Eleven miles north of North Sound, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands, sits the sand and coral island Anegada. This long flat island is a gem in the Virgin Islands archipelago. It is fringed with white sand beaches.To the north those beaches are protected by Horseshoe Reef, the third largest barrier reef in the world. Because of the shallow seas and abundance of coral heads, exploration of the reef is limited to those who hire a local guide.
Our Guides
On our recent visit to Anegada, we contacted Kelly Tours to explore the reef, Conch Island, and teach us about Conch and Lobster hunting. Kelly and Thomas, both commercial divers, exceeded our expectations! We learned about how and why Conch island was created, snorkeled the most pristine coral heads in the BVI, watched the intricacies of lobster and conch diving, and took back to the boat two meals worth of lobster and conch.
Essential Online Links For Booking Your Trip to the British Virgin Islands
Logistics: There is one international airport in the British Virgin Islands. You can also fly into St. Thomas USVI and take a ferry to Road Town, Tortola. : Taxis are available throughout the islands. Private Transfers are available from both airports: Private Arrival Transfer from EIS Airport to Tortola, Private Ground Transfers, St. Thomas, Ferry Schedules are available at USVI.net, Water Taxi transfers are available through Dolphin Water Taxi
Top-rated British Virgin Islands tours and experiences:
☆Conch Island Snorkel Tour: Contact Kelly at Anegadaconcierge@gmail.com or Whatsapp at 281 496-0961
Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina (Tortola - Luxury)
Wyndham Tortola BVI Lambert Beach Resort (Tortola - Budget Friendly, )
Sebastian's on the Beach Hotel (Tortola - Budget Friendly)
Rosewood Little Dix Bay Virgin Gorda (Virgin Gorda - Luxury, )
Saba Rock Resort ( North Sound - Luxury,)
Anegada Beach Resort (Anegada -Budget Friendly, )
My favorite Guidebook for Bareboating in the British Virgin Islands: The Cruising Guide to the Virgin Islands
My favorite Guidebook for the British Virgin Islands: Top 10 US & British Virgin Islands
My favorite Novel about the Caribbean: The Embarrassment Of Mangoes or Vintage Norman Island: True Tales About a Real Treasure Island with Pirates and Buried Treasure
Don’t forget to pack: water shoes*** underwater camera*** HD mask ***reef safe sunscreen.
First Stop Conch Island
First stop Conch Island. This 'island' was created by generations of conch divers stopping at this place to clean their catch before returning home. Through carbon dating, it was determined that divers have been cleaning their catches here for almost 200 years. It is quite a site to see, with thousands of conch rising out of the crystalline waters of the Caribbean Sea.
Snorkeling Horseshoe Reef
Next we were off to Horseshoe Reef and snorkeling. Snorkeling is my absolute favorite thing to do in the British Virgin Islands. I have snorkeled all over the world and the spots that Kelly Tours took us to were some of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen. The golden, red and lavender coral swaying gently in the currents, while thousands of tropical fish swam between them. The coral heads were home to Tangs, Angel Fish, giant Clown Fish, a few Grouper and an Octopus.
Lobster and Conch Diving
Second stop, Thomas got in the water and dove for lobster and conch. We were able to get into the water and watch him work at his craft. After watching for awhile, I swam around exploring another stunning snorkel spot.
Thomas brought up five conch and four lobsters. Some of these lobsters were huge! All were within the guidelines for a tour group in the BVI.
Cleaning the Conch
Next stop Conch Island to clean our catch. We shared Conch Island with a commercial diver, cleaning his catch.
Legend says that if you make a wish when you toss the shell into the pile, it will come true. I jumped in to explore the shells up close and toss a shell into the pile. My wish was to make a return visit Anegada, soon!
Our Delicious Rewards
Using Captain Kelly's recipes we feasted on Conch Ceviche, Cracked Conch and Grilled Lobsters when we returned to the boat. We had a second meal of Lobster in Spicy Tomato sauce over pasta, the next evening!
It was an educational and amazing experience exploring Conch Island and Horseshoe Reef with Captain Kelly and Thomas. We snorkeled some gorgeous spots and learned about Conch and Lobster diving. You can reach Captain Kelly at the What's App number above to schedule your explorations of these unique areas.
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