A dive briefing · British Virgin Islands

The Caves (Norman Island)

Dive site in the British Virgin Islands. Here's what has been recorded at this site month by month, how the region’s reefs have weathered ocean heat, and how to prepare.

British Virgin Islandsreef

At this sitegeotagged 72 m from the site coordinates Graysby (Cephalopholis cruentata) · Luke Padon · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Yellowhead jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons)

Chapter I · Arrival

The Caves (Norman Island): dive site in the British Virgin Islands.

~18.316° N~64.623° W · Wikidata

473open records · GBIF

92species recorded

At this sitegeotagged 172 m from the site coordinates Yellowhead jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons) · Addshore · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Entry

Shore and boat entries vary by site. We list only rules we can cite from official sources; entry points, depths and currents will be added once we can verify them.

Approximate positionThese coordinates are the position of Treasure Point, where the caves are. Use them for orientation only.

To verifyDepth range, entry points and current notes. We publish them only with a citation. The coordinates mark the site in general, not a mooring or entry point.

Local rules (cited)

RMS Rhone Marine Park: anchoring and fishing are strictly prohibited; use the mooring buoys provided with a National Parks Trust mooring permit. BVI National Parks Trust · RMS Rhone Marine Park
National Parks Trust dive moorings are for day use only (overnight use is illegal), and a National Parks Mooring Permit is required by law to use them. BVI National Parks Trust · Marine Conservation

At this sitegeotagged 172 m from the site coordinates Yellowhead jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons) · Addshore · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

**Open media** · At this sitegeotagged 72 m from the site coordinates Graysby (Cephalopholis cruentata) · Luke Padon · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

The surface noise falls away.

Reds go first. The world turns blue-green.

Then The Caves (Norman Island) rises to meet you.

Graysby (Cephalopholis cruentata)

What lives here, by month

Pick a month. These are the species most often recorded within about a kilometre in that month, from open survey records.

Oct

October · 0 qualifying records

Life calendar · records per month for this site's most-recorded species (blank means not in that month's top list)

Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Bar jack
Sergeant Major
Bluehead Wrasse
Southern Stingray
Brown Chromis
Queen Parrotfish
Giant Caribbean anenone
Longfin Damselfish
Blue Tang
Beaugregory
Longspine squirrelfish
Glassy Sweeper

Most-recorded species, all months

GBIF.org (2026-10-15), occurrence records within ~1 km, licensed CC0 or CC BY 4.0 only. Birds and land animals are excluded. Counts reflect survey effort, not abundance. 473 qualifying records. See them on GBIF. Common names: Wikidata (CC0) / GBIF. Species photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited with each species.

Forty-one summers of heat

Each stripe is one year since 1985, colored by its peak heat stress across NOAA's “Virgin Islands” region. These are NOAA Coral Reef Watch satellite figures for the whole region, not for this one site.

19852026

Reef health report · Virgin Islands

Heat stress, measured from orbit.

Degree Heating Weeks · 2026-10-139.5°C-weeks · NOAA status: Alert Level 2

NOAA CRW virtual station “Virgin Islands”. NOAA's alert thresholds are 4 °C-weeks (Alert Level 1) and 8 °C-weeks (Alert Level 2). Station page · Method. Credit: NOAA Coral Reef Watch.

Peak per year · dashed lines at 4, 8 and 16 °C-weeks

The past twelve months

Conditions

Average sea temperature through the year. Check the live readings before you go.

Average sea surface temperature by month: NOAA CRW “Virgin Islands” station climatology (monthly means).

NWS San Juan · marine forecasts (Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands) →NDBC 41052 · South of St. John, USVI (~17 km, open ocean) →

Buoy readings are measurements; forecasts are models. Use them for planning only, and assess conditions on site. Depth and visibility data aren't listed until we can cite a source.

VII

Plan & prepare

Read the official marine forecast the night before.Offshore, wind and sea state decide the day.
Check the cited local rules above and pay any park fee before you dive.[Placeholder: verified operator list to come]
Study this month's species above.You'll recognise more when you know the names.
Hands off, fins up, buoyancy dialled. Log what you see.Your sightings can become tomorrow's open data.

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Photographs from The Caves (Norman Island)

Openly licensed photos, each checked for location against its title, description, category or geotag. Labels show how close each one is to the site.

**Brown garden eel (Heteroconger longissimus)**At this sitegeotagged 172 m from the site coordinates Addshore · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

**Brown chromis (Azurina multilineata)**At this sitegeotagged 172 m from the site coordinates Addshore · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

**Black margate (Anisotremus surinamensis)**At this sitegeotagged 172 m from the site coordinates Addshore · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

**Bar jack (Caranx ruber)**At this sitegeotagged 172 m from the site coordinates Addshore · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

**Atlantic sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis)**At this sitegeotagged 172 m from the site coordinates Addshore · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

**Glassy sweeper (Pempheris schomburgkii)**At this sitegeotagged 172 m from the site coordinates Addshore · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

**Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)**At this sitegeotagged 330 m from the site coordinates Pauline Walsh Jacobson · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Credits

Coordinates: Wikidata Q32035357 (CC0) · position of Treasure Point, where the caves are. Wikidata (CC0) items for the RMS Rhone and HMS Astraea wrecks and for named islands, rocks and points; most mark the nearby island or point, so treat them as approximate.
Species records: GBIF.org, CC0 & CC BY 4.0 records. By license: CC_BY_4_0: 454, CC0_1_0: 19
Dataset: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset · doi:10.15468/aomfnb (253 records) · GBIF
Dataset: iNaturalist Research-grade Observations · doi:10.15468/ab3s5x (170 records) · GBIF
Dataset: KUBI Mammalogy Collection · doi:10.15468/a3woj7 (36 records) · GBIF
Dataset: Field Museum of Natural History (Zoology) Mammal Collection · doi:10.15468/n4zgxw (7 records) · GBIF
Dataset: Field Museum of Natural History (Zoology) Fish Collection · doi:10.15468/alz7wu (3 records) · GBIF
Dataset: CAS Ichthyology (ICH) · doi:10.15468/efh2ib (2 records) · GBIF
Dataset: Birda - Global Observation Dataset · doi:10.15468/6kud7x (2 records) · GBIF
Query: https://api.gbif.org/v1/occurrence/search?decimalLatitude=18.30574,18.325740000000003&decimalLongitude=-64.63326,-64.61326&license=CC0_1_0&license=CC_BY_4_0&taxonKey=44&taxonKey=206&taxonKey=229&taxonKey=136&taxonKey=225&occurrenceStatus=PRESENT&limit=0
Heat stress & SST: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, 5 km Regional Virtual Station “Virgin Islands”
Hero photo: At this sitegeotagged 72 m from the site coordinates Graysby (Cephalopholis cruentata) · Luke Padon · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
Arrival photo: At this sitegeotagged 172 m from the site coordinates Yellowhead jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons) · Addshore · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
Gallery: 7 photos, credited under each image
Species photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited with each species. Full list: Data & sources