jonmajor2000
Guest
Who is Fifi and what does she charge? I leave in 3 days w/o reservations. Are there any must-see topside-can you take cabs to get around economically?
Turks and Caicos
- Thread starter Sharksighter
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Damselfish
Contributor
Fifi is a he and is the owner of Caicos Adventures. Caicos Adventures: Caribbean Scuba Diving in the Turks & Caicos Islands, just south of the Bahamas.
(Note that this is a really old thread.)
(Note that this is a really old thread.)
Tim Ingersoll
Contributor
There's not a lot to do topside. Grace Bay beach and the conch farm are about it. The island is fairly spread out and a rental car is probably worth the price unless you are at an all-inclusive.
tatrump
Guest
T & C help:
I am looking at setting up a trip for Feb. I am going to take the advice, new and old and dive with Caico's Adventures (despite Fifi being a man). I was wondering if I could get some input on a good place to stay? 3 to 4 star, non resort, with stuff to do for non divers. Grandma will be watching our 2.5 year old while we go diving. Also, preferablity close to CA's and other ammenities. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I am looking at setting up a trip for Feb. I am going to take the advice, new and old and dive with Caico's Adventures (despite Fifi being a man). I was wondering if I could get some input on a good place to stay? 3 to 4 star, non resort, with stuff to do for non divers. Grandma will be watching our 2.5 year old while we go diving. Also, preferablity close to CA's and other ammenities. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Damselfish
Contributor
Don't worry about being close to CA. You could stop in to check in when you get there but maybe not even that. They will pick you up to take you to the boat, and even if you wanted to drive yourself they leave from a dock that is nowhere near their shop, or much of anything.
I am headed back in April for 10 days and I plan to dive with Caicos Adventures, again. Loved the boat, staff and the sites they chose. I can't wait to go!
Note: Diving in T&C on Provo is usually an all day event. As I recall, the bus picks you up at 8am and you typically get back around 3-4pm in the afternoon.
Note: Diving in T&C on Provo is usually an all day event. As I recall, the bus picks you up at 8am and you typically get back around 3-4pm in the afternoon.
SusanWH20
Registered
tatrump:
As I'm writing this, I'm actually sitting on the couch of our 1 BR villa rental in Provo. We're a quick walk from the marina which CA uses. I second the notion of renting a vehicle. Maybe not a car (we found the 4x4 much more helpful on the non-paved road which there are still many). We're diving with Flamingo Divers (our diving hearts belong to Mickey and Jayne) but we have heard good things about CA. It's been an interesting trip for us as the swells and winds made us miss a day. I know others went out but we decided that we'd prefer to wait it out than deal with high seas and 15 ft vis (yes, we are picky LOL).
Hannah and Ike have hit the reefs hard (we're still seeing silt on some parts) but it still is beautiful. On 4 dives, have seen a TON of great sea life and it's heartening to see a fair amount of large barrel sponges weathered the storms. Vis isn't the usual miles we have encountered before but it's still pretty good (40 - 50 ft is my guess). Turtles, stingrays and sharks abound. I'm sure things will be in even better shape by the time you get down here. Wish I was planning my return trip already and we still have another 6 days.
As I'm writing this, I'm actually sitting on the couch of our 1 BR villa rental in Provo. We're a quick walk from the marina which CA uses. I second the notion of renting a vehicle. Maybe not a car (we found the 4x4 much more helpful on the non-paved road which there are still many). We're diving with Flamingo Divers (our diving hearts belong to Mickey and Jayne) but we have heard good things about CA. It's been an interesting trip for us as the swells and winds made us miss a day. I know others went out but we decided that we'd prefer to wait it out than deal with high seas and 15 ft vis (yes, we are picky LOL).
Hannah and Ike have hit the reefs hard (we're still seeing silt on some parts) but it still is beautiful. On 4 dives, have seen a TON of great sea life and it's heartening to see a fair amount of large barrel sponges weathered the storms. Vis isn't the usual miles we have encountered before but it's still pretty good (40 - 50 ft is my guess). Turtles, stingrays and sharks abound. I'm sure things will be in even better shape by the time you get down here. Wish I was planning my return trip already and we still have another 6 days.
I heading down on the Aggressor Dec 6th and hope the vis and reefs get better. Whats the water temps and required exposure suit.
