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Published: September 16th 2009
Jay
Snorkeling and diving in the BVIs- fun!The next stop for the Rum Runner was Norman Island, a very famous anchorage in the British Virgin Islands. Famous for the crazy parties aboard the floating pirate ship and bar- the Willie T, famous for the amazing snorkeling at nearby Pelican Island and the Indians (a rock formation just north of the Bight), and most famous for pirate lore and hidden treasures that were found in the caves on the west end of the island.
As legend has it, the crew of the Spanish Galleon ship Nuestra Senora de Guadeloupe declared mutiny in the early 1700s. After eliminating the captain, the crew stole 55 chests of silver coins and buried it in the caves on Norman Island. Does the story sound familiar? Well, it should because it was the inspiration for the famous novel “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson. However, the end of this real life pirate tale differs from the book. The treasure on Norman was later recovered by the local residents of Tortola and handed over to the British authorities- bummer! But some still believe that pirate treasure can be found in the caves off Norman Island today. Thousands of people visit the caves every year,
Pirate Caves
Looking for gold, deblooms, and pieces of eight at Norman Island. where you can snorkel in and look for lost treasure and pieces of eight. We just couldn’t resist- we had to check it out for ourselves. Unfortunately we didn’t find any silver doubloons, but it still was a great snorkel. Got to love the pirate history of the BVIs!
We were anchored out in Benures Bay on Norman Island, although spent much of our time there in the water, snorkeling and diving. Our good friends Brian and Stephanie sailed over with us and showed us around to some of the best sites. We snorkeled The Indians, where we were surrounded by thousand of fish and cool coral formations (we just love the organ pipe coral- it’s one of our favorites). And we did a wall dive which was covered with black coral just off Peter Island, an awesome little spot that Brian found. Last but certainly not least, we all went out one day to dive the wreck of the Rhone. Even though the visibility wasn’t great that day, it was still the best dive we have ever done! The RMS Rhone sank off of Salt Island in 1867 while trying to outrun a hurricane. Today, the remains of
The Indians
Great snorkeling at the Indians, just off Norman. this 310 foot steam ship is rated as the top recreational dive site in the Caribbean and one of the best wreck dives in the world. The bow section is relatively in tact, creating an excellent swim through area. So we took the plunge, descended down 75 feet, and were in awe of all the marine life that resides in the wreck (including a giant barracuda baring his fangs, which gave me quite a fright). We swam thru the bow, which was a bit scary at first. It was so dark that we had to use our torches as we cautiously worked our way thru the ship. But then we entered a large cavernous area where the crystal blue glow of daylight streams thru the hull- it was awesome! Such an exhilarating dive! And it looked so familiar… that’s because the 1977 movie “The Deep” was filmed here. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of our experience because our underwater camera can’t go down beyond 35 feet. But here is a link to a picture by Stacy Egan that captures it all: www.pbase.com/segan/image/54323534
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