-sky days, the light quality on this north-facing reef has a particular Atlantic quality — deeper blue than the sheltered bays, with longer visibility ranges that reveal the reef's full extent.