Gator Diver
Contributor
Newbie-in-fl's First Dive Report.
Dive report from vacation to Turks & Caicos 7/26 - 7/28
I was traveling with a nondiver (unfortunately her cert was not finished before we left), so I had to leave some time for topside adventure.
COMPUTER READINGS
WATER TEMPS ON ALL DIVES 82-84
DIVING SITES MAX DEPTH BOTTOM TIME
All Wall Dives
Dive 1 7/26
West Caicos: Mystery Wall 96' 39 mins
My first wall dive. Eerie but cool seeing the edge of the
wall and the deep blue abyss for the first time. Big turtle
seen.
Dive 2 7/26
West Caicos: Devils Hole 69' 48 mins
Good second dive with fairly abundant coral. Large lobster
seen.
Dive 1 7/27
French Cay: Double D 89 44mins
Much nicer wall than at West Caicos. More abundant corals.
Impressive green Moray Eel seen and yes..more lobster.
Dive 2 7/27
French Cay 81 53minutes
Bottom was much shallower today (30ft) before the wall drop off. More small corals and fishes on this dive.
3 dolphins escorted us on the boat ride back to the marina
Dive 1 7/28
French Cay: Elephants ear 91 51mins
Back to French Cay today per divers request.
Saw my first shark in my young diving career as we were
going over the edge of the wall. My mask was fogging up a lot
for some reason but luckily it wasnt bad enough to ruin the dive.
Dive 2 7/28
French Cay 77 60minutes
Saw my 2nd and 3rd sharks .couple of turtles.
Easily the best dive for me.
The diving was good with viz 50-100ft depending on the site. Seas were flat to 1. The diving on the FRENCH CAY had much healthier reefs than the WEST SIDE but overall the diving was very good. I particularly enjoyed my last dive of the
trip since I saw 2 reef sharks about 5-7ft long. The dive op Caicos Adventures was good. We never felt rushed. One
person had a 77 minute bottom time. Fifi runs a good op. He gives you flexibility to go on your own if you want to or go with one of the dive masters. As I am still honing my skills I followed SB advice (thanks Tim) and was in Asas group. CA also let those with computers and/or Nitrox do their own thing only asking to watch your time. All my dives were aboard the Caicos Cat, space was tight at times, with as many as 24 divers onboard. Fifi briefed us on every dive site and had lunch waiting after we finished our first dive. He would take the time to choose the best site dependent on the conditions the day of our dives.
HOTEL Sands at Grace Bay
This is a very good resort but we also paid a pretty penny to stay there. There is construction going on, and YES YOU CAN HEAR IT. (Despite what I was told before I booked the room). However, if you dive most of the time, the construction stops a little before dinner (a couple hours after getting back). Nice grounds and pools, spa. GOOD SNORKELING from beach with lots of marine life less directly offshore (25 minute walk). Staff were helpful but not overly friendly. Resturant on site was very good and reasonably priced comparatively. Drinks were VERY EXPENSIVE.. We walked to the local liquor store about 10 minutes and bought our beer/wine for most of the trip there. The in room frig,safe, and WD were a big help.
DINNING OVERALL
We found most of the food was very good but VERY EXPENSIVE. We did not pay the 8.00 charge to go to the grocery store.
OVERALL REVIEW
I did enjoy the diving and most of the people were friendly. I would definitely go again but due to cost would probably prefer to dive a new place next time. Beautiful beach at TCI.
Dive report from vacation to Turks & Caicos 7/26 - 7/28
I was traveling with a nondiver (unfortunately her cert was not finished before we left), so I had to leave some time for topside adventure.
COMPUTER READINGS
WATER TEMPS ON ALL DIVES 82-84
DIVING SITES MAX DEPTH BOTTOM TIME
All Wall Dives
Dive 1 7/26
West Caicos: Mystery Wall 96' 39 mins
My first wall dive. Eerie but cool seeing the edge of the
wall and the deep blue abyss for the first time. Big turtle
seen.
Dive 2 7/26
West Caicos: Devils Hole 69' 48 mins
Good second dive with fairly abundant coral. Large lobster
seen.
Dive 1 7/27
French Cay: Double D 89 44mins
Much nicer wall than at West Caicos. More abundant corals.
Impressive green Moray Eel seen and yes..more lobster.
Dive 2 7/27
French Cay 81 53minutes
Bottom was much shallower today (30ft) before the wall drop off. More small corals and fishes on this dive.
3 dolphins escorted us on the boat ride back to the marina
Dive 1 7/28
French Cay: Elephants ear 91 51mins
Back to French Cay today per divers request.
Saw my first shark in my young diving career as we were
going over the edge of the wall. My mask was fogging up a lot
for some reason but luckily it wasnt bad enough to ruin the dive.
Dive 2 7/28
French Cay 77 60minutes
Saw my 2nd and 3rd sharks .couple of turtles.
Easily the best dive for me.
The diving was good with viz 50-100ft depending on the site. Seas were flat to 1. The diving on the FRENCH CAY had much healthier reefs than the WEST SIDE but overall the diving was very good. I particularly enjoyed my last dive of the
trip since I saw 2 reef sharks about 5-7ft long. The dive op Caicos Adventures was good. We never felt rushed. One
person had a 77 minute bottom time. Fifi runs a good op. He gives you flexibility to go on your own if you want to or go with one of the dive masters. As I am still honing my skills I followed SB advice (thanks Tim) and was in Asas group. CA also let those with computers and/or Nitrox do their own thing only asking to watch your time. All my dives were aboard the Caicos Cat, space was tight at times, with as many as 24 divers onboard. Fifi briefed us on every dive site and had lunch waiting after we finished our first dive. He would take the time to choose the best site dependent on the conditions the day of our dives.
HOTEL Sands at Grace Bay
This is a very good resort but we also paid a pretty penny to stay there. There is construction going on, and YES YOU CAN HEAR IT. (Despite what I was told before I booked the room). However, if you dive most of the time, the construction stops a little before dinner (a couple hours after getting back). Nice grounds and pools, spa. GOOD SNORKELING from beach with lots of marine life less directly offshore (25 minute walk). Staff were helpful but not overly friendly. Resturant on site was very good and reasonably priced comparatively. Drinks were VERY EXPENSIVE.. We walked to the local liquor store about 10 minutes and bought our beer/wine for most of the trip there. The in room frig,safe, and WD were a big help.
DINNING OVERALL
We found most of the food was very good but VERY EXPENSIVE. We did not pay the 8.00 charge to go to the grocery store.
OVERALL REVIEW
I did enjoy the diving and most of the people were friendly. I would definitely go again but due to cost would probably prefer to dive a new place next time. Beautiful beach at TCI.
