Im back from Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands and our group had a great time! Ok, I've actually been back awhile now but just finally getting around to posting. Overall, a collection of 13 seasoned divers assembled for this adventure: 8 from Washingtons beautiful Pacific Northwest, 1 from California, 1 from Minnesota, 1 from Texas, 1 from Germany, and one on leave from Iraq.
We dove with Oasis, who treated us wonderfully. Since we were a pretty self-sufficient and large group, we had the big boat to ourselves everyday. I read in the forum that it was prone to breaking down and I am happy to report, no engine problems. The only reason we were late getting back to the shop every afternoon was because a few in our group could stretch an AL 80 for 70-90 minutes. The water was a warm 85 degrees. I wore a skin, more for sun and sting protection than anything. Big Steve dove in his shorts and a button down shirt every day. For the first few days, it was a necessity since his bags never made the transition from one plane to the other in London and we were a full 4-5 days into the vacation before he finally had all bags in his possession. First day with his dive gear, he dove in his thin suit, then immediately went back to diving in his street clothes! He said it was the warm water; The rest of us think it's because he liked diving with his hands in his pockets.
Visibility was in the 60 range. The poor visibility did not faze us a bit since our group has plenty of experience with cold water and limited visibility. The coral looked healthy even with red algae in bloom. So much to look at! I dont see how anyone could get tired of the wall dives. My personal favorite for life was Fish Pond. This site had a little current since it was near the northern tip of the island but it was easy to see how the site earned its name. Large schools of jack and tuna would accept the dive master as their leader, following him back and forth past watching divers. And I love to think of the fish accepting me as one of their own as I ease my way to the middle of the school. Tons of fish and macro life! I even spent one entire dive around a 20 section of coral head while everyone else in the group took off for the wall. If you have the time, check out some of my photos in the gallery. Nothing like seeing for believing!
I took my new camera system to play with (Nikon Coolpix 8700, Ikelight housing, with a DS-125 substrobe) and was determined to break the macro code. Which Im happy to announce I did, after a couple of dives. I have some nice shots of flamingo tongues, banded shrimp, garden eels, yellow head jawfish, and other little tiny fish. I also took advantage of the 8x optical zoom to get close ups of fish faces. Some of my favorites are close-ups of a boxfish eye (spiky puffer) and the turtle. I have over 200 pictures in a folder on my computer of nothing but the best photos from the whole trip. Lots more to look at if you want to see the ok-good photos. Needless to say, I am more than happy with my new set-up. Its bulky and awkward out of water, but no problem while under. A two hand hold is definitely more steady and comfortable; so buoyancy was important. By far, the worst part was maintenance. I got faster as the week went on, but I was just as meticulous on the last day as the first. I may have insurance on the equipment, but I had no desire to file a claim.
The diving was wonderful but for now let me tease you about our last days adventure. Can you say, swimming with a wild pod of dolphins! Not once but three times in one day!!!! After our last dive we were heading back to shore to swap out dive gear for snorkels and let the crew grab the goodies for a BBQ at Gibbs Cay (a smaller uninhabited island near Grand Turk). There was a playful pod of dolphins that didnt mind a bunch of snorkelers in the water with them. I didnt take the time to grab my camera, but man do I have some memories. Then a wonderful afternoon at the Cay! On the way there, we went free diving for conch. I didnt grab any keepers but Roberta and the others more than made up for it with their booty. Once on the island, the Capt. put together a Haitian grill and cooked up a load of hamburgers and hot dogs. The dive master started cleaning the conch and made a fresh conch salad. YUM!! Meanwhile, were all in the water snorkeling with a couple of large brown stingrays, hand feeding them little fishes. I do have some nice underwater video footage of that. The BBQ also came with all the rum punch we could drink. So by the end of the day we were as Big Steve said, Sun Stroked & Rum Punched! T-Shirts to come later. ;-) Anyways, on our way back home we ran into the dolphin pod twice more, or two different pods. Needless to say, the more sober ones jumped back into the water for another dolphin experience. It was dusk and these dolphins were hunting for dinner. So they didnt do much more than come over and check us out then went back to work. But still, how cool!!!
As for the island itself, I would go back to Grand Turk in a heart beat. In fact, I wish I could squeeze in another trip before the cruise dock is finished. The locals were friendly and accommodating. Every meal is prepared to order and absolutely delicious. We definitely broke our diving-eating paradigm. All of our previous trips have been great diving bad food (ie. Cozumel resorts) or bad diving great food (ie. Austria). For seasoned travelers, the inconveniences of island life are not inconveniences but part of island charm. Yes time moves slower, service is slower, and food and beverages are expensive. But theres another side to these common complaints as well. Part of going on vacation is taking the time to relax. If you quit thinking of time by American business standards you will see that the boat captain doesnt care if someone makes a safe 90 minute dive, you get a few extra hours at Gibbs Caye, and time to swim with the dolphins. All things that wouldnt and couldnt happen on an American timetable. So slow down and enjoy! Yes service is slow. But so what! Who cares? Take a look around, if youre awake enough at the breakfast table to notice; your one waitress is also the cook. Almost all the places to eat on Duke Street prepare their meals in a kitchen similar to the one you probably have at home. How quickly could you prepare a meal for 13 people who show up on your doorstep? As for food and beverages being expensive; well that one is true. Everything on the island is shipped in from somewhere else and that adds an expense on everything to everyone. We did learn a trick for cheap drinking water; buy a gallon for $2-$3 at the hotel and save the jug. You can refill it for $0.75 down the street at a coin operated 24-hour refill station.
The accommodations at the Osprey Beach Hotel were clean, comfortable, and better than I expected after reading some forums. I especially recommend the Deluxe or Standard Suite for the extra room provided. All the rooms have beautiful ocean views and come with a patio on the first floor or a balcony on the second. The hotel is owned and operated by a family who previously lived in Seattle, WA. Wait a minute. Maybe, thats why we had WiFi access around the bar/pool area. My cousin thought it amusing, while sitting around the pool eating breakfast and emailing her husband back home, a local resident chased a wild horse out of the courtyard. I experienced no problems with poor customer service. In fact, kudos out to Anna Mae and Dan for all the great food and drinks, um
rum punch and banana daiquiris! As for nightly entertainment, the Osprey hosts a BBQ twice a week on Sundays and Wednesdays. Mitch from Blue Water Divers comes over and plays a lot of oldies rock, and island flavored music with a group of talented young men from the island. It wasnt long before we were all up and dancing.
I guess its time to stop reminiscing and start planning the next trip. Sardinia anyone?