Where should I dive in Turks & Caicos ?

[pitri]

Hi all,
I'm so confused :huh:
I want to dive the caribbean and found out that the best places to be are Bonaire or Turks and Caicos.
Can anyone that has been to both places can shed some light with personal preferences ? (fish life, reef condition, costs, easy going...).

In addition, lets say I'm going on the Turks & Caicos option. where are the best dive sites ? Any recommended operators ?

Thanks

 

[Damselfish]

Bonaire and T&C are both good places to dive for the Carribean but they are very different. I don't know that I would call either place the best, it really depends what you like. (I would choose East End Grand Cayman, or Little Cayman, or maybe a liveaboard in Belize over T&C, and I would choose Curacao over Bonaire, but that's just me. Other people will have different favorites.)

T&C is known mostly for the wall diving and Bonaire is noted for lots of easy shore diving and nice reefs. There is a much better chance of seeing bigger stuff like sharks and rays in T&C. T&C has a lot of upscale resorts and tends to be more expensive though there are some less expensive places to stay. On Bonaire almost every hotel or inn is a dive resort, so it's a different atmosphere.

If you go to T&C and stay on the main island of Provo, the better diving is not around Provo itself but around some smaller islands like West Caicos, a bit of a boat ride. Caicos Adventures is a good op that's pretty popular and mostly dives those more distant sites. If you stay on Grand Turk the diving is much closer. There are also a couple liveaboards that leave from Provo you might want to consider.

 

[Bieszczat]

I agree with Damselfish in that T&C may not be THE best...but what I like is that it offers the best mix of everything (top side and under) on Provo for me and my wife. Really good diving around the islands, nice places to eat, and some shopping and night life if that is something you like. I have not been to Cayman long enough to form a good experienced opinion....but I have been to Belieze for an extended period of time, and I agree with Dameselfish that this is a great dive destitination. Need to go to the outter Atols or on a liveaboard, (not the tourist area). Overall Diving Experience (fish, reef, animal encounters) is superior in relation to other spots in the Caribbean I have personally experienced. But you give up top side things in trade. This is why my wife and I like T & C the best for vacation. Really good diving and good top side in Provo.


Pitri, You have definitely started down the right path. Gather info and decide what is most important to YOU on vacation. Caicos Adventures is a good op and another to explore would be Ocean Vibes.

Dameselfish, why "I would choose Curacao over Bonaire"? Bonaire is on my "To Do" list, but I may need to put Curacao first now! Additional insight would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Damselfish]

Dameselfish, why "I would choose Curacao over Bonaire"? Bonaire is on my "To Do" list, but I may need to put Curacao first now! Additional insight would be appreciated. Thanks!

I like Curacao because the diving is pretty similar to Bonaire, but the UW topography is more varied. Above water, I find Curacao to be a bit more interesting of a place with a better selection of restaurants. Curacao also tends to be a little easier to get to than Bonaire. Curacao doesn't have quite the density of easy access shore dive sites as Bonaire, but certainly enough to occupy someone. I actually prefer boat diving anyway or shore diving from the convienience of my hotel so the shore diving around Bonaire isn't as huge an attraction for me as for others.

An important thing on Curacao is to pick the right place to stay and dive. On Bonaire almost everyplace is dive oriented and the diving is pretty similar most areas so you can pretty much throw a dart and do well. On Curacao there is much more variety in the hotels and in the quality of the diving in different areas, so you need to choose right.

 

[pitri]

Thanks for the advice. Now I "only" need to decide.

 

[sasscuba]

Bonaire would be my first choice but Grand Turk has some excellent boat diving with tons of fish.

 

[EZ Diver]

Pitri - I just got back from 9 days in Grand Turk and Provo. The Trip reports should be posted on the board today. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers!
Eric

 

[CaribQueen]

Bonaire and T&C are sooo different hard to compare. I personally, prefer Grand Turk for the diving. Provo for beaches. Island House is a great spot to stay on GT. The walls of GT are easy to get to, absolutely beautiful!! but...I have not been back since the cruise industry has taken over the island.

 

[Clyderyde]

I agree with the rest, your two choices are too different to compare.
They both are good, but I'll argue about them being the best. It really is a matter of your preferences, the time of year, the people that are there ect. The best thing to do is to just try to visit them all.

As far as staying on Grand Turk I prefer Island House and Oasis divers. While Island House is not on the beach it has beatiful sunset views because it sits on a hill. The rooms are more like small apartments and each room comes with a vehicle. You can see the island and go anywhere you want anytime you want.

I also would give a slight edge to Curacao over Bonaire simply because of the wonderful beach at Sunset Waters beach resort. Great diving here, with a great beach. The resort is at the mouth of Santa marta bay that offers several hours of very nice paddling in one of the resort's kayaks. Pink Flamingos, other good bird watching. If you pick Curacao take a serious look at this resort.

The Bonaire divers have not chimed in to this thread yet and can easily outvote the Curacao divers. During my last trip down there, there were about 100 divers on the plane headed for Bonaire while only 8 were going to Curacao. I also am only a luke warm shore diver and my wife doesn't like it all.

Don't worry about the choice so much, just pray theres not a hurricane and have fun.

Clyderyde

 

[timetraveler]

Don't worry about the choice so much, just pray theres not a hurricane and have fun.
Clyderyde

pitri, Did you say when you're planning your trip? If so, I can't find it. Hurricane season in the Caribbean is June 1 - November 30 with late August thru mid October being the worst. If you're traveling during that time, Bonaire and Curacao are better choices because they almost never get hurricanes, although they can get seriously high waves when one passes by.