EZ Diver
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Grand Turk and Provo Trip Report Part II:
We took SkyKing back to Provo and again the flight was on time. As promised, the Sands had a shuttle bus waiting to pick us up.
PROVO:
There is construction EVERYWHERE! I cant tell you the amount of to-be-built condo signs we saw. Big money has definitely found Provo. I dont think there was a condo for sale under $500,000. I was told by Scooter Bob (more on him later) that the island has gone from 5,000 people to 50,000 people in less than 5 years. It is still a small island (no movie theaters, fast food restaurants, etc), but you can tell that is about to change in the not-to-distant future. Provo definitely has a different, busier feel than Grand Turk. Although not as sleepy as Grand Turk, there is still pretty much NOTHING to do on Provo besides diving, fishing, snorkeling, etc. I assume there is a little more to do if you stay at the Club Med or Beaches. We rented a car, drove the whole island and saw everything there is to see in about 6 hours. That said, Provo (Grace Bay) has to be one of the most scenic beaches/water in the world.
SANDS AT GRACE BAY:
I read a lot on Travel Advisor and SCUBA board and had a hard time choosing between hotels, but ultimately chose the Sands. As I mentioned above, as advertised, they picked us up from the airport on time. The grounds are really nice with lush landscaping and a nice pool. We are on a budget, so we stayed in the Studio Courtyard room. The room was very small, but it did have a small living area, small kitchen area (microwave, toaster, sink), bedroom and bathroom. Right away we noticed how thin the walls were and the door that separates the two rooms had about a 2 inch gap at the top, so we could see the ceiling of the room next to us. We could hear the people talking in their normal voice very easily. The bedroom had a separate door and the A/C fan was loud enough to block most of the sound from the other room, so overall it wasnt as bad as we first thought or as bad as it could have been if we had noisy neighbors. Another bad thing was the shower, which had a decent amount of mold on the tile. On the good side, the bed was one of the most comfortable I have slept on in a hotel and the beaches were excellent. In walking around the property, it appeared as though the larger rooms were quite nice, but I didnt speak to anyone else staying in the property to see about other rooms having trouble with thin walls. As far as location, I would probably recommend staying up around Ocean Club West, which is across from Salt Mills and the other retail centers.
EATING:
Same as Grand Turk, expensive. Again, we brought most of our food from the states, but we did eat out a few times. We wanted some milk, Gatorade, beer, etc, so we took the Sands shuttle ($8/pp) to the IGA as soon as we arrived. It is a full supermarket with most of the things you can find in the states. Some things were really pricey and some things were about the same as the states. Milk was about $5 / gallon and beer was $12 a six pack (which is cheaper than $5 a bottle at the hotels). Id highly recommend visiting the IGA when you first arrive. Most hotels have kitchenettes and you will save literally hundreds of dollars by not eating out. The places we did eat at were: Coco Bistro, Hemingways (at the Sands) and at the Conch Shack. Coco Bistro had a very cool atmosphere, but the menu was limited and was very pricey. We paid over $100 for two people with no drinks (we had water). Hemingways had a great location overlooking the ocean and beach. Although that had some pricey items on the menu, they also had some reasonably priced items. We had a chicken ceasar salad, shrimp pasta and chocolate dessert for under $40. The Conch Shack had just that, Conch. Fried, pounded and fried, spicy, raw conch salad, conch fritters, etc. Each item was about $14 a piece, so it was about the same price as Hemingways for 2 people, about $40. It has a fun, beachy atmosphere, but unless you love Conch, pass.
