Heading to Provo - couple questions

[WetChucks]

New to the board and we are heading to Provo in a few weeks and will be diving with Fifi. I have read all the great info on the boards and it has helped us prepare for the trip and make our choice to dive with CA - thanks for all of the great reprots and opinions. Also planning to do the nitrox certification while we are there.

We are staying at the turtle beach house villa near turtle cove - love to hear thoughts if anyone has stayed there.

Couple of questions I havent seen answers to on here and wanted some thoughts.

What are the "do not miss" dive sites?
Where is the the best night dive?
Has anyone done any certifications with CA?
Best local bar? (for decompression purposes of course)

Thanks,

Randy

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Welcome to Scubaboard!! The do not miss dive sites are off West Caicos and French Cay. My per sonal favorites are the Anchor and Boat Cove off West Caicos and Double D and G'Spot off French Cay. I did my AOW with Cunard at CA. They did a great job. It was easy and fun. The Shark Bite is within walking distance from your house and is a decent sports bar type atomosphere.

 

[scubalass]

My personal favourite is Football Field at Pine Cay (amazing mountainous spur & groove coral formations) along with Black Coral Forest at North West Point (my favourite wall). If the conditions are good then Grace Bay is awesome. Unfortunately CA never go to these 3 areas which in my opinion can by the most varied. French Cay and West Caicos are good but are often over rated...don't listen to the hype...everyone has there own preferences and you are as likely to see a variety of life in every area but no guarantees of the big life. Weather also effects different areas so trust the captain's decision.
If you haven't already booked your diving, I would highly recommend Big Blue Unlimited www.bigblueunlimited.com . Small groups, great staff and able to go to all areas with ease. If you have booked then cover your eyes especially if Fifi is on the boat...big standing joke is his G-string!
Sharkbite is a great place at Turtle Cove along with Tiki Hut.

 

[WetChucks]

If you have booked then cover your eyes especially if Fifi is on the boat...big standing joke is his G-string!

Ok the G-string info has me reconsidering...:11:

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

More of a speedo actually.

Pine Cay and Grace Bay are generally acknowledged to be lesser dive sites than West Caicos and French Cay based upon a number of factors. I spent a lot of time diving Grace Bay and it is average to a bove average Caribbean diving. I ave also spent a lot of time diving West Caicos and French Cay and found them to be consistently better for the walls, chance of seeing big stuff (spotted eagle rays, humpback whales, dolphins and reef sharks). Although there are no guarantees of seeing them chances are certainly better at West Caicos and French Cay. If that weren't true then everyone would be diving Grace Bay and Pine Cay not just the ops that are located on the north and east sides of the island. I will concede that the wall at Northwest Point is very nice, however, the weather prevents many of the ops from going there while the weather almost never prohibits travel to West Caicos and the boat channel. I haven't dove with Big Blue so I can't comment on them. I have dove with Provo Turtle Divers and CA. CA is one of the finest ops I've ever had the pleasure of diving with. Hands down.

 

[caymaniac]

Ok the G-string info has me reconsidering...:11:

Somehow, that speedo fits Fifi's personality. Fifi is the blonde guy barely visible in the middle of the three pictured divers.

Grace Bay near the Alexandria...

 

[WetChucks]

Nah - just kiddin about reconsidering. We are looking forward to a great week with Fifi and the gang. I spoke to Liz on the phone today and she was very helpful. She did mention that the smaller boat they use for night dives was in dry dock so they would likely hook us up with another operator for night diving.
Regulators are in for service, gear is out and we will do a pool check before we leave. If I can make it through 3 more weeks of work I'm golden.

Randy

 

[O'Malley]

I spoke to Liz on the phone today and she was very helpful. She did mention that the smaller boat they use for night dives was in dry dock

Liz is a great DM to dive with, I dove with her for four of my six days of diving last week. Yes, the Hurcules is out of the water but Dive Provo was running night dives either Wednesday or Thursday...I was just too laxy to lug my gear off the boat

 

[DougY]

rhallvt,
Nice signiture, bit of a typo in it - its bint not bink.
bint is english slang for woman. ni !

DY

 

[WetChucks]

Nice signiture, bit of a typo in it - its bint not bink.
bint is english slang for woman. ni !

Thanks Doug - I'm gonna fix that! Should have run it by my friends in London first.