Turks and Caicos Trip Planning

[living4experiences]

You might want to check the recent damage to the islands and reef due to Hurricanes Ian and/or Nicole in September 2022.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Hi, Looking to this group for advice. My DH and I are planning our first trip to T&C in June, 2023. We have previously loved Little Cayman when visiting there - Question - Is it worth doing a few days on Grand Turk for diving? Will it be that much better than Provo? We will not be doing live-aboard, as we prefer exploring. I know there's not much to do on Grand Turk, but if the diving is worth it, we'll go.

Thanks!

TCI was a great trip,

We REALY wanted to dive Grand Turk, but since our international departure was on Provo we split our trip into two parts. This made it feel almost like two vacations taken back-to-back because the experiences were so different. The first seven days were spent in Grand Turk, which was awesome and super chill! We stayed at the the Osprey and dove everyday with Blue Water. The last five days of the trip were spent back on Provo where we stayed at Caribbean Paradise in Grace Bay and dove with Caicos Adventures. The whole trip was really memorable and full of diversity, and ending the second half in Provo was the perfect setup for our return flight back home.

Grand Turk is very quiet with its own unique charms and great diving, while Provo is really spread out and much more commercialized. The diving on Grand Turk is super easy and relaxed, with 40+ moored sites right off shore. Diving in Provo is more involved and also more expensive due to all the logistics. Getting from our hotel to the dock location, plus long commutes to/from the dive sites can make for a full day.

The only hiccup we had was in taking the little puddle-jumper aircraft out to Grand Turk, as they did not put our checked bags on our flight. Instead, they held them back for the following flight because the Governor and his entourage where coincidently onboard too, so there wasn't room for everyone's luggage. We had to wait about 3 hours in JAGS McCartney for everything to show up. The trip back to Provo was fine, but I would certainly make a point to request that all of your luggage be put on your plane when you check in.

If I had to pick between Grand Turk and Provo, it would definitely be Grand Turk.

Turks Caicos Resorts | Caribbean Hotels | Osprey Beach Hotel​

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Grand Turk Scuba Diving: Blue Water Divers, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands​

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Dive Bahamas, in Turks & Caicos Islands, With Caicos Adventures! Dive Bahamas for Incredible Sites & Experiences!​

Hope this is helpful!

 

[Hoag]

I hope that I can help. I have been to TCI 3 times. The first time was to Provo, diving with Dive Provo. The second time was the Turks and Caicos Explorer III live aboard and the last time was to Grand Turk staying at the Bohio Resort.

Let me start by talking about the trip to Grand Turk first. I loved the Bohio! It was run by a couple of Canadian expats and the place was geared for dive vacations. The dives were almost all wall dives with the wall starting at about 50-60 feet. Boat rides were typically about 10 minutes. Unfortunately, Bohio is closed and there is a degree of uncertainty as to when or even if they will re-open.

On the first time we went, we stayed in Provo and what was then the Best Western Hotel. It is now the Ports of Call. Dive Provo was located just outside of the hotel and, in fact shared the parking lot with the hotel. It is "Valet Diving". The crew will set-up your gear and do all of the "heavy lifting". At the end of the day, you take your mask & camera and leave everything else in your mesh boat bag on the boat. Overnight, they will rinse and dry your gear. The big drawback is that most of the dive sites that they went to were close to an hour boat ride to get to. The other (non-diving) drawback is that Provo is very expensive.

For the trip that we did on the live aboard, we flew into Provo and took a shuttle to the boat. The Turks and Caicos Explorer III (T&CE3) is certainly not a fancy yacht, but within minutes of your arrival, the crew will make it feel like it is your home. They go to many of the same dive sites as Dive Provo does, except that from a LOB, you can pull up and the "commute" is from your seat on the dive deck to the stern of the boat, mere seconds. The "up front" costs of the LOB are higher, but keep in mind that this cost includes everything, food, accommodation and up to 5 dives per day.

All 3 options have their advantages and their disadvantages. I loved Bohio both for the diving and the atmosphere. Unfortunately, I don't know enough about Grand Turk other than what I experienced at the Bohio to comfortably recommend another resort there. I doubt that I would personally do a shore based trip to Provo, but I would go back on the T&CE3 in a heart beat. Keep in mind, that the dive sites that you will dive either with Dive Provo or from the LOBs will tend to be very "Sharky". TCI is renowned for having a very healthy Caribbean Reef Shark population.

