Caribbean Islands

British Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands

The British Virgin Islands are a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, east of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, and north-west of Anguilla. The main islands are Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke. There are also more than 50 smaller islands and cays. 16 of the islands are inhabited. After Christopher Columbus discovered the islands in 1493, they were named "Santa Úrsula y las Once Mil Vírgenes" (Saint Ursula and the Eleven Thousand Virgins), after the legend of Saint Ursula. At least according to legend, local historians seem to differ.

Most islands are of volcanic origin, a few consist of coral limestone and definitely have a lot of small caves. However, there are no underground sites of touristic interest we know of. The following list are sites which are of some geological interest, however, not interesting enough for a listing. But if you are there you might want to have a look.

There are a few small sea caves on Treasure Point on Norman Island.
Another sea cave at Cave Cove on Outer Brass Island.
The popular bathing spot The Baths on Virgin Gorda is a granite diapir, the typical granite weathering created gigantic granite boulders and half-submerged rocks all over the southern tip of the island and at the beaches. They create numerous small grottoes, tunnels, and arches.
Bat Cave, Anderson Point, Leonards, is also a small erosional cave created by granite weathering.
John Brewers Cave at Hookie Spot, John Brewers Cave Hike, Brewers Bay Rd, St Thomas, is a quite enigmatic cave in a vertical cliff face. There were lots of legends until finally in 1929 some locals climbed the cliff and abseiled into the cave. They found an 8 m deep overhang without any content and no further cave passages.