Turks and Caicos, Anyone?

[reikonyc]

Jeff,

Thanks for the great info on explorer. Very much appreciated. I was thinking of doing nitrox before and now you've convinced me. I think i'll do the coursework up here and the req'd dives on the boat when i get down there. I'm also going to try and get a couple of new releases on dvd to bring down for the crew & us to watch at your suggestion. also, thanks for the tip on cutting down the clothes. that's great - i'm going to bring a bathing suit and sunscreen - my gear bag is almost over the 50lb airline limit as it is, so it's nice to know you don't need much when you're on board. in fact, i'm going going to wear my bathing suit, mask and snorkel to the airport.....i*can't*wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hey, this may sound like a dumb question, but is there any reason to bring a dunk bag? i always carry one for boat dives, but do you need it for a liveaboard? I usually keep it under the dive bench with my sea fog, sunglasses, hat, and other crap that i use between dives... Thanks again.

Reiko

 

[large_diver]

One more question on T&C (Provo)

Is there a particularly BAD time of year to travel there that should be avoided (other than hurricane season) -- in terms of weather, bugs, etc.?

Thanks

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Info stolen from Yahoo Travel:

When to Go to Turks and Caicos

As part of the fall rainy season, hurricanes occasionally sweep through the Caribbean. Check the news daily and keep abreast of brewing tropical storms. The rainy season consists mostly of brief showers interspersed with sunshine. You can watch the clouds come over, feel the rain, and have the sun to dry you off, all while remaining on your lounge chair. A spell of overcast days is unusual, as everyone will tell you.

The islands offer a nearly perfect year-round temperature -- days usually in the 70s F/23-27 C (though it does get into the 90s F/33-35 C in summer). Nighttime temperatures get down into the low 60s F/15-18 C in the winter and the 70s F/23-27 C in the summer. August and September are the wettest months, but even then the rain is usually light compared with other islands in the region. The exception is Providenciales, where it can rain up to 50 in/127 cm annually. A sweater or windbreaker will ward off the night chill.

Weather Chart

The following are the normal daily temperature ranges for Turks and Caicos:

January 62-770F (17-250C); February 63-780F (17-260C); March 64-800F (18-270C); April 66-820F (19-280C); May 70-870F (21-300C); June 74-900F (23-310C); July 75-910F (24-320C); August 75-920F (24-330C); September 74-890F (23-310C); October 72-850F (22-290C); November 68-820F (20-280C); December 64-790F (18-260C).

 

[JRO]

Jeff,

Thanks for the great info on explorer. Very much appreciated. I was thinking of doing nitrox before and now you've convinced me. I think i'll do the coursework up here and the req'd dives on the boat when i get down there. I'm also going to try and get a couple of new releases on dvd to bring down for the crew & us to watch at your suggestion. also, thanks for the tip on cutting down the clothes. that's great - i'm going to bring a bathing suit and sunscreen - my gear bag is almost over the 50lb airline limit as it is, so it's nice to know you don't need much when you're on board. in fact, i'm going going to wear my bathing suit, mask and snorkel to the airport.....i*can't*wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hey, this may sound like a dumb question, but is there any reason to bring a dunk bag? i always carry one for boat dives, but do you need it for a liveaboard? I usually keep it under the dive bench with my sea fog, sunglasses, hat, and other crap that i use between dives... Thanks again.

Reiko

Glad I could help and I'm sure the crew will enjoy the movies. Security will have a field day with you...are you going to wear your fins as well?

Check into how the NITROX referal dive program will work with their fills discount (if you take the course while aboard they give you a fairly sizable discount on your NITROX fills for the week)

The boat does have two rinse tanks (one for cameras and one for other gear)

If I can help with anything else, please feel free to drop me a line (more than happy to be a stowaway).

Have a BLAST!!!...tell them Jeff said HI.

Jeff

 

[Boosted]

My girlfriend and I dove with Caicos Adventures for Memorial Day 2003 and loved it. The boat was one of the best we ever dove from, very spacious. They gave us great sandwiches on our LONG surface intervals, during which we saw and chased lots of dolphins.
Fifi, the owner, is great and made the days very pleasant. He also is a jack of all trades. He picked us up at our hotel (Ocean Club) and we had no idea that he was the owner, we thought he was just the bus driver! He had an extremely friendly crew and all the equipment you could possibly need right there on the boat. A nice touch was the safety stop bar which hung from the boat at about 15ft. It had a spare regulator attached to it just in case you needed it.
The mood on the boat was very relaxed, as opposed to Cozumel where the diving parameters seemed to be very rigid regarding times, locations, depths, etc. (don't get me wrong we loved coz too) Guess it's the whole island "No Problem mahn" attitude.
Wonderful diving, fantastic walls, and some big animals...had a close encounter with a 7ft reef shark that was one the most exhilarating moments of my life.
Enjoy!

 

[BradJ]

I went to Provinciales and dove with the dive setup at the Beaches Resort. The safest dive op I have ever seen. The day before the diving, we had to do a pool session to show our abilities, they have a very nice boat and have a safety stop bar at 20ft, with an extra BC/Tank setup and a spare octo hanging from the boat. Diving was pretty kewl too..............

I hate the Sandals dive operations. If you can't weed out the potential problem divers with a quick interview or look at their dive log then you need to take up a different profession.
I shouldn't have to prove to someone that I can drift along a shallow reef in warm waters safely when I've been diving regularly for years and hold advanced certifications.
Those guys think they're doing everyone a favor by letting them dive with them just because it's included with the package.
I've found it's worth the money to pay and dive with another operator while staying at a Sandals/Beaches.
By the way, if they weed out all the bad divers with their pool sessions, why do they need an air supply at the safety stop.

 

[curiousgeorgie]

Originally posted by reikonyc

hey, this may sound like a dumb question, but is there any reason to bring a dunk bag? i always carry one for boat dives, but do you need it for a liveaboard? I usually keep it under the dive bench with my sea fog, sunglasses, hat, and other crap that i use between dives... Thanks again.

No, you don't need a rinse bag on a liveaboard.