Secret Harbour

Secret Harbour is one of St. Thomas's most sheltered and reliably calm dive sites, a bay on the island's eastern shore whose natural protection from the prevailing trade winds creates conditions that are excellent for beginner diving throughout the year. The harbour's sheltered character has made it a destination for sailors and divers alike, and the combination of easy access, consistent calm water, and productive reef makes it one of the most frequently dived locations in the eastern Virgin Islands. The dive site encompasses the reef that extends from the rocky shoreline of the harbour entrance, the substrate transitioning from the sandy shallows near the beach through coral patch reefs at intermediate depth to the more complex formations further out. The gradual depth profile and absence of significant current allow beginner divers to explore at their own pace, choosing their depth and coverage without the time pressure that current-influenced sites create. This freedom to explore slowly is one of the most important elements of a good beginner dive site, and Secret Harbour delivers it reliably. The reef at Secret Harbour has the healthy, settled quality of a site that has benefited from both its sheltered position and the restraint of the local diving community in maintaining its quality. Coral formations include massive brain corals of impressive age and size, sea fans orientated to the mild water movement within the harbour, and the encrusting organisms that colonise every available surface in a mature Caribbean reef community. Fish diversity is good — all the standard Virgin Islands species are represented, including the resident nurse sharks that are characteristically present in the shaded sections beneath overhangs. Sea turtles visit Secret Harbour with the regularity that characterises well-protected Virgin Islands habitat. Green and hawksbill turtles both use the harbour reef, the greens grazing in the grass beds on the sandy areas and the hawksbills foraging for the sponges that form their specialised diet on the reef structures. Spotted eagle rays cruise through the harbour periodically, their elegant gliding flight providing one of the most reliably uplifting wildlife moments that Virgin Islands diving has to offer.