Necker Island

Croix des Gardes anchroed next to the Necker Belle in Necker Island

Necker Island lies just north of Virgin Gorda and is owned by Richard Branson. There is a tight and shallow anchorage between the coral heads and James skilfully nudged Croix des Gardes in beside Branson’s massive catamaran. The reef around this island is a blessed relief after all the destruction we’ve seen recently. The waters are clear and quick-flowing, and the coral undisturbed. Every fixed surface has a coral growing from it. The lack of sponges was also evident, implying cooler and cleaner waters than we’ve seen elsewhere. The number of coral species was also impressive with large elks horn, stags horn and fan corals as well as the more prevalent brain, flower and star corals.

The whole family admiring life underwater

We landed on a sandy islet bedecked with three plastic palm trees where the children buried each other and swam in the warm waters. We then returned to Gorda Sound for the night where we saw large numbers of small conches in the shallows – all is not yet lost for these tasty molluscs.

Plastic palm trees off Necker Island