Johnson's Reef

Johnson's Reef is one of St. John's most visited and consistently productive dive sites, a reef structure in the clear waters east of the island that offers beginner divers an outstanding introduction to what a well-protected Caribbean reef looks like when given several decades to recover and develop without the pressures of overfishing and coastal development that have degraded reefs elsewhere in the region. The site's popularity is entirely justified — reliable conditions, excellent coral health, and abundant marine life make it a site that satisfies divers of all experience levels. The reef rises from a sandy base to within snorkelling depth at the shallowest points, creating a topographic profile that maximises the range of habitats accessible within a single dive. The upper reef sections are bright and well-lit, the coral formations casting dappled shadows on the sandy bottom below. Intermediate sections support the most complex coral architecture — brain coral formations of impressive size, branching staghorn in areas that have recovered from historical bleaching, and the diverse assemblage of smaller coral species that colonise every available niche in a healthy reef community. Fish diversity at Johnson's Reef is exceptional by the standards of a beginner site. The reef's protected status and the established tradition of dive tourism without spearfishing in the adjacent waters has produced a fish community that is both diverse and unafraid. Blue tangs graze in mixed-species surgeonfish schools across the algae-rich reef surfaces. School masters aggregate in their characteristic resting formations, golden and alert. Moray eels peer from crevices with the calm curiosity of animals that have not been persecuted. And the sea turtles that are perhaps the most reliable charismatic species in St. John diving appear at Johnson's Reef with pleasing regularity, sometimes resting on coral formations and at other times actively feeding. The site is dived as a moored location — boats tie to installed mooring balls to eliminate anchor damage to the reef — and the mooring system also means that the reef retains the intact structure that characterises a site that has been thoughtfully managed. For a first dive in the Virgin Islands, Johnson's Reef sets a standard of Caribbean reef quality that positions the whole region correctly in a diver's imagination.