RENTAL CAR / EXCURSIONS:
The last day we were there, we rented a Kia Sportage from Scooter Bob. Scooter picked us up from the Sands and dropt us off at the airport with no hassle. The Kia was pink and had seen better days, but was fine for what we needed it for. Per everything I read and what Scooter Bob confirmed, there is a significant amount of petty theft and car break-ins on the island, so we never left anything in the car that we wouldnt mind being stolen. We were in Maui a few months ago and they had the same problem there, so it wasnt a shocker to us. There are only a few major paved roads on Provo and they drive on the left hand side of the road. We visited the Conch Farm and took the tour ($6/pp). It lasted about 20 mins and we thought it was a good tour. You will definitely be surprised at the sight of a living Conch if you have never seen one before. Its a cross between a giant snail and an alien. We drove the dirt roads around the island and stopped at a few resorts. It was nice to explore the island for a day, but I wouldnt recommend renting one for the whole trip. You can get cab rides to most places on the island for $8-10 each way, which is cheaper than the $100/per day cost of the rental car plus $4.50/gallon gas.
DIVING:
We dove 2 days with Caicos Adventures. On Thursday we did the 3-tank Safari. As advertised, they pick you up at your hotel in a shuttle bus and drive you to the dock. The shuttle ride is about 10-15 mins and a lot of it is over a very bumpy dirt road. The boat on Thurs had about 20 divers on it, but it is a large boat, so it didnt feel overcrowded. There were enough dive masters for groups of 4-6 people per dive, which were separated according to diving experience. As a whole, the dive crew and staff was outstanding and very friendly. All the dives (for both days) were to West Caicos, which is about a 45-60 min boat ride one way. The 3-tank dive was almost 9 hours from start to finish. In talking to other divers and to the dive masters, most boats on Provo take you to West Caicos since French Caye is usually a more turbulent ride and is a tad longer. The diving the first day was pretty good, but not spectacular. We saw a few rays, lobsters, turtles, barracuda, and, of course, tons of coral on the wall. These dives tended to deeper than Grand Turk, with our max depth per dive being 90-100 ft and an average of 50-60ft. Even at these depths, we could still see the surface and the dive masters watched us closely for air consumption.
We left our equipment with Caicos overnight (per their instructions) and when we returned the next day, my girlfriends mask was no where to be found. They made an aggressive attempt to find it and are still communicating with me now to resolve the issue. It looks like they may replace the mask, but Im not sure yet. This was the only hiccup in diving with Caicos Adventures.
On the second day, we again went to West Caicos (there are probably 15-20 different dive spots off of West Caicos). This time, Fifi, the owner was the boat captain. He has a little dog that goes with him everywhere, even on the boat, so it was weird (but fun) to have a dog roaming the boat. There were only 9 other divers on board, so we had small groups which was nice. We went to 115 ft on the first dive and again saw a few rays. The second dive was probably the best of our trip. As soon as we submersed, there was a 6 ft reef shark doing circles under the boat. We got within a few feet of him on several occasions and got tons of great pictures. After watching him for a while, we swam the wall and upon our return he was still there and a 5 ft barracuda was sitting right above him. We all sat and observed them for the remainder of our dive. The most awkward part of the dive was coming out of the water and seeing Fifi, the owner, in a black banana hammock helping you out of the water. I wont go into the visual of climbing up the boat ladder in your gear and seeing a short, French guy in a banana hammock bending over to grab your fins in front of you well..I guess I just did hahaha.
SUMMARY:
Go to Provo now before there are 1000 more condos (no exaggerating) along the beaches and things are even more expensive. The beaches and water are some of the best in the world. If you are OK sitting on the beach getting a tan, reading a book and forgetting about life for a while, this is a good place to be. If you need to be on the go and need sights to visit, this is NOT the place for you.
We saw a few more larger animals in Provo than Grand Turk, but I think your chances for seeing sharks, rays, etc along the wall are the same in either place. Overall we liked the diving on Grand Turk better since the boat rides were 5-10 mins vs 60 mins and you had the option to do shore dives if so desired.
All in all, it was a great vacation and it sure as heck beats the office I am sitting in now writing this report!
Please email me if you have any questions at ezdiver23@hotmail.com. We took over 400 pictures, so I will try to post some when I sort through them all.
