MV River Taw Wreck - St. Kitts

The MV River Taw is one of our favourite St. Kitts wrecks, and for good reason. She’s a 144-foot freighter, sitting upright in about 15 metres of water, perfectly intact and just begging for a proper explore. We love swimming through the holds, poking into the engine room, and ascending to the wheelhouse – it feels like stepping back in time. Light streams in through portholes, illuminating schools of graysby and longspine squirrelfish that dart into the shadows as you pass. The wreck itself is a magnet for marine life. You’ll spot angelfish and spotted trunkfish cruising the decks, while smaller critters like the dwarf planaxis and aegean nut clams cling to the hull. Our pick for the best time to dive here is early morning, before any boat traffic stirs up the sand, leaving the visibility at its best. There’s usually a gentle current, making for a relaxed drift past the deeper sections, then you can spend ages picking over the shallower deck structures. It’s an intermediate dive, ideal for those comfortable with overhead environments and keen to see how the sea reclaims a vessel.

Location: St. Kitts, St. Kitts & Nevis, Caribbean
Coordinates: 17.295000, -62.740000
Type: wreck
Maximum Depth: 8-20m
Difficulty: Intermediate

Marine Protected Area: St Marys

Best Time to Dive in St. Kitts

The warmest water temperatures in St. Kitts occur in January, averaging 27.1°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 27.1°C.

Monthly Water Temperatures

January: 27.1°C (air: 25.1°C)
February: 27.1°C (air: 24.8°C)
March: 27.1°C (air: 25.1°C)
April: 27.1°C (air: 25.7°C)
May: 27.1°C (air: 26.9°C)
June: 27.1°C (air: 27.6°C)
July: 27.1°C (air: 27.6°C)
August: 27.1°C (air: 27.9°C)
September: 27.1°C (air: 27.9°C)
October: 27.1°C (air: 27.6°C)
November: 27.1°C (air: 26.8°C)
December: 27.1°C (air: 25.9°C)

Nearest Dive Centres to MV River Taw Wreck

Marine Life in St. Kitts

Home to 393 recorded species including 318 reef fish, 27 hard corals, 11 other, 7 whales & dolphins, 7 sharks & rays, 6 crabs & lobsters.

Notable Species

Mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) - Hard Corals
Great star coral (Montastraea cavernosa) - Hard Corals
Lettuce Coral (Agaricia agaricites) - Hard Corals
Barber (Acanthurus bahianus) - Reef Fish
Blue Doctor (Acanthurus coeruleus) - Reef Fish
Gutong (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) - Reef Fish
Coney (Cephalopholis fulva) - Reef Fish
Massive Starlet Coral (Siderastrea siderea) - Hard Corals
Grooved brain coral (Diploria labyrinthiformis) - Hard Corals
Sheephead (Microspathodon chrysurus) - Reef Fish
Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
Boulder Brain Coral (Colpophyllia natans) - Hard Corals
Sammy Johnson (Scarus taeniopterus) - Reef Fish
Butterfly (Chaetodon capistratus) - Reef Fish
Blackfish (Melichthys niger) - Reef Fish
Gutong (Scarus iseri) - Reef Fish
French grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum) - Reef Fish
Hogfish (Bodianus rufus) - Reef Fish
Angelfish (Holacanthus tricolor) - Reef Fish
Graysby (Cephalopholis cruentata) - Reef Fish

Recommended Packing List for MV River Taw Wreck

Based on average water temperature of 27.1°C.

Shorty or Rashguard - warm 27°C water needs minimal exposure protection
Mask - essential for every dive
Fins
BCD - buoyancy compensator
Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories