TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Where has the colour gone?

Just returned from a fabulous week on a 52' powercat. Last time we went pre-Irma the snorkeling was amazing! A spectrum of coral colours...this time it was rather underwhelming. Granted lots of fish but the coral seems to just a dull gray colour, almost like a fine film of sand has settled over everything. Anyone else feel this way, is it a result of Irma? We snorkeled Monkey Point, Indians, Caves, etc. Just wondering.

We snorkeled Mahoe and Savannah bay last month and were amazed by the colour of the coral - I guess it depends on where you go.

The winds would have produced pretty violent wave actions such that soft corals and sponges in shallower waters would have been damaged or torn away. We did see signs of new growth recently so the color will come back over time.

The coral at these specific locations has been lackluster for years due to heavy traffic on a daily basis. They are all heavily trafficked and I’m sure Irma and Maria only made them worse.