SusanWH20
Registered
Just left on Friday (boo hoo) and did our last set of dives on Thursday. Water temp was 80 at the surface and 78-79 bottom (ranged between 50 - 90 ft depths) the whole week. My husband just work his swimsuit and a rash guard shirt but I opted for a 3mm core warmer with a full skin (I have really fair skin so I have to keep it covered). We planned to dive 7 days of 2 tank dives but only got in 5 days (2 days, 2 day break and 3 days). I was a little chilled on the last day but not so that I was cold or sucking up more air.
Vis improved by the end of trip and the day we flew out, it looked like things were getting back to "normal." The swells and wind were definitely calming down and I think WindGuru was forecasting good seas for the next week or so.
We dive with Flamingo Divers because we like the smaller boat (no more than 8 divers max) and love Mickey and Jayne but Caicos Adventures has a good reputation. They have a larger boat so I think they were able to go out on the days when the seas were over a meter.
The extra topside time gave us a bit more opportunity to explore the island. Yes, it's low key but we love that sort of thing (we're the dorks who download our dive photos to the laptop and start color-correcting them that night). Grace Bay definitely is where the "action" is if you are looking for bars and clubs and the like. We stayed over by the southside marina at Harbour Club Villas and like having a villa to ourselves. Grace Bay is a gorgeous beach but there also is Chalk Sound, Taylor Bay, Leeward Pass Through and Malcombe Beach for some beautiful views. Also southwestern harbour bluff is quite beautiful and has some very good snorkeling when the weather is good.
In terms of dive sites, my husband and mine's personal favorites are The Gully, Coney Island and Rock Garden Interlude. The Gully has a nice dramatic swim through (it's more of a canyon/cut than an overhead environment) and beautfiul sights along the lip of the wall. Our last dive there, we were kept company by a male and female reef shark who were cruising around (on a previous trip, we got to catch a glimpse of a hammerhead as we came out of the swim-through). It's a very "fishy" site so there are lots of large schools that circle around the coral heads. Coney Island and Rock Garden Interlude are good second dives with lots of marine life to see. We usually saw sharks on those but the more interesting stuff is the smaller fish, cleaning stations, etc. (which I know isn't every person's fave). We did get a chance to get over to French Cay and dove G Spot and Rock & Roll- actually swapped sites with the Aggressor. We really liked the wall there - reef looked in better shape but vis that day wasn't spectacular.
Oh by the way, Big Blue reported hearing whales over at Northwest Point. It's a bit early for that but here's wishing you luck! Have a great trip!
Vis improved by the end of trip and the day we flew out, it looked like things were getting back to "normal." The swells and wind were definitely calming down and I think WindGuru was forecasting good seas for the next week or so.
We dive with Flamingo Divers because we like the smaller boat (no more than 8 divers max) and love Mickey and Jayne but Caicos Adventures has a good reputation. They have a larger boat so I think they were able to go out on the days when the seas were over a meter.
The extra topside time gave us a bit more opportunity to explore the island. Yes, it's low key but we love that sort of thing (we're the dorks who download our dive photos to the laptop and start color-correcting them that night). Grace Bay definitely is where the "action" is if you are looking for bars and clubs and the like. We stayed over by the southside marina at Harbour Club Villas and like having a villa to ourselves. Grace Bay is a gorgeous beach but there also is Chalk Sound, Taylor Bay, Leeward Pass Through and Malcombe Beach for some beautiful views. Also southwestern harbour bluff is quite beautiful and has some very good snorkeling when the weather is good.
In terms of dive sites, my husband and mine's personal favorites are The Gully, Coney Island and Rock Garden Interlude. The Gully has a nice dramatic swim through (it's more of a canyon/cut than an overhead environment) and beautfiul sights along the lip of the wall. Our last dive there, we were kept company by a male and female reef shark who were cruising around (on a previous trip, we got to catch a glimpse of a hammerhead as we came out of the swim-through). It's a very "fishy" site so there are lots of large schools that circle around the coral heads. Coney Island and Rock Garden Interlude are good second dives with lots of marine life to see. We usually saw sharks on those but the more interesting stuff is the smaller fish, cleaning stations, etc. (which I know isn't every person's fave). We did get a chance to get over to French Cay and dove G Spot and Rock & Roll- actually swapped sites with the Aggressor. We really liked the wall there - reef looked in better shape but vis that day wasn't spectacular.
Oh by the way, Big Blue reported hearing whales over at Northwest Point. It's a bit early for that but here's wishing you luck! Have a great trip!
Tim Ingersoll
Contributor
Nice trip report. Thanks for the input.
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