Coral Gardens / Sharkplaneo, Peter Island: Reef and Art in the BVI

Diving Coral Gardens / Sharkplaneo on the southern side of Great Dog Island presents a distinct experience, setting it apart from many other sites in the Dog Islands. As you descend, you encounter a shallow fringing reef terrace, characterized by numerous large coral mounds and heads. This topography creates a vibrant ecosystem, offering a different profile compared to the more dramatic walls and drop-offs found at neighboring BVI sites.

The dive profile here is designed for accessibility, allowing you to explore the reef at comfortable depths, starting as shallow as 6 metres and extending down to 15 metres. This depth range provides ample bottom time to examine the intricate details of the reef system. The gentle slope and relatively shallow environment make it an ideal location to refine buoyancy control while still encountering a diverse array of marine inhabitants.

What truly distinguishes this site is the Sharkplaneo underwater art project, a captivating addition to the natural coral landscape. Imagine encountering three different aircraft, ingeniously re-created as various species of sharks, resting on the sandy and reef bottom. These artistic installations are not only visually engaging but also serve as focal points for marine life, attracting curious fish and offering unique photographic opportunities within the reef environment.

The three aircraft are specifically sculpted to resemble a bull shark, a hammerhead shark, and a nurse shark, sunk as part of a reef program. These pieces are easily visible in the typically clear water, adding a distinctive art element to a classic BVI coral garden reef. As you navigate around these submerged sculptures, you'll find them integrated seamlessly into the dive experience, creating interesting swim-throughs and backdrops.

The marine life here is diverse, with schoolmaster snapper and grunts often schooling around the coral heads. You'll also encounter parrotfish, angel fish, and sergeant majors moving across the reef. Keep an eye out for barracuda and jacks patrolling the edges of the reef, and tarpon can sometimes be seen in the clearer water.

On the bottom, southern stingrays are frequently observed gliding over the sand, and nurse sharks may be resting under ledges or near the artificial structures. Hawkfish perch on corals, while groupers can be found in crevices. This combination of traditional reef and artificial structures ensures that every dive at Coral Gardens / Sharkplaneo offers something new to discover, diverging from the typical BVI dive site.