Cheers!
Eric
We took SkyKing back to Provo and again the flight was on time. As promised, the Sands had a shuttle bus waiting to pick us up.
PROVO:
There is construction EVERYWHERE! I cant tell you the amount of to-be-built condo signs we saw. Big money has definitely found Provo. I dont think there was a condo for sale under $500,000. I was told by Scooter Bob (more on him later) that the island has gone from 5,000 people to 50,000 people in less than 5 years. It is still a small island (no movie theaters, fast food restaurants, etc), but you can tell that is about to change in the not-to-distant future. Provo definitely has a different, busier feel than Grand Turk. Although not as sleepy as Grand Turk, there is still pretty much NOTHING to do on Provo besides diving, fishing, snorkeling, etc. I assume there is a little more to do if you stay at the Club Med or Beaches. We rented a car, drove the whole island and saw everything there is to see in about 6 hours. That said, Provo (Grace Bay) has to be one of the most scenic beaches/water in the world.
SANDS AT GRACE BAY:
I read a lot on Travel Advisor and SCUBA board and had a hard time choosing between hotels, but ultimately chose the Sands. As I mentioned above, as advertised, they picked us up from the airport on time. The grounds are really nice with lush landscaping and a nice pool. We are on a budget, so we stayed in the Studio Courtyard room. The room was very small, but it did have a small living area, small kitchen area (microwave, toaster, sink), bedroom and bathroom. Right away we noticed how thin the walls were and the door that separates the two rooms had about a 2 inch gap at the top, so we could see the ceiling of the room next to us. We could hear the people talking in their normal voice very easily. The bedroom had a separate door and the A/C fan was loud enough to block most of the sound from the other room, so overall it wasnt as bad as we first thought or as bad as it could have been if we had noisy neighbors. Another bad thing was the shower, which had a decent amount of mold on the tile. On the good side, the bed was one of the most comfortable I have slept on in a hotel and the beaches were excellent. In walking around the property, it appeared as though the larger rooms were quite nice, but I didnt speak to anyone else staying in the property to see about other rooms having trouble with thin walls. As far as location, I would probably recommend staying up around Ocean Club West, which is across from Salt Mills and the other retail centers.
EATING:
Same as Grand Turk, expensive. Again, we brought most of our food from the states, but we did eat out a few times. We wanted some milk, Gatorade, beer, etc, so we took the Sands shuttle ($8/pp) to the IGA as soon as we arrived. It is a full supermarket with most of the things you can find in the states. Some things were really pricey and some things were about the same as the states. Milk was about $5 / gallon and beer was $12 a six pack (which is cheaper than $5 a bottle at the hotels). Id highly recommend visiting the IGA when you first arrive. Most hotels have kitchenettes and you will save literally hundreds of dollars by not eating out. The places we did eat at were: Coco Bistro, Hemingways (at the Sands) and at the Conch Shack. Coco Bistro had a very cool atmosphere, but the menu was limited and was very pricey. We paid over $100 for two people with no drinks (we had water). Hemingways had a great location overlooking the ocean and beach. Although that had some pricey items on the menu, they also had some reasonably priced items. We had a chicken ceasar salad, shrimp pasta and chocolate dessert for under $40. The Conch Shack had just that, Conch. Fried, pounded and fried, spicy, raw conch salad, conch fritters, etc. Each item was about $14 a piece, so it was about the same price as Hemingways for 2 people, about $40. It has a fun, beachy atmosphere, but unless you love Conch, pass.
