Montserrat and North Caicos diving

[Montana Tom]

Hey all,
Looking for information on diving either Montserrat or North Caicos. My wife and I are trying to decide vacation for January 2016. We are not you typical "crush it" divers. We take an extended vacation to relax and dive. A little background on our last two trips...5 weeks on Bonaire and we did 33 dives. 5 weeks on Cayman Brac we dove 11 times. This is our chance to get away from the world and relax, so sitting on the beach with a book and a drink is a big part of it. Or hiking and exploring as well. So just wondering how these locations are for diving. Can you do shore diving? Cost Factors? Dive quality? etc.
Would love any and all feedback on Dive ops as well. You might think we are crazy but we are ok to not make it a diving trip if it is not good. Just wanting to know if it is worth bringing our equipment?
Thanks for the help,
Tom

 

[diversteve]

I'm not aware of any dive operations on North Caicos. Most of the Provo shops dive either NW Point/Grace Bay off Provo or head south to West Caicos, French Cay etc.

I only know of dive operators on Provo, Grand Turk or there's one on Salt Cay. For relaxing you might like it also, there's like 2 restaurants on the whole island.

This is just about all the dive operators I'm aware of. Scuba Diving and Snorkeling in Turks and Caicos Turks and Caicos Tourist Board 12 miles seems pretty far for a Provo op to come get you.

If you do find someone the diving in T/C is equal to or superior than what you find on Grand Cayman. I haven't been to Brac. About the only shore diving I've heard of is on the Grand Turk Wall since you can swim out to it from several spots there.

 

[Shasta_man]

Wait, 5 WEEKS on Cayman Brac and only 11 dives? Sounds like your interest is on taking a vacation near the ocean and maybe taking a dive, rather than based around the diving as many of us do (we do 33 dives in 2 weeks ).

 

[Montana Tom]

Shasta_man, Not to offend you, but I new there would be ones like you who think we are crazy. Unfortunately my budget is not that big and I choose a 5 week trip over a two week dive focused trip. Yes this is our only days off all year so we do enjoy just sitting by the ocean and recharging for a busy year. I do love diving and I should have told you we also did a week on Bonaire last November and did 11 dives then as well as the 5 weeks in January 14 with 33 dives. But weather you think we are crazy or not is not what I am asking for. So to re focus this thread...if there is anyone who has current info about Montserrat or North Caicos that is what I am after. Thanks

 

[mikeycanuk]

5 weeks on Brac, wow. 2 weeks for us with lots of diving, not sure I would be able to do 5 weeks just chilling. That being said plenty of grocery options, where did you stay?

NC doesn't have a dive op, LOB would be the only option.


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[Montana Tom]

Mikeycanuk, we rented a VRBO called winta cottage. great place and location. For us our goal is to try to get bored. Hasn't happend yet. I guess thats what happens when you work 100 hrs a week the rest of the year, it's pretty easy to just chill.

 

[mikeycanuk]

100hrs..yikes! I'm fortunate I'm somewhat the opposite but my wife is just getting out of her overwork situation by selling her store.

We stayed at Seafan Meadows, it's on the north shore just after the road that cuts over the bluff at the middle of the island.


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[Montana Tom]

That is way too funny. Friends of ours atayed for two weeks Sea fan meadows. I didnt like that you couldn't open the windows. Nice place other that that. And I may have overstated a little, in prime summer it is 100 hrs. most months it is more like 80. Still a lot, but as I say if you enjoy your job you can't really call it work. So I think we are headed to Montserrat. The first 10-14 days will be with our daughter and son-in-law (non divers) and possibly brother and sister in law for another week or 10 days after that. (also non divers) so we make the best of time off with family and dive what we can afford. I've heard good things about the dive opp there and am more than reaady to check it out. would love to go back to Bonaire as well, but we use frequent flier miles and it is more... always open to suggestions on other places to check out as well.
Happy Diving

 

[mikeycanuk]

We went in August so the windows stayed shut and the AC on. Went 2 years in a row, very private and Sherwin got off easy! The house reef is awesome, still the only place we've ever seen reef squid and doing a snorkel sans clothes...lol not counting dive boots.
We are also using our points to fly, and have been but I've recently gotten into the credit card churn game so it's off to the Pacific for the foreseeable future, all 3 of us in J seats. Lots of points to burn.

There is a documentary on natgeo about Monserrat and the volcanic activity in the Carribean area using a submersible, cool stuff.


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