About The Dogs
The Dogs are a small group of uninhabited islands between Tortola and Virgin Gorda, ringed by some of the liveliest reefs in the British Virgin Islands. Sites here such as Coral Gardens, Great Dog and George Dog combine rocky pinnacles, coral ridges and sand channels at depths from about 8 to 27 meters. The islands sit in open water, so the reefs are washed by nutrient-rich currents that attract large schools of fish, barracuda, jacks and regularly sharks and rays. The underwater scenery mixes boulder formations with healthy hard and soft corals, and there are plenty of ledges where nurse sharks rest. Conditions can be a little more energetic than at the sheltered southern sites, which is part of the appeal for experienced divers. The Dogs are a standard feature on BVI liveaboard routes heading towards Virgin Gorda.
Highlights
Season calendar
Dive site facts: The Dogs
- Depth
- 8–27 m
- Current
- Mild
- Entry
- Liveaboard only
- Level
- Intermediate
- Dive type
- Reef
- Region / port
- British Virgin Islands
- Coordinates
- 18.4764° N, 64.4356° W
Conditions & Currents
Currents are mild to moderate and can pick up around the points, and visibility is usually 15 to 30 meters. The varied terrain offers sheltered spots even when the points are lively. Dive profiles here run between roughly 8 and 27 metres, so plan your gas and no-decompression limits around the deeper part of the site. It is usually briefed as a dive for intermediate divers. The site is reached by liveaboard, so entries are run from the tender or straight off the back deck. Tide, wind and season all shift the picture from day to day, so the crew's briefing on the boat always overrides any general description.
Why dive The Dogs from a liveaboard?
The Dogs is one of British Virgin Islands's signature dive sites. A liveaboard sleeps you on the water and puts you in the water for three to four guided dives per day, including dawn and night dives that day-boat operators rarely offer. You skip the daily commute back to port and reach quieter, less-crowded sites in the same region on a single trip.
Below are the liveaboards that include The Dogs on their British Virgin Islands itineraries.
Liveaboards diving The Dogs
These liveaboards may visit The Dogs on selected itineraries — the exact dive sites depend on departure, weather and conditions.
All Star Cuan Law
Virgin Islands