Grand Turk vs Provo (on fast boats to W. Caicos)

[reefsong]

Thanks everyone for your input. We're headed for Grand Turk! I read through quite a few threads on TCI before I posted this one looking for more of a head to head comparison of GT vs W. Caicos. You can pick up a lot of really great tips from surfing through this Board, especially now since its reorganization where you can do a reasonably narrow search. I read quite a few glowing reports on the Board about Oasis Divers on GT and I think we're going to set up our accomodations and diving through them. Again, thanks to all for your thoughts.

 

[pm3009]

Can anyone recommend a great small Dive Operator on Grand Turk? Someone who limits the groups to say 6 or 8 divers?

Also, any recommendations for lodging on Grand Turk?

And one last question..... is it possible to take a day trip to Provo for shopping / dinner via boat shuttle or is it too far?

Thanks!!
Pam

 

[lokigold]

We had a great trip to Grand Turk a few years back. We stayed at Island House, it's away from the beach but they provide transportation, anything from a golf cart to a pickup truck, for your use during the stay. The accomodations were very nice and Colin, the owner, had a wealth of information about restaurants, where to shop, and what to do on the island when you weren't diving.

We dove with Sea Eye Diving, they are one of the three main dive operations on the island. I recommend them highly. Great service and a very knowledgable crew. I don't think we ever had more than eight people on our boat.

I don't think that there is any chance of getting beyond West Caicos by boat, and even that is dependant on weather conditions.

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

The only way to get from Grand Turk to Provo is via the fifteen minute shuttle flight. We dove with Oasis Divers and can highly recommend them. To my knowledge all the boats on Grand Turk are Carolina skiffs. Small boats which limit to six divers.

 

[tvictory]

Try Blue Water Divers. Mitch Rolling (the owner) has been there 20 years.

The Osprey Beach Hotel is the place to stay. Jenny Smith (owner) used to own the Salt Raker Inn, sold it, and bought the Kittina Hotel and transformed it into Osprey Beach.

Grand Turk was right in the path of Hurricane Frances so you should check and see how much damage was sustained.

 

[Zebra mussel]

Check into Captain Kirks Guesthouse. Its located near the Turks head and most of the dive shops. Its a small house with 3 bedrooms a sitting area and a shared bathroom. Extremely accomidating people. The price was good also. Its been about 18 months since I was there last....so Im not 100% sure they are still in buisness....but the place was clean and charming with a nice outdoor sitting area on the main drag. They had a web site. Island house is located quite far from the dive shops,restaurants etc. Not within walking distance. We also dove with Sea Eye Diving and were quite happy with the services. Like someone said,all the dive operations use small skiffs.So none are too crowded. Enjoy!

 

[Zebra mussel]

After my last post I did a little checking. Captain Kirks is now called the Manta House. Sorry for the outdated info.

 

[jhspb]

Has any one had experience w Ocean Vibes in Provo?

I've been to T&C twice and dove w Fifi both times. No reason to change ops he and crew are awesome!!

On my last trip I met a number of others who raved about this small operator: Ocean Vibes

They were impressed w his personal attention, flexibility, and sight selections (which in some cases weren't the standard west caicos etc sites) and much more...

Any insights?

Joe

 

[CaribQueen]

The diving off Grand Turk is real sweet. Short boat rides to dive sites, sit time on beach. I remember flocks of Eagle Rays zooming by in blue abyss next to wall. Frogfish, sharks and a plethora of schooling juvenile fish. Coral healthy and plentiful. Oasis Divers is a class act. Dive sites vary. Not much to do top side...but w/transportation provided by Island House, you can explore the entire island in a day or two. Excellent snorkeling on southeast side of island. Go gather conch and cook it up in your kitchen at Island House. Not one sole on the beach. Governor's Beach is a nice place to spend afternoon after diving all morning. The "laid back" locals are wonderful. Food is good at WatersEdge, a restaurant/bar on beach by Oasis Divers. Hurricane Jeanne is now leaving that area. Highly recommend contacting Colin @ Island House or Everette or Dale (owners of Oasis Divers) to find out if any damage. I spent 3 weeks on GT in 2002. Loved it and will go back!

There is a TV movie called "Paradise Virus" you can now rent. The movie is terrible, but it was all filmed on GT. You can see every aspect of island from this "dumb" movie, even "Nookie Hill". The locals star in this film as well. You can see Colin and Sean (owner of WatersEdge) in many scenes...but most importantly, you can see where you are headed.