If I were heading to TCI again, and spending my money (especially if I had a certain amount of flexibility in the dates), I would keep a watch for a sale on the T&CE3. I think that it would give you the best "bang for the buck in the TCI right now.

One last parting thought ... these are nothing more than my opinions so take them with a grain of salt.

 

[d^2b]

If I were heading to TCI again, and spending my money (especially if I had a certain amount of flexibility in the dates), I would keep a watch for a sale on the T&CE3. I think that it would give you the best "bang for the buck in the TCI right now.

I have had good trips on both the TCI Aggressor and the Explorer. They are about the same amount of money and the experience is fairly similar. The Explorer is bigger and my cabin was more comfortable, while the Aggressor swings around in the water less. If I was going back to TCI I would be happy to do either. As it happens, after 3 trips I'd like to try somewhere new.

 

[Cornellxc]

You might want to check the recent damage to the islands and reef due to Hurricanes Ian and/or Nicole in September 2022.

I heard that south Caicos has had vis issues for a while since the hurricane but they dive on the windward (east) side. Having dove after every major hurricane since ike on Grand Turk where we dive the leeward (west) side, there's little to no damage on the reef due to hurricanes. It's a non issue for us.

 

[drrich2]

We will not be doing live-aboard, as we prefer exploring. I know there's not much to do on Grand Turk, but if the diving is worth it, we'll go.

We are broadening our planning to include liveaboards, although I am nervous about committing to 7 days without being on dry land!

In some places, the topside is a big part of the experience. Some would take your approach with Cozumel (no liveaboard option) or Grand Cayman, for example. But Provo., well... My one trip to Turks & Caicos was aboard the Aggressor boat. Provo. had a rep. for long day boat trips to and from the diving (hope you guys don't get sea sick), so I question how much exploration time you'll have some days, and how much you may feel like it. If that's not a problem, I suggest checking out Trip Advisor's Things to Do page for Providenciales. Provo. has a rep. for being quite expensive; eating out and roaming to do topside activities could rack up quite a bill. With a liveaboard, food's good, right there and already paid for.

Turks & Caicos Aggressor II Report Apr. 2018 - Trip Report - Turks & Caicos Aggressor II 4/21-4/28 Trip Report
Turks & Caicos Research Notes - Turks & Caicos Research Notes

At least with Grand Cayman and Cozumel, I see trip reports talking about interesting places and activities (a thread on dining options in Cozumel can dwarf most diving threads), but I don't see that nearly so much in discussions on Provo. (other than the beauty of the beach; that gets praise).

Richard.

 

[rmorgan]

I wish we had dived T&C before SCTLD, not to mention the recent storms. The SCTLD dashboard shows the islands surrounded by the disease, and recent videos show a lot of green algae on the sea floor and a lot of blah coral. In case anyone’s interested, Hawaii‘s Aquatic Resources agency just published a sober and depressing assessment of the current state and potential global risk. https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/files/2022/10/Stony-Coral-Tissue-Loss-Disease-SCTLD.pdf

 

[jonhall]

I wish we had dived T&C before SCTLD, not to mention the recent storms. The SCTLD dashboard shows the islands surrounded by the disease, and recent videos show a lot of green algae on the sea floor and a lot of blah coral. In case anyone’s interested, Hawaii‘s Aquatic Resources agency just published a sober and depressing assessment of the current state and potential global risk. https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/files/2022/10/Stony-Coral-Tissue-Loss-Disease-SCTLD.pdf

Thanks for sharing. The dashboard and presentation certainly brings to light this issue - good info all divers should be aware of.

 

[aoshell]

Thanks to all for the insights! We have booked a sale fare on the T&C Explorer II for June. Got the sale fare from PADI.com. So excited. I have not done liveaboard in many years, so will need to adjust packing accordingly. Bit nervous about what I read about them not allowing shoes on deck. I need to protect my toes. :O

Boat departs from Caicos Marina in South Bank. We are flying in the day before in case of any issues getting there. Any recommendations for cheap(ish) lodging near there? Everything is $$$!

Gracias,

 

[ThatDogDontHunt]

Boat departs from Caicos Marina in South Bank. We are flying in the day before in case of any issues getting there. Any recommendations for cheap(ish) lodging near there? Everything is $$$!

Gracias,

Nope. The marina is not really close to anything.

Pick anything near Turtle Cove or Grace Bay and plan on a taxi ride to get to the boat.

We last stayed at Grace Bay Suites - not on the water so a little cheaper and within walking distance of several food options.