First trip to T&C

[mackenzi25]

Would love some input from the board on Turks and Caicos. We booked a really good deal leaving October 26 for a week at the Allegro resort. Would love any information about the best dives sites (the must dive sites) and dive operators to go with. Dive Provo is at our resort but I've read really good things about Caicos Adventures plus they are running a special of 20% off dive package in October. Any other information would be really helpful. Thanks

 

[dallasM5]

First, I'll tell you that I'm going to be of no help to you.

I'm going on my first T&C trip arriving on Nov. 1, so you'll probably be just leaving when we start diving. I've booked with CA on the advice of so many here and just based on phone conversations with them, they seem to be very professional.

I'm very much a newbie diver, so going with a really good operator is important to me.

I wish I could read your review of your trip, but you'll probably be writing it while I'm diving.

Enjoy!

 

[JeffW]

I was in Providenciales at Christmas time of 2001 to do the T&C Aggressor liveaboard. I got there 2 days early and did 2 days of diving with Caicos Adventures. Fifi the owner has a very nice dive boat. Very fast and roomy. He will take you to some of the best diving. He likes to go out to French Caye and West Caicos which is excellent diving. G-Spot and Double-D were a couple of the sites on French Caye that Fifi took us to. I didn't do any diving off of Providenciales so I can't give you any help there.

I'm jealous. Have a great trip. -Jeff

 

[Padipro]

My wife and I were in Provo at Club Med last November. The island is beautiful and the diving off Provo is some of the best I've ever done. The walls drop off to several hundred feet in places, the vis was well over 100 feet every day, the marine life more then abundent and the coral formations were out of this world. I would highly reccomend Provo to anyone that loves great diving.

I can't help you out with the dive operation as Club Med has their owen dive boats but I have heard good things from others about Dive Provo.

Have a good trip and make sure you give us a trip report when you get back.

Scott

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

CA only dives West Caicos and French Cay. Dive Provo dives mostly the same although they have been known to dive Grace Bay and Northwest Point as well. The diving close to the resorts on Grace Bay is mediocre. All of the diving on West Caicos is wall diving. No current. The drop off is incredible. In many places the wall is sheer and the vis is well over 100 feet. I tell people its like diving in the Grand Canyon. Lots of big pelagics cruise the wall. Last year it was eagle ray mating season or something because there were herds of them cruising the top of the wall. I lost count of them on one dive. We also saw dolphins and my first whale. Sea turtles are abundant. Sharks on every dive. They seemed very curious at French Cay. It was the first time I had seen the circling behavior. Made me a wee bit nervous.
CA has a bus that will pick you up and drop you off at your resort. The boat rides are about 45 minutes but its on the leeward side so its smooth sailing. Pickup is around 8:00 a.m.. You get back around 2:30 p.m. They feed you a sub on the boat. There is fresh water or lemonade.
There is a dive site off West Caicos called the "boat cove" or something like that. There is a small cove in the ironshore. We did an interval there once. Fifi said we could swim over to the cove and climb up to the top of the ironshore. There was graffiti carved in the rocks by shipwrecked sailors from the 18th century. Very cool. Nobody wanted to go so I went myself. You had to time the waves coming into the cove to get up on the rocks. The inscriptions had the names of the sailors and the ship as well as the date. Very cool. Definitely worth checking out.
There are some nice swim-trhoughs on West Caicos but the attraction is definitely the wall. There is a site called the anchor where there is. . . you guessed it. . . a very old anchor stuck in the wall right at the drop off. Very good picture.
French Cay is definitely the best diving in Provo. It is so pristine. Just a little spit of sand about 45 minutes out from Provo. The diving is incredible. Fifi goes every Thursday for a three tank. Do not miss this.
Thanks for taking me back. Hope this whetted your appetite. I'm off to drive to Canada for their turkey day. Have fun and I look forward to the trip report.

 

[mackenzi25]

Thanks for all the helpful information, you definately have me more excited. We'll definately look into some of those dive sites.

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Not a problem. That sort of typing is like reliving the trips for me. Good luck and enjoy!