{
  "destination": "bvi",
  "name": "British Virgin Islands",
  "question": "Can you snorkel and dive from a charter boat in the British Virgin Islands, and how warm is the sea?",
  "answer": "Yes: the National Parks Trust runs day moorings at marine parks such as the Wreck of the Rhone and The Baths, with a 90-minute limit, anchoring is banned in the Rhone park, and all fishing and shell collecting is illegal in the parks. The sea averages between 26.1 °C (February) and 28.9 °C (September) by NOAA's 1991–2020 means at our reference point, so it stays at 24 °C or more all year and by our rule of thumb a rash vest or 1–2 mm shorty is enough even in the coolest month.",
  "canonical_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/snorkel-dive/bvi/",
  "markdown_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/snorkel-dive/bvi.md",
  "destination_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/bvi/",
  "best_time_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/best-time/bvi/",
  "fishing_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/fishing/bvi/",
  "api_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/api/snorkel-dive/bvi.json",
  "book_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/go/samboat?dest=bvi&pos=api",
  "checked": "2026-10-28",
  "sea_temperature": {
    "unit": "celsius",
    "source": "NOAA OISST v2.1 long-term monthly mean",
    "period": "1991–2020",
    "reference_point": {
      "place": "Sir Francis Drake Channel",
      "lat": 18.375,
      "lon": -64.625
    },
    "note": "NOAA OISST v2.1 long-term mean, 1991–2020, one 1/4° sea cell per destination. It is the sea surface; shallow bays can be warmer and water at depth cooler.",
    "warm_water_threshold_c": 24,
    "months": [
      {
        "month": 1,
        "name": "January",
        "sea_c": 26.4,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "rash vest or 1–2 mm shorty"
      },
      {
        "month": 2,
        "name": "February",
        "sea_c": 26.1,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "rash vest or 1–2 mm shorty"
      },
      {
        "month": 3,
        "name": "March",
        "sea_c": 26.1,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "rash vest or 1–2 mm shorty"
      },
      {
        "month": 4,
        "name": "April",
        "sea_c": 26.7,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "rash vest or 1–2 mm shorty"
      },
      {
        "month": 5,
        "name": "May",
        "sea_c": 27.3,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "rash vest or 1–2 mm shorty"
      },
      {
        "month": 6,
        "name": "June",
        "sea_c": 28,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "swimsuit or rash vest"
      },
      {
        "month": 7,
        "name": "July",
        "sea_c": 28.1,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "swimsuit or rash vest"
      },
      {
        "month": 8,
        "name": "August",
        "sea_c": 28.6,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "swimsuit or rash vest"
      },
      {
        "month": 9,
        "name": "September",
        "sea_c": 28.9,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "swimsuit or rash vest"
      },
      {
        "month": 10,
        "name": "October",
        "sea_c": 28.8,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "swimsuit or rash vest"
      },
      {
        "month": 11,
        "name": "November",
        "sea_c": 28.2,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "swimsuit or rash vest"
      },
      {
        "month": 12,
        "name": "December",
        "sea_c": 27.2,
        "warm_water": true,
        "wetsuit_rule_of_thumb": "rash vest or 1–2 mm shorty"
      }
    ],
    "derived": "warm_water and wetsuit_rule_of_thumb are our rules applied to the NOAA mean; sea_c is NOAA's, rounded to 0.1."
