Buck Island Reef
Dive site · United States Virgin Islands
Is it worth the trip?
81Good out of 100 for your dates
6 days tie for best, usually
Tue 3 · 81 out of 100
From the usual week for these dates, not the forecast.
Wed 4 · 81 out of 100
From the usual week for these dates, not the forecast.
Thu 5 · 81 out of 100
From the usual week for these dates, not the forecast.
Fri 6 · 81 out of 100
From the usual week for these dates, not the forecast.
Sat 7 · 81 out of 100
From the usual week for these dates, not the forecast.
Sun 8 · 81 out of 100
From the usual week for these dates, not the forecast.
Mon 9 · 80 out of 100
From the usual week for these dates, not the forecast.
No forecast for this spot on these dates. Usual weather for your dates
The site in five facts
- Down to 12 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 29 °Crash vest or 1 to 2 mm
- Faces Nswell from there reaches it
Usual weather for your dates
not a forecast
| Day | Air |
|---|---|
| Tue 3to 8usually | 28°C |
| Mon 9usually | 27°C |
No forecast for this spot on these dates. These are the usual readings for that week.
Visibility about 15 m, usual for the month.
Water about 29°C: rash vest or 1 to 2 mm.
Map
the site and its town
Buck Island Reef on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears how it usually is on these dates, from past years' weather: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More diving near here
1 place
- Salt River Canyon 14.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Buck Island Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 12 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces N: swell from the N reaches it, and wind from the S blows out to sea. No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 29 km away. The sea is about 27°C in January, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 29°C in July, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Christiansted.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 12 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 29 km away.
Water about 29°C: rash vest or 1 to 2 mm. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 15 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Much the same all year (about 15 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$757–US$1,420 each
about US$757–US$1,420 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to STX, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$288–US$596 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$47–US$80 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Total | about US$757–US$1,420 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Christiansted
about 20 min by car · 20 places to stay
About Christiansted its beds, food and every spot near it
Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 9h 20m
About 9h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → STX, direct, then 40 min by road
Flights ORD → STX on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Christiansted · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Christiansted · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
No dive centre mapped within 25 km.
Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Animals divers and surveys have recorded within 2 km of this site in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it here, not that you will.
Mustard hill coral Porites astreoides
Seen in 304 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
Lettuce Coral Agaricia agaricites
Seen in 268 records, mostly Jun to Oct.
Orbicella annularis
Seen in 164 records, mostly Jun to Oct.
Finger coral Porites porites
Seen in 154 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
Pseudodiploria strigosa
Seen in 152 records, mostly Jun.
Massive Starlet Coral Siderastrea siderea
Seen in 133 records, mostly Jun.
Orbicella franksi
Seen in 115 records, mostly Jun to Oct.
Orbicella faveolata
Seen in 111 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
Great star coral Montastraea cavernosa
Seen in 107 records, mostly Jun to Oct.
Blushing Star Coral Stephanocoenia intersepta
Seen in 76 records, mostly Jun.
Lowrelief Lettuce Coral Agaricia humilis
Seen in 59 records, mostly Jun to Oct.
Boulder brain coral Colpophyllia natans
Seen in 58 records, mostly Jun to Nov.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS, through OBIS; common names from Wikidata. Largest datasets here: USVI Territorial Coral Reef Monitoring Program Database; NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, Coral Demographic Data; NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, Benthic Cover Data; DFO NE Newfoundland Acoustic Array and Atlantic Cod Tagging. Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.