Franko's Virgin Islands Reef Creatures Identification Guide

This bilingual fish card encompasses both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands, including the islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix of the U.S. side, and the islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anagada, Jost Van Dyke, Norman Island, Peter Islands, Salt Island, Cooper Island, and Ginger Island on the British side. I love this fish card because I love these fabulous islands. The U.S. Virgin Islands are much more populated than the British Virgin Islands, but for all kinds of reasons, they are equally attractive. Each island is notable not only for fantastic tropical Caribbean scenery above water, but the underwater scene is superb as well. Overall, this is one of earth’s most fantastic and diverse areas to dive or snorkel. On St. John there are gorgeous turquoise bays for easy, wonderful snorkeling in such nice spots as Hawksnest Bay, Cinnamon Bay and the most famous Trunk Bay. These are all within St. John’s Virgin Islands National Park. The there are St. Thomas’ equally beautiful beaches, such as Magens Bay, which is often rated one of the world’s 10 most beautiful beaches. Snorkelers and fellow ocean lovers also enjoy Coki Beach. On St. Thomas’ south side the incredibly beautiful and busy port of Charlotte Amalie is the home of many snorkeling tours for the legions of tour boats that take groups of divers and snorkelers out to Buck Island, where the novice snorkeler is usually treated to a nice view of underwater reef life, including both the green sea turtle (Tortuga Verde) and the hawkbill Turtle (Tortuda de Carey). Probably only the sighting of dolphins, which is much less common, is more exciting than seeing sea turtles for cruise ship passengers who are being shown the colorful reefs for their first time. This is one of my favorite fish cards because it is all about one of the world’s greatest collection of islands and their underwater beauty. No island on earth has more spectacular underwater sites than St. Croix. The north side of St. Croix has famous wall diving at its best. Divers may start in relatively shallow waters, but the drop-off goes straight down, down, down to Davy Jones’ locker, thousands of feet deep, where no diver can venture. Just looking downward into the deep blue abyss is a thrill, but to be amongst colorful corals, bright sponges of all shapes, and a myriad of reef fishes in just simply too amazing to tell in a few words. Hopefully, the fish depicted on this Virgin Islands fish card will help to inspire the diver or snorkeler to remember it for ever. Note that this fish card has the names of the reef creatures in English and Spanish. There are so many Spanish speaking residents and visitors to the U.S. Virgin Islands that it is only right that this fish card be bilingual. I like to tell people that this means that my fish also speak Spanish. Meanwhile, however, this mini-map and fish card is representative of the wonderful undersea awaiting divers and snorkelers in the British Virgin Islands. The “BVI” is known for the world’s finest sailing and sailing facilities, but what do you think these sailors all love to do? Snorkel and scuba dive, of course. And this fish card is for them as well. The BVI has some of the world’s most notable dive and snorkel spots too. One of my favorite dives ever is the Wreck of the RMS Rhone, which can be located on the min Franko map right next to Salt Island. This incredible dive site is on a wrecked Royal Mail Steamer, which went down in 1867 in a fierce hurricane, taking many passengers and crew with her. The hulk is full of fabulous corals, beautiful sponges, and all kinds of tropical Caribbean reef creatures, much as are depicted on side 2 of this fish card. The area of Virgin Gorda called “The Baths” is one of the world’s unique and fun places to visit, explore and snorkel. The little map is a nice overview of the Virgin Islands, the famous Sir Francis Drake Channel, the main town such as Road Town and Charlotte Amalie, and the major islands and islets of these wonderful destinations. However, there are so many wonderful things to see and do amongst the United States Virgin Islands, and the British Virgin Islands, that separate, large-scale Franko Maps are required. Therefore, although this is a fine little map, showing the Virgin Islands overall, plus a collection of over 100 reef creatures in English and Español, the finer details are on Franko’s Map of the British Virgin Islands, and Franko’s Map of the U.S. Virgin Islands. These maps, as well as this Franko map/fish card are dedicated to promoting the Virgin Islands’ fabulous underwater scenery, and will inspire the viewer to love the reef creatures that inhabit the waters around these beloved islands. The colors of my little Virgin Islands map on this fish card speak out: “The Virgin Islands are stunning and wonderful!”; and “I love the Virgin Islands!” This chain of islands and islets look like emerald jewels spread out across the gorgeous, deepening shades of ocean turquoise. The map also includes a miniature globe map for a perspective of just where in the world the Virgin Islands are, as they sit far out on the edge of the Caribbean, where it meets the vast Atlantic Ocean. Side 1 of this fish card also shows a couple of sea turtles – both the green sea turtle and the hawksbill sea turtle, plus some game fish, including the dolphin fish (dorado), and the marlin, as well as the triton’s trumpet (a mollusk), the queen conch (another mollusk), the hermit crap (which is carrying around a snail’s shell, the graceful southern stingray, and a little jawfish, which pokes out of the sand near a reef. These creatures of the reef and open ocean are a preview for what is on side 2 of Franko’s Virgin Islands Mini-map and Reef Creatures Identification Guide. On side 2 the viewer will find around 100 colorful reef creatures. Note that the map side of this Franko’s fish card is colorful, because I simply made it that way, but Side 2 is colorful because God made it that way. I mean, God made the creatures that way, and I just depicted them for the viewer to have a good sampling of what is actually down there. No artist could imagine so much beauty that is all around these intriguing islands. The colors of side 2 of Franko’s fish card of the Virgin Islands announce that “The Virgin Islands’ reef creatures are beautiful and fabulous!”; and “I love The Virgin Islands’ reefs!” But this isn’t just a nice little map of the Virgin Islands and a picture of the Virgin Islands’ beautiful Caribbean reef creatures. Indeed, it is also a useful tool for divers and snorkelers who are interested in knowing what it is they are looking at when they are down there. This fish card is actually waterproof and durable, so divers can take it with them for underwater fish identification, if they wish. The viewer will note that the fish card has a sampling of approximately 100 of the most common and most beautiful reef creatures in these waters. However, there are actually hundreds more. This is an excellent sampling of the usual cast of undersea characters that you will see down there, including a few of the various parrotfishes, triggerfishes, angelfishes, wrasse, filefishes, groupers, grunts, rays, surgeonfishes, sharks, lobsters, corals, sea fans, sponges, mollusks, and much more. Many thanks go to Trident Diving Equipment, which provides diving supplies world-wide, because the good people there helped me greatly with my fish artwork. Meanwhile, there is always room for improvement, and inputs are welcome and often very helpful. So, go ahead and help, if you wish, by emailing to franko@frankosmaps.com. The following is a list of the reef creatures that appear on my fish card. There are well over 106 species on this little fish card, plus a few juveniles and male vs. female depictions. Here is the latest Franko’s Virgin Islands Mini-map and Reef Creatures Identification Guide list, in random order, in Spanish and English. Some of these reef creatures have more than one name. The names of the reef creatures are the most typical names used in both English and Spanish are: