We stayed at LunaSea Villa on Turtle Tail (other side of the island from Grace Bay). Details can be found at ..VRBO® is Vacation Rentals by Owner® Vacation Homes Rentals by Owner. The owners were helpful and nice, and Id certainly recommend the place, though it currently is for sale and Ive no idea if any new owners will continue the rental policy. A bit of serendipity was that LunaSea is only about a mile from the South Dock, from which Caicos Adventures boats (and at least some other dive ops) leave, thus saving me the longer drive from Grace Bay or the Caicos Adventures bus ride.
I dove with Caicos Adventures (Fifi), and was pleased with the op. The DMs were generally attentive, though there are times when I wonder why one just sorta floats in front of the group, not making much effort to find marine life, etc (a skill that I lack, especially for smaller things, and thus value in a DM). The large catamarans (48 and 52, I believe) are GREAT for stability; I liked that the crew hung a reg and a bar (looked like a trapeze) over the side at about safety stop depth. I will never understand why middle-aged Europeans (or anyone who doesnt have six-packs abs and a tight butt) wear speedos but Fifi does.
We dove one day at French Cay and two days at West Caicos. I preferred the latter. Both are spectacular wall dives, though. Visibility was good (maybe, 75 feet, but a bit less in places). The diving is good, with lots of reef sharks, turtles, etc. and the usual assortment of reef fish. Quite a few groupers. I didnt see any eagle rays, but other divers did. My highlight was an extended up-close-and-personal visit with a 5-6 reef shark. The shark initially came right at me, got within two-four feet, then turned off and seemed to swim away. But he kept returning, swimming among the divers, and near me especially, perhaps because I wasn't too close to the other people. Got a few decent pictures, including one with the shark right under some diver's legs!! It turns out that the shark is a "regular" (whom Caicos Adventures has named Susie or Sulky or some such thing) that is easily identified because he has a hook hanging out of the side of his mouth. I saw the hook, but thought it was vegetation.
To repeat some of the comments and suggestions made by Tim Ingersoll (and maybe others):
1. A rental car is a must, since distances are often too far to walk. Gas is about $5/gallon.
2. Boat rides to French Cay and West Caicos are 45-60 minutes.
3. Everyday items (food, etc at the IGA grocery, and other such items) are tremendously expensive, but the restaurants are priced at about Dallas prices.
All in all, a good trip, and one worth taking.
I dove with Caicos Adventures (Fifi), and was pleased with the op. The DMs were generally attentive, though there are times when I wonder why one just sorta floats in front of the group, not making much effort to find marine life, etc (a skill that I lack, especially for smaller things, and thus value in a DM). The large catamarans (48 and 52, I believe) are GREAT for stability; I liked that the crew hung a reg and a bar (looked like a trapeze) over the side at about safety stop depth. I will never understand why middle-aged Europeans (or anyone who doesnt have six-packs abs and a tight butt) wear speedos but Fifi does.
We dove one day at French Cay and two days at West Caicos. I preferred the latter. Both are spectacular wall dives, though. Visibility was good (maybe, 75 feet, but a bit less in places). The diving is good, with lots of reef sharks, turtles, etc. and the usual assortment of reef fish. Quite a few groupers. I didnt see any eagle rays, but other divers did. My highlight was an extended up-close-and-personal visit with a 5-6 reef shark. The shark initially came right at me, got within two-four feet, then turned off and seemed to swim away. But he kept returning, swimming among the divers, and near me especially, perhaps because I wasn't too close to the other people. Got a few decent pictures, including one with the shark right under some diver's legs!! It turns out that the shark is a "regular" (whom Caicos Adventures has named Susie or Sulky or some such thing) that is easily identified because he has a hook hanging out of the side of his mouth. I saw the hook, but thought it was vegetation.
To repeat some of the comments and suggestions made by Tim Ingersoll (and maybe others):
1. A rental car is a must, since distances are often too far to walk. Gas is about $5/gallon.
2. Boat rides to French Cay and West Caicos are 45-60 minutes.
3. Everyday items (food, etc at the IGA grocery, and other such items) are tremendously expensive, but the restaurants are priced at about Dallas prices.
All in all, a good trip, and one worth taking.
Here is more info on T & C and the Aggressor II including pictures and video:
