Dive· Buck Island (St Thomas)· Virgin Islands (BVI, USVI and Spanish Virgins)
Buck Island National Wildlife Refuge & Cartanser Sr. Wreck
18° 16.7′ N · 64° 53.7′ W · approximate
Buck Island, the larger of the Capella Islands two miles south of St. Thomas, is a 45-acre wildlife refuge with a Coast Guard light; in its waters lies the 190 ft freighter Cartanza Senora (Cartanser Sr.), moved here in 1979 as an artificial reef and now one of the most visited dives on the island.
Practical
Position approximate: off Buck Island's west end near the OpenStreetMap refuge outline, checked to be in the water; the wreck's exact position is not published in the sources opened (refuge GNIS point 18.27579 N, 64.88709 W per Wikipedia). History: a WWII-era freighter abandoned and sunk in St. Thomas Harbor, saved from demolition by local dive shops and moved by crane barge to Buck Island on June 16, 1979; she lies at about 50 ft and is broken up by hurricanes (Steven Becker; Reef Smart; Red Hook Dive Center lists it). Refuge rules: Buck Island NWR is closed to the public, with no visitor facilities; the refuge boundary runs to sea level, so the water is open but you may not land (USFWS). Coast Pilot: a fish haven covered 40 ft and marked by private buoys lies on the north side of a bight at the southwest end of Buck Island at 18 16' 42"N, 64 53' 55"W; a shallow ledge runs 100 yards off the west end; 30 ft off the north side. Use the dive-boat moorings; do not anchor on reef.
Best for
Wreck diving and turtle snorkeling south of the harbor