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  1. Cornellxc

    East Bay Resort Closing Sept 9 for 9-12 Mths for Renovation and Rebranding

    Yeah, we fished over there a few months ago and talked to the new GM. They're rebranding as a flagship Marriott property. Will be interesting to see if they can hit the brand standards with the difficulties and remoteness of the big south. Diving in South Caicos can be absolutely spectacular...
  2. Cornellxc

    Grand Cayman for unimpressed newbies?

    You guys have been to Grand Turk but it doesn't get any easier than there. 5 min boat rides and surface intervals on the beach. easy for a new diver to stay at the top of the wall and see a bunch of stuff.
  3. Cornellxc

    Turks and Caicos Liveaboard or resort?

    Grand Turk if you want the best of both worlds.
  4. Cornellxc

    Trip Report Grand Turk April 19-25, Blue Water Divers

    Less than 2h is really cutting it close customs and delay wise. I would chance that sort of a connection on a weekday if I'm not checking bags and confident I could get on the 5pm worst case. Intercarribbean has some new (old) bigger planes running lately and I haven't had a problem flying...
  5. Cornellxc

    Oasis Divers, Grand Turks

    They are closed. There are currently two operators on GT. Blue Water Divers and Grand Turk diving. Both are excellent and within a hundred yards of the former Oasis.
  6. Cornellxc

    Turks and Caicos Trip Planning

    I heard that south Caicos has had vis issues for a while since the hurricane but they dive on the windward (east) side. Having dove after every major hurricane since ike on Grand Turk where we dive the leeward (west) side, there's little to no damage on the reef due to hurricanes. It's a non...
  7. Cornellxc

    Turks and Caicos

    FYI all Grand Turk folks. Bohio has closed and will not be reopening as a dive resort in the same capacity. There are many great options for staying and diving (which I would of recommended anyway). Osprey Beach hotel is a great spot to stay and diving with Blue Water divers or Grand Turk diving...
  8. Cornellxc

    Trip Report Grand Turk April 19-25, Blue Water Divers

    Intercaribbean has recently expanded into a lot of new routes around the region leaving TCI under serviced. I had exclusively booked IC up until the pandemic and now will do anything I can to not have to schedule with them. I'm sure they'll get their **** together eventually but for now, Caicos...
  9. Cornellxc

    Diving South Caicos? Is it any good?

    Unfortunately, you picked a week where PLS was as messed up as I've ever seen it. I returned on Monday but had 2 cancelled intercaribbean flights on my way to and from GT. TCI is an adventure at the best of times. I would strongly recommend not booking weekend travel if at all possible during...
  10. Cornellxc

    Diving South Caicos? Is it any good?

    1-1.5m swell from the East is the norm not the exception from December-April. We’re able to have much more consistent diving on grand turk because the wall is on the west side and benefits from the islands shadow. I’m interested to see what happens with all the money they’ve invested. I know a...
  11. Cornellxc

    Trip Report East Bay Resort: South Caicos Oct 2 - 9, 2021

    Whales around GT now for sure. Hearing them on most dives and reliably spotting them when out on the backside of Salt Cay. Tis the season.
  12. Cornellxc

    Trip Report East Bay Resort: South Caicos Oct 2 - 9, 2021

    +1 on the experience of @tridacna. Though I never thought of using DAN for the insurance component. I've been down 6-8 times since the controls went in place and I've always bought supplemental covid insurance (SevenCorners, costs me about 30/week). I'll definitely check out using dan when I go...
  13. Cornellxc

    Diving South Caicos? Is it any good?

    Generally speaking there are more northerly swells in the winter. Summer has the most flat days by a long shot (also, hurricanes). The south caicos guys are running much larger boats than the skiffs in GT so I assume they can get people out in significant seas. GT just has the advantage of the...
  14. Cornellxc

    Diving South Caicos? Is it any good?

    The reality is that west coast diving in Tci is always going to give you a higher percentage chance of good diving in the winter. Grand Turk, salt cay and live aboard diving are generally your best bet for winter swells. I can vouch for how good of shape the reef is between GT and south caicos...
  15. Cornellxc

    Diving South Caicos? Is it any good?

    I was probably on Grand Turk when y'all were diving in south. There were a few rough days where we were blown out and the south Caicos boats were out on the wall. We mainly just chuckled in our beers. From what I understand, the operators arent spending any time getting local knowledge from the...
  16. Cornellxc

    Trip Report East Bay Resort: South Caicos Oct 2 - 9, 2021

    Also, Gilleys has some of the best food in TCI. Get the Conch stew or curried conch. Good stuff for sure.
  17. Cornellxc

    Trip Report East Bay Resort: South Caicos Oct 2 - 9, 2021

    I'm glad to hear. It really depends lately on Saturdays whether you get screwed with multiple planes at the same time. The JFK flight is always annoying enough for me to warrant it. And yes, sitting near the front of the plane and hustling to customs is a pro tip. I'm usually carrying on so the...
  18. Cornellxc

    Trip Report East Bay Resort: South Caicos Oct 2 - 9, 2021

    If arriving on Saturday, consider booking TCI fast pass. I hate to do it but it saves me at least an hour lately when arriving (Saturday only, otherwise don't bother). Granted, its only allowing me a few extra beers at Gilleys while waiting for the plane to GT. That being said, waiting in line...
  19. Cornellxc

    Cenotes—cavern diving. Safe for AOW diver?

    correct, that is the maximum group size per cave instructor allowed for cavern dives in the area. It was literally written on the wall of the visitor center.
  20. Cornellxc

    Cenotes—cavern diving. Safe for AOW diver?

    I dove dos ojos twice last week. Very enjoyable and piqued my interest in pursuing a cave course. It turned out that the caves are wayyy more beautiful and interesting than I expected. I've spent a lot of time nerding out about tech and cave diving over the years and knew what I was getting into...
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