  },
  "wetsuit_rule": "Our rule of thumb for snorkelling, applied to the monthly mean: 28 °C or more: swimsuit or rash vest; 26–28 °C: rash vest or 1–2 mm shorty; 24–26 °C: 3 mm shorty; 21–24 °C: 3 mm full wetsuit; 18–21 °C: 5 mm full wetsuit; below 18 °C: 7 mm wetsuit, or a drysuit for diving. Divers lose heat faster and meet cooler water at depth: go one band thicker. People feel cold differently; this is a guide, not a source's advice.",
  "sites": [
    {
      "name": "Wreck of the Rhone Marine National Park",
      "kind": "wreck",
      "where": "Salt Island",
      "facts": [
        {
          "text": "Anchoring is prohibited in the park. If every mooring is taken, anchor in an acceptable area outside and come in by tender to the dinghy moorings, or wait for a mooring.",
          "status": "official",
          "sources": [
            {
              "id": "dive_vg_npt",
              "name": "National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands",
              "title": "Park tickets & Marine Conservation Permit: marine park guidelines",
              "url": "https://www.bvinpt.org/park-tickets-marine-permit",
              "checked": "2026-10-28",
              "note": "Official statutory park authority page (National Parks Act No. 4 of 2006; Marine Parks and Protected Areas (Amendment) Regulations, 2004). Marine park guidelines and the permit application form; the page shows no permit price.",
              "tier": "official"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "The Baths National Park",
      "kind": "national park",
      "where": "Virgin Gorda",
      "facts": [
        {
          "text": "A flag system tells boats whether to use the moorings: red, do not use the mooring and no beach access; yellow, use with extreme caution; green, moorings available; purple, marine pests such as jellyfish in the water.",
          "status": "official",
          "sources": [
            {
              "id": "dive_vg_npt",
              "name": "National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands",
              "title": "Park tickets & Marine Conservation Permit: marine park guidelines",
              "url": "https://www.bvinpt.org/park-tickets-marine-permit",
              "checked": "2026-10-28",
              "note": "Official statutory park authority page (National Parks Act No. 4 of 2006; Marine Parks and Protected Areas (Amendment) Regulations, 2004). Marine park guidelines and the permit application form; the page shows no permit price.",
              "tier": "official"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "fees": [
    {
      "item": "Marine Conservation Permit (National Parks Trust)",
      "amount": "Not verified",
      "status": "not_verified",
      "note": "The Trust sells the permit online, but its page shows no price.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "dive_vg_npt",
          "name": "National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands",
          "title": "Park tickets & Marine Conservation Permit: marine park guidelines",
          "url": "https://www.bvinpt.org/park-tickets-marine-permit",
          "checked": "2026-10-28",
          "note": "Official statutory park authority page (National Parks Act No. 4 of 2006; Marine Parks and Protected Areas (Amendment) Regulations, 2004). Marine park guidelines and the permit application form; the page shows no permit price.",
          "tier": "official"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "mooring_and_anchoring": [
    {
      "text": "National Parks Trust moorings are for day use only, with a 90-minute limit that \"must be strictly observed\"; all mooring areas are 5 mph no-wake zones.",
      "status": "official",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "dive_vg_npt",
          "name": "National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands",
          "title": "Park tickets & Marine Conservation Permit: marine park guidelines",
          "url": "https://www.bvinpt.org/park-tickets-marine-permit",
          "checked": "2026-10-28",
          "note": "Official statutory park authority page (National Parks Act No. 4 of 2006; Marine Parks and Protected Areas (Amendment) Regulations, 2004). Marine park guidelines and the permit application form; the page shows no permit price.",
          "tier": "official"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "text": "Vessels over 70 ft or 35 tons may not use the mooring system; do not leave a boat unattended on a Trust mooring; dinghies must use the dinghy moorings, not the dive or day-use moorings.",
      "status": "official",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "dive_vg_npt",
          "name": "National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands",
          "title": "Park tickets & Marine Conservation Permit: marine park guidelines",
          "url": "https://www.bvinpt.org/park-tickets-marine-permit",
