King’s Alley - St. Croix
King’s Alley in St. Croix is a solid little shore dive, perfect if you’re looking for an easy entry and a relaxed pace. We tend to drop in and follow the sand channel that leads out to about 19 meters. You’ll usually find plenty of the usual Caribbean suspects here: parrotfish chomping on the reef, maybe a curious snapper or two peeking out from under a ledge. It’s not a place for big pelagics, but for a casual dive, perhaps a refresher, or just to stretch your fins, it works. Good for beginner divers who want to explore without any fuss.
- Location
- St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, Caribbean
- Coordinates
- 17.696300, -64.896200
- Maximum Depth
- 19m
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Marine Protected Area: Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve
Best Time to Dive in St. Croix
The warmest water temperatures in St. Croix occur in January, averaging 27.0°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 27.0°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 27.0°C (air: 24.6°C)
- February: 27.0°C (air: 24.3°C)
- March: 27.0°C (air: 24.6°C)
- April: 27.0°C (air: 25.2°C)
- May: 27.0°C (air: 26.3°C)
- June: 27.0°C (air: 27.0°C)
- July: 27.0°C (air: 27.1°C)
- August: 27.0°C (air: 27.3°C)
- September: 27.0°C (air: 27.4°C)
- October: 27.0°C (air: 27.1°C)
- November: 27.0°C (air: 26.2°C)
- December: 27.0°C (air: 25.5°C)
Nearby Dive Sites in St. Croix
- Alien Nation - 23m
- Armageddon - 26m
- Butler Bay Wrecks - 10-30m (wreck)
- Cables - 19m
- Cane Bay Wall - 10-40m (wall)
- CUMULUS - 2m (wreck)
- Emerald Gardens St Croix USVI - 23m (reef)
- Frederiksted Pier - 3-12m (muck)
- King’s Corner - 23m
- North Star - 25m
- Shallow Wrecks at Butler Bay - 21m (wreck)
- Sprat Hole - 16m
- The Aquarium in St Croix - 15m
- Tres Amigos - 21m
- Triton’s Anchor - 15m
Nearest Dive Centres to King’s Alley
- Nep2une Scuba Diving
- St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures - ["PADI"]
- Sweet Bottom Dive Center - ["PADI"]
Marine Life in St. Croix
Home to 465 recorded species including 391 reef fish, 38 hard corals, 9 sharks & rays, 6 seagrass & algae, 6 whales & dolphins, 5 other.
Notable Species
- Mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) - Hard Corals
- Gutong (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) - Reef Fish
- Parrotfish (Thalassoma bifasciatum) - Reef Fish
- Barber (Acanthurus bahianus) - Reef Fish
- Yellowhead Wrasse (Halichoeres garnoti) - Reef Fish
- Bicolor Damselfish (Stegastes partitus) - Reef Fish
- Blue Doctor (Acanthurus coeruleus) - Reef Fish
- Massive Starlet Coral (Siderastrea siderea) - Hard Corals
- Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
- Slippery Dick (Halichoeres bivittatus) - Reef Fish
- Great star coral (Montastraea cavernosa) - Hard Corals
- Sammy Johnson (Scarus taeniopterus) - Reef Fish
- Lettuce Coral (Agaricia agaricites) - Hard Corals
- Gutong (Scarus iseri) - Reef Fish
- French grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum) - Reef Fish
- Finger Coral (Porites porites) - Hard Corals
- Butterfly (Chaetodon capistratus) - Reef Fish
- Coney (Cephalopholis fulva) - Reef Fish
- Longspine Squirrelfish (Holocentrus rufus) - Reef Fish
- Sharpnose Pufferfish (Canthigaster rostrata) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for King’s Alley
Based on average water temperature of 27.0°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