Reef damage in T&C?

[gassed]

To begin with,I feel a guilty writing this after the damage the people on Turks and Caicos endured.
We are scheduled for our very first live-aboard next year. We have a deposit on a stateroom on a chartered boat at Turks and Caicos. Being our first liveaboard and a big investment for us, I have concerns now of the damage below the waterline.
If we are going to cancel we must do so soon or our deposit is gone.
I have seen post storm damage on reefs in the past but Irma was many times stronger.
Any experience out there that has seen storm damage and how it affects the reefs in this area? How do they bounce back?
Thanks in advance.

 

[diversteve]

This is purely anecdotal and my opinion but I think you'll be fine. I'm only discussing the Explorer - not the Aggressor. Current news on the status of their operations post-Irma is here: Hurricane Irma Updates - Explorer Ventures

Turks & Caicos Explorer II’s base of operations in Providenciales sustained a heavy hit from Irma, but the airport is already open and we are hoping for a return to our normal charter schedule on Saturday, Sept. 16. We will be making a final call on that trip within the next 24 hours, and are keeping our guests updated directly. However, we don’t anticipate any issues running charters as normal after that point. Capt. Jean-Francois Chabot and the rest of the crew will start their transit back from Jamaica later this week.

They moved the boat to Jamaica prior to Irma and the latest news is the T/C airport is open again. In our case we were met the afternoon we sailed and returned the next Sat. morning so there should be little/no impact "nesxt year"

90% of the dives are deep wall dives so were likely unaffected except maybe the moorings might have gotten a little beat-up in the shallows but they have multiple moorings to choose from and will have picked the best ones b4 you get there.

I'd still go...

 

[Ironborn]

I had also been thinking about going on one of the T&C liveaboards the week of this Thanksgiving, but the potential effects of Irma on the local reefs led me to look elsewhere. I see diversteve's above point that the local depth and topography may have shielded the reefs from wave action, but I was also wondering about the amount of sand that Irma must have left on the reef. Take a look at the end of this video, which has before & after satellite imagery of south Florida and the T&C islands.


I figured that visibility might have cleared up by Thanksgiving, but I was concerned that the sand deposits would have longer-term effects on the reefs. I would like to hear the opinions of someone more knowledgeable about this than I am.

 

[Snoweman]

I am supposed to be visiting T&C in November. I would like to hear/see how Irma and now Maria are impacting the island and the diving.

 

[Cert1967]

EV's boat, Turks & Caicos Explorer II, departed Provo on Saturday, September 16 for a 7-day trip.

Unfortunately, it seems a short week was had, the boat returned to port early, with most guests departing Provo ASAP.

Wednesday morning, September 20, EV is showing upcoming departures for EV2 on September 23 and October 7.

 

[Ironborn]

EV's boat, Turks & Caicos Explorer II, departed Provo on Saturday, September 16 for a 7-day trip.

Unfortunately, it seems a short week was had, the boat returned to port early, with most guests departing Provo ASAP.

Wednesday morning, September 20, EV is showing upcoming departures for EV2 on September 23 and October 7.

View attachment 427309

Is there any indication of why the boat returned to port early? Was it due to reef damage, poor diving conditions, or other factors, e.g. Maria?

 

[Cert1967]

Is there any indication of why the boat returned to port early? Was it due to reef damage, poor diving conditions, or other factors, e.g. Maria?

EV said it was the approach of Maria. They had no reports from customers.

 

[Damselfish]

Getting out of Dodge before Maria. They said they dropped off people, took on fuel, and were headed south to Haiti or Jamaica again.

 

[Ironborn]

Getting out of Dodge before Maria. They said they dropped off people, took on fuel, and were headed south to Haiti or Jamaica again.

I see. Any word on the diving conditions and the health of the reefs, e.g. coral damage or sand build-up?

 

[jmb122mp]

The Turks and Caicos Aggressor II posted a video, in the last 24 hours, of their first charter since the storms. Here's the link to the video on facebook : Aggressor Fleet

Cheers,

Jim