Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

[WLR]

Hello all. New here and having a hard time deciding where to post this, but here goes. Wife and I just returned from Grand Turk, diving the wall. I was absolutely heartbroken by the state of the reef. I would say that it is 90% dead, not just bleached, dead. The skeleton of the reef suggests that it was once an absolutely amazing wall dive. The plating coral overlapping for at least forty feet as spills down the wall. But now, all dead and flaking away. There were a few sporadic corals looking like they are holding on or making a comeback, but not much. So so sad. I will try to add a video.

This leads me to my question. Was the heat of August 2023 the final nail in the coffin in Caribbean reefs? Is there anywhere that is still somewhat healthy? We typically dive Cozumel and even though it is not what it once was, it continued to be a living reef. But I have not been there since the awful heat of 8/23. Is it still hanging on, or is it gone now as well?

The Grand Turk was not a cheap trip for us and we can’t afford the coral triangle. What’s left in the Caribbean for us? Cayman? Bonaire? Curaçao? We dove Belize last year, before August, and hose dives were also sad.

Do we have anywhere left?

 

[chillyinCanada]

Hello all. New here and having a hard time deciding where to post this, but here goes. Wife and I just returned from Grand Turk, diving the wall. I was absolutely heartbroken by the state of the reef. I would say that it is 90% dead, not just bleached, dead. The skeleton of the reef suggests that it was once an absolutely amazing wall dive. The plating coral overlapping for at least forty feet as spills down the wall. But now, all dead and flaking away. There were a few sporadic corals looking like they are holding on or making a comeback, but not much. So so sad. I will try to add a video.

This leads me to my question. Was the heat of August 2023 the final nail in the coffin in Caribbean reefs? Is there anywhere that is still somewhat healthy? We typically dive Cozumel and even though it is not what it once was, it continued to be a living reef. But I have not been there since the awful heat of 8/23. Is it still hanging on, or is it gone now as well?

The Grand Turk was not a cheap trip for us and we can’t afford the coral triangle. What’s left in the Caribbean for us? Cayman? Bonaire? Curaçao? We dove Belize last year, before August, and hose dives were also sad.

Do we have anywhere left?

What's the latest on Dominica?

 

[drrich2]

The Grand Turk was not a cheap trip for us and we can’t afford the coral triangle. What’s left in the Caribbean for us? Cayman? Bonaire? Curaçao? We dove Belize last year, before August, and hose dives were also sad.

Bonaire has famously lately been hit with SCTLD, and coral bleaching. Issues that have struck farther and wider than Bonaire. It will take time to see how all this shakes out.

When you say you can't afford the coral triangle, did you factor in the Philippines? That seems to offer a budget option (well, that and the home stays of Raja Ampat or cheap liveaboards, but I'm a spoiled middle class American so not on my radar). Search out Trailboss123's trip report on Asia Divers and El Galleon at Puerto Galera.

And while the coral reefs of the Caribbean and surrounding regions shakes out, you might consider diving that doesn't focus so much on coral reefs. Out of North Carolina you've got deep offshore wrecks with sand tiger sharks. Out of Jupiter, Florida, you've got ledge, some wrecks, lemon shark and goliath grouper aggregations (and if you really want to jazz it up, shark feed diving with tiger sharks, great hammerheads, etc...). I'd say the Galapagos by liveaboard, but that...was not a cheap trip.

 

[wateraddiction]

this is so terrible to hear -- i dove Grand Turk 15 years ago and it was great (and pretty inexpensive) compared to Cozumel, Roatan, or Bonaire. I was considering taking my kids there in Dec (great award redemption to PLS on American) but I've crossed it off my list of options after reading your post.

 

[JOdell]

At Grand Turk now, first time. The wall is spectacular, and a gut punch to see so much dead coral. Magnificent soft coral, good size barrel sponges, and lots of fish including big jacks, barracuda, reef sharks, a couple huge crabs.
Take this with a grain of salt as I am speculating. Seems the SCTLD this location very hard, and then bleaching in recent heat. Lots of stark white plate corals, was nice to see many in what looks like early stages of recovery, coloring up, some about 50%, most much less. Not a case of bleaching in progress at the moment, that was last summer...

However we had lovely morning dives just inside the wall, healthy looking spur and groove. I was impressed with diversity and biomass, a lot of big parrots and angelfish among others... damsels defending gardens, cleaning stations, it's pretty great.

Mixed emotions, ocean is changing fast now. And hearing humpbacks singing on 2 of 5 dives was really really wonderful.

Our divemaster Smitty at Grand Turk Diving was fantastic, highly recommend. Experience, patience, and stories. Osprey Beach Hotel great too. Great dinners there and at Turks Head Inn a few steps away...

 

[lumazzie]

Roatan was fairly bleached due to the heat when I was there in Dec 2023.

 

[mcohen1021]

Bumping this to the top - anyone been to grand Turk since the last report? Please update us with your findings?

Edit: Did this also occur @ Provo?

Thanks!

 

[TexBex]

Bumping this to the top - anyone been to grand Turk since the last report? Please update us with your findings?

Edit: Did this also occur @ Provo?

Thanks!

Following - eager to hear as well. Thx

 

[Ilovediving2]

Following - eager to hear as well. Thx

Just got back from Gran Turk. Extremely sad-depressing beyond anything I can explain. The amount of reef is amazing but it is dead. It looks like gray mounds of rock covered in silt. Over 95% of the hard corals are dead. The sponges and fans are sparse and unhealthy. Occasionally you see small new brain corals starting to form. Hopefully it recovers in 30-50 years? We have been diving all over the world. The coral triangle is not as expensive as you think. We had dives booked for 5 days in Gran Turk and after the 1st 2 days we dreaded diving-NEVER happened to us before. We decided not to even dive the last day. Cozumel is still a terrific diving spot-Belize is so so if you go out to the atoll. We won’t be returning to Gran Turk.

 

[PChopMeyer]

That’s so sad to hear. We were at Grand Turks few years ago and really enjoyed the trip.