ISLES HAS

An extensive shallow reef and lagoon system dominates Cam Bay, on the eastern shore of Great Camanoe. This is a popular anchorage with sailors, due to the calm waters and pristine marine environment for swimming and snorkeling. A white sand beach curves around the bay, encouraging hikers onshore to explore the salt pond that separates Cam Bay from Lee Bay and divides Great Camanoe in half. 

Great Thatch is an uninhabited, steep, densely wooded island less than a mile north-west of West End, Tortola. It sits in the channel facing St John, so it was on the old British–Danish border. Its habitats run in an unusually complete sequence: salt pond and mangrove at the shore, then dry forest and cactus scrub, then taller woodland on the higher ground. Kew lists the whole island as a Tropical Important Plant Area.

The Tobago Cays are perched on the northwestern corner of the BVI chain, west of Jost Van Dyke and north of St. John, USVI. Rugged cliffs surround the islands, extending into the ocean where the seabed slopes dramatically to depths of up to 50 metres. Watson’s Rock lies in the channel between the two islands, a warning of the hidden rocky pinnacles that are scattered around the cays.

The tiny island of Diamond Cay is tucked between Little Jost Van Dyke and Jost Van Dyke on the southern shore. Bare rocky cliffs on the windward side are a contrast to the sandy beaches on the leeward side of the cay.

Submerged in approximately 20 to 80 feet of water, the RMS Rhone lies in Lee Bay off Salt Island. The Marine Park extends to the west to include the island of Dead Chest, with additional dive sites such as the underwater pinnacles and ledges at Blonde Rock, the colourful canyons of Painted Walls, the coral encrusted tunnels and cave at Rhone Reef.

Nestled amongst a cluster of islands known as The Dogs west of Virgin Gorda; West Dog is surrounded by Great Dog, George Dog, Seal Dogs and Cockroach Island.​

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This rugged volcanic island rises abruptly out of the sea, with steep cliffs offering an ideal habitat for nesting seabirds such as bridled terns (Sterna anaethetus), sooty terns (Sterna fuscata), red-billed tropicbirds (Phaethon aethereus) and endangered roseate terns (Sterna dougallii).

Sandy Cay was privately owned for 40 years by Laurance S. Rockefeller, who maintained the island for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. Rockefeller’s conservation management team planted over 200 palm trees, instituted a long term bird and turtle monitoring programme, and created a trail network for visitors to explore the 13.57 acre  island. 

From a distance, the island of Fallen Jerusalem looks like it’s namesake, after the city was destroyed. Located south of the southern most tip of Virgin Gorda, the rocky shores are similar to The Baths, with tumbled boulders covering the interior of this deserted island. 

Situated in the North Sound of Virgin Gorda, the bird sanctuary of Prickly Pear is fringed on the northern side by the Bank Barrier Reef, with the islands of Eustatia, Mosquito and Necker nearby.

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