St. Croix’s Salt River Canyon: Where Reefs Meet The Abyss

One of the Caribbean's most overlooked diving treasures is the underwater Salt River Canyon, off the north coast of St. Croix near the Salt River Bay National Historical Park. An ancient waterfall spilling out of the Salt River created what is now a fully underwater canyon for divers to explore, with a dramatic vertical coral reef environment as its main feature, which locals refer to as simply “The Wall.”

About a mile or so north of the town of Christiansted, the shallow Caribbean coral reef environment of coastal St. Croix suddenly drops off into “The Wall,” a fascinating underwater canyon teeming with sea life. The Wall offers Caribbean divers a wealth of unique rock formations, coral clusters, and a blend of open-sea and reef species. The underwater drop off here is immense; depths go from dozens of feet to thousands instantaneously, making for quite an exhilarating reef diving experience.

The plunging depths of underwater canyons and coral reefs have long fascinated divers, scientists, sailors, writers, and other marine enthusiasts. One reason is the large variety of life these places support. Nutrients cycling from the cold water along the canyon seafloor create biodiverse environments in places like The Wall. Of course, the unknown attracts just as many people to these places as does the known. Humans have only recently been able to descend into these alien environments, so the allure and mystery of underwater canyons and coral reefs remain powerful draws for Caribbean divers.

Alpha Submarine Adventures is committed not only to exploring fascinating underwater canyons like The Wall, but also to educate the public about these incredible and important marine ecosystems. Read more about our Caribbean dive tours and research capabilities, and make a donation today!