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

[reefsong]

Anyone out there with a strong opinion about whether the diving off West Caicos is so superior to Grand Turk that it merits a daily 90 minute roundtrip boat ride and a stay in Provo instead of the easy access wall off Grand Turk? My husband and I are leaning toward Grand Turk for its laidback ease of access, but are willing to take the long trips to West Caicos if they are truly all that superior to Grand Turk. We're going to dive and relax, so Provo doesn't hold any special draw for us in terms of shopping or restaurants.
Also, we're going to chance hurricane season, and barring a storm, does anyone know about viz and water temps that time of year in the Caicos?

[ScubaK-Dawg]

I was in Provo in February. Don't know about Grand Turk. If you do go to Provo, I highly recomend Caicos Adventures. Top notch dive operation and they only take you to the best sites.

[Stivo]

I was in Provo last November and I had the chance to get over to W. Caicos (only to snorkel though). The diving in Provo (I did mine through Club Med) was excellent. The vis was about 100' and the temp around 82-83 degrees. I just used shorts, no t-shirt and I was very comfortable on 50 minute dives where we around 110' at the deepest point. (Don't worry, it was a no-deco dive) ;)

Anyway, when we went to W. Caicos, we had a friend who lived on the island and was a helicopter pilot. We toured all around W. Caicos and the water was crystal clear. I saw 2 big schools of mantas from the air. While in the water, I saw lots of different little critters.

Be prepared if you are there on your own... cost of living is outrageously expensive. Gas is about $5 a gallon although you don't have far to drive. As for Grand Turk, I have not been there so I can not offer a comparison.

BTW, the picture on my profile is from TCI...

[Zebra mussel]

Grand Turk...Hands down!

[Tim Ingersoll]

It depends on what you want out of your vacation. Both destinations offer world class diving. Provo also has more things to do, better restaurants, and better resorts. Grand Turk has much shorter boat rides and an atomosphere which is more conducive to "getting away from it all."

[ddawson]

Funny that this question was asked
because I trying to figure out an answer to the same
question. I have already book the Provo air leg.

Tim
I have read many of your post with regard to the Caicos.
My main questions are
1) which is better for macro?
2) if you had to pick one or the other to go based on the
quality of diving, which one would you return to?
3) Did you think Grand Turk diving gets boring over a 17 dive week? That is, is every dive similar?
darren

[DocVikingo]

In terms of diving, I'd go with GT. Much shorter boat rides with surface intervals on shore; smaller, more relaxed groups; since the heavy development on Provo & active construction on West Caicos the viz is generally superior; better macro life.

Diving off West Caicos & French Cay does tend to offer better opportunities for sharks, rays and turtles if this is important.

You can search the archives for my very extensive trip report on GT if you are so inclined.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

[tvictory]

I agree with Tim and Doc. Last November we did a week on T&C Explorer (liveaboard) followed by a week on Grand Turk (land-based). The diving off West Caicos is very similar to that off Grand Turk, where the wall is right there. GT is a very laid-back place with little to do besides dive and relax. Provo is more lively but the long commute to West Caicos or French would be a hassle.

[Tim Ingersoll]

Tim
I have read many of your post with regard to the Caicos.
My main questions are
1) which is better for macro?
2) if you had to pick one or the other to go based on the
quality of diving, which one would you return to?
3) Did you think Grand Turk diving gets boring over a 17 dive week? That is, is every dive similar?
darren


I loved them both. We didn't see much big stuff off GT and I really like the big stuff so for me, given the choice, I would go back to Porvo and put up with the long boat rides. Thats me you might be different. I would be bored with GT over a 17 dive week but I also get tired of the long boat rides on Provo over the week. GT is cheaper. Provo has more to do, etc.
Sorry mate. . .toss a coin and you can't go wrong.

[Damselfish]

I think GT and W Caicos diving is similar enough I'd chose based on where you want to stay and the associated boat rides (or lack thereof.) I thought some of the best was Salt Cay and South Caicos, I don't know if you will have an opportunity to do that from GT but it might be worth it. We dove Eagle's Nest at South Caicos a bunch of times, parade of sharks and eagle rays every dive - that is worth a trip.

[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.