Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 03, 2025

First Wreck Week since Irma set for December

First Wreck Week since Irma set for December

After Hurricane Irma, the Virgin Islands’ scuba diving industry was in shambles.
In the following years, stakeholders regrouped and thought about how they could operate better than they had before the storm, said Kim Huish, president of the BVI Dive Operators Association.

“The second year, which we’re into now, we started to lift our heads up and say, ‘How do we want to move forward? …How do we see our place in the BVI?’” Ms. Huish said.

Such are the guiding principles of the coming BVI Wreck Week, the first since the 2017 hurricanes rocked the territory.

Every day during the first week of December will feature events designed to foster interest, particularly amongst residents, in the Virgin Islands’ scuba sector, Ms. Huish said.

On Sunday, Dec. 1, for instance, prospective divers are invited to a meet and greet at The Moorings, where they can chat with representatives from different dive shops about how to get started in scuba.

Later in the week, on Wednesday, Dec. 4, residents can attend the ritzy Rhone Ball at Scrub Island, and on Friday, Dec. 6, Green VI is helping close out the week with a beach clean-up at Pusser’s at Myett’s in Cane Garden Bay, Ms. Huish said.

Additionally, dive operators will offer special discounts and guided excursions all week long, affording opportunities to get underwater.

“We’ve been thinking about how we can give back to the community and enhance the diving product,” Ms. Huish said.

Dylan Penn, who grew up in the VI and works in the Town and Country Planning Department, is a long-time diver who has been wanting to wade deeper into the territory’s dive scene, he said. So he recently made a post on Facebook asking if anyone wanted to go diving, and soon after he amassed a WhatsApp group of more than 15 people.

The WhatsApp group includes “people who we didn’t know had their licences, people from all walks of life, all professions, [many of whom]got their licences probably when they were young but they haven’t refreshed in a while,” Mr. Penn said.

He and several members of the WhatsApp group recently dived the sunken Willy T, and in the future Mr. Penn hopes to turn this interest into a more organised operation that coordinates scheduled dives in various locations, he said.

Eventually, Mr. Penn wants to use recreational diving as an entry point for Virgin Islanders to enter the scuba diving and broader marine industries, he said.

“We want to change the face … of the dive scene,” he said. “There are a lot of locals who are interested in the sea who are interested in diving. It could lead to even younger folks … going into this industry.”

Many residents do not know how to swim, which creates a significant barrier of entry for those wishing to become involved in aquatic sports, said Kendyl Bernā, who manages Beyond the Reef, a non-profit group involved with Wreck Week.

Specifically, Beyond the Reef plans to collect $5 from every diver who visits the sunkenWilly Tor “Sharplaneo” wrecks, and then donate that money to Unite BVI, which will use it for programmes that teach residents to swim, Ms. Bernā said.

While Beyond the Reef has partnered with Unite BVI, it is a separate organisation, and has thus far received the bulk of its funding from Commercial Dive Services, Ms. Bernā said.

Apart from involving a greater number of residents in the world of scuba, Ms. Huish hopes that Wreck Week and similar events can help elevate the diving industry’s standing in the territory’s economy.

While the revenue scuba brings in is small compared to the territory’s tourism product as a whole, an increase in tourist traffic to the dive outfits will in turn benefit the taxi services, restaurants, bars and hotels that enable visitors to access these dive companies in the first place, Ms. Huish said.

“We consider ourselves the cherry on top of the sundae of BVI tourism product,” she added.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×