RENTAL CAR / EXCURSIONS:
The last day we were there, we rented a Kia Sportage from Scooter Bob. Scooter picked us up from the Sands and dropt us off at the airport with no hassle. The Kia was pink and had seen better days, but was fine for what we needed it for. Per everything I read and what Scooter Bob confirmed, there is a significant amount of petty theft and car break-ins on the island, so we never left anything in the car that we wouldnt mind being stolen. We were in Maui a few months ago and they had the same problem there, so it wasnt a shocker to us. There are only a few major paved roads on Provo and they drive on the left hand side of the road. We visited the Conch Farm and took the tour ($6/pp). It lasted about 20 mins and we thought it was a good tour. You will definitely be surprised at the sight of a living Conch if you have never seen one before. Its a cross between a giant snail and an alien. We drove the dirt roads around the island and stopped at a few resorts. It was nice to explore the island for a day, but I wouldnt recommend renting one for the whole trip. You can get cab rides to most places on the island for $8-10 each way, which is cheaper than the $100/per day cost of the rental car plus $4.50/gallon gas.
DIVING:
We dove 2 days with Caicos Adventures. On Thursday we did the 3-tank Safari. As advertised, they pick you up at your hotel in a shuttle bus and drive you to the dock. The shuttle ride is about 10-15 mins and a lot of it is over a very bumpy dirt road. The boat on Thurs had about 20 divers on it, but it is a large boat, so it didnt feel overcrowded. There were enough dive masters for groups of 4-6 people per dive, which were separated according to diving experience. As a whole, the dive crew and staff was outstanding and very friendly. All the dives (for both days) were to West Caicos, which is about a 45-60 min boat ride one way. The 3-tank dive was almost 9 hours from start to finish. In talking to other divers and to the dive masters, most boats on Provo take you to West Caicos since French Caye is usually a more turbulent ride and is a tad longer. The diving the first day was pretty good, but not spectacular. We saw a few rays, lobsters, turtles, barracuda, and, of course, tons of coral on the wall. These dives tended to deeper than Grand Turk, with our max depth per dive being 90-100 ft and an average of 50-60ft. Even at these depths, we could still see the surface and the dive masters watched us closely for air consumption.
We left our equipment with Caicos overnight (per their instructions) and when we returned the next day, my girlfriends mask was no where to be found. They made an aggressive attempt to find it and are still communicating with me now to resolve the issue. It looks like they may replace the mask, but Im not sure yet. This was the only hiccup in diving with Caicos Adventures.
On the second day, we again went to West Caicos (there are probably 15-20 different dive spots off of West Caicos). This time, Fifi, the owner was the boat captain. He has a little dog that goes with him everywhere, even on the boat, so it was weird (but fun) to have a dog roaming the boat. There were only 9 other divers on board, so we had small groups which was nice. We went to 115 ft on the first dive and again saw a few rays. The second dive was probably the best of our trip. As soon as we submersed, there was a 6 ft reef shark doing circles under the boat. We got within a few feet of him on several occasions and got tons of great pictures. After watching him for a while, we swam the wall and upon our return he was still there and a 5 ft barracuda was sitting right above him. We all sat and observed them for the remainder of our dive. The most awkward part of the dive was coming out of the water and seeing Fifi, the owner, in a black banana hammock helping you out of the water. I wont go into the visual of climbing up the boat ladder in your gear and seeing a short, French guy in a banana hammock bending over to grab your fins in front of you well..I guess I just did hahaha.
SUMMARY:
Go to Provo now before there are 1000 more condos (no exaggerating) along the beaches and things are even more expensive. The beaches and water are some of the best in the world. If you are OK sitting on the beach getting a tan, reading a book and forgetting about life for a while, this is a good place to be. If you need to be on the go and need sights to visit, this is NOT the place for you.
We saw a few more larger animals in Provo than Grand Turk, but I think your chances for seeing sharks, rays, etc along the wall are the same in either place. Overall we liked the diving on Grand Turk better since the boat rides were 5-10 mins vs 60 mins and you had the option to do shore dives if so desired.
All in all, it was a great vacation and it sure as heck beats the office I am sitting in now writing this report!
Please email me if you have any questions at ezdiver23@hotmail.com. We took over 400 pictures, so I will try to post some when I sort through them all.
Cheers!
Eric