          "checked": "2026-10-28",
          "note": "Official statutory park authority page (National Parks Act No. 4 of 2006; Marine Parks and Protected Areas (Amendment) Regulations, 2004). Marine park guidelines and the permit application form; the page shows no permit price.",
          "tier": "official"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "text": "In the marine parks all fishing (spearfishing included), lobstering and the collection of live shells are illegal, and nothing may be damaged or removed.",
      "status": "official",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "dive_vg_npt",
          "name": "National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands",
          "title": "Park tickets & Marine Conservation Permit: marine park guidelines",
          "url": "https://www.bvinpt.org/park-tickets-marine-permit",
          "checked": "2026-10-28",
          "note": "Official statutory park authority page (National Parks Act No. 4 of 2006; Marine Parks and Protected Areas (Amendment) Regulations, 2004). Marine park guidelines and the permit application form; the page shows no permit price.",
          "tier": "official"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "diving": [
    {
      "text": "Display a dive flag when diving.",
      "status": "official",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "dive_vg_npt",
          "name": "National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands",
          "title": "Park tickets & Marine Conservation Permit: marine park guidelines",
          "url": "https://www.bvinpt.org/park-tickets-marine-permit",
          "checked": "2026-10-28",
          "note": "Official statutory park authority page (National Parks Act No. 4 of 2006; Marine Parks and Protected Areas (Amendment) Regulations, 2004). Marine park guidelines and the permit application form; the page shows no permit price.",
          "tier": "official"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "text": "Whether visitors may dive the parks without a licensed dive operator: not verified.",
      "status": "not_verified",
      "sources": []
    }
  ],
  "visibility": {
    "text": "We found no official or survey source for underwater visibility, so we give no figure. Ask the local dive centre on the day.",
    "status": "not_verified",
    "sources": []
  },
  "not_verified": [
    "The price of the Marine Conservation Permit and how a charter guest gets it.",
    "Rules for other sites (Norman Island caves, the Indians) beyond the general park guidelines.",
    "Whether you must dive with a licensed operator.",
    "Underwater visibility."
  ],
  "source_counts": {
    "official": 2,
    "secondary": 0
  },
  "status_legend": {
    "official": "Read in an official text: government, park authority, ministry or official tourism board.",
    "secondary": "From a newspaper, NGO, guide or tour operator; not official.",
    "not_verified": "We could not confirm it. We leave it open rather than guess."
  },
  "caveat": "Park rules change and some are seasonal. Check with the park, the charter base or a local dive centre. The answer, wetsuit column and warm-water flag are our wording and rules applied to labelled facts and NOAA means.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "dive_vg_npt",
      "name": "National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands",
      "title": "Park tickets & Marine Conservation Permit: marine park guidelines",
      "url": "https://www.bvinpt.org/park-tickets-marine-permit",
      "checked": "2026-10-28",
      "note": "Official statutory park authority page (National Parks Act No. 4 of 2006; Marine Parks and Protected Areas (Amendment) Regulations, 2004). Marine park guidelines and the permit application form; the page shows no permit price.",
      "tier": "official"
    },
    {
      "id": "noaa_oisst_ltm",
      "name": "NOAA PSL (NOAA/NCEI OISST v2.1)",
      "title": "NOAA High-resolution Blended Analysis: OISST v2.1 long-term mean monthly sea surface temperature, 1991–2020 (sst.mon.ltm.1991-2020.nc)",
      "url": "https://psl.noaa.gov/thredds/catalog/Datasets/noaa.oisst.v2.highres/catalog.html",
      "checked": "2026-10-28",
      "note": "NOAA's published 1/4° monthly climatology (climo_period 1991/01/01–2020/12/31; every month of every cell we use rests on 30 years). Read on 28 Oct 2026 through PSL's THREDDS point service by scripts/fetch-sst.mjs; we chose one sea cell per destination and rounded to 0.1 °C. Satellite-and-in-situ analysis of the sea surface, not a beach or depth reading.",
      "tier": "official"
    }
  ],
  "attribution": "Cite \"Catamaran Index\" with a link to the canonical_url of the page the figure comes from, and name the original source listed with it.",
  "affiliate_note": "book_url links go through /go/samboat, an affiliate link: Catamaran Index may earn a commission on bookings, at no extra cost to the traveller. It never changes the data."
}