Turks and Caicos

[dpwheeler]

Off to Turks and Caicos with my bride of 30 years to celebrate my 65th in November. Never been there so would appricate any input as to dive shops, dive sites, restaurants, etc. I got engaged 30 years ago underwater in Cozumel so I figure I might as well get old underwater as well. Thanks in advanced for your input.
DW

 

[dpwheeler]

I guess I should have mentioned that we'll be on Provo.

DW

 

[jameseg]

My wife and I did the Explorer Ventures liveaboard in T&C earlier this year. If I had done a land-based trip, I would have used Caicos Adventures based on the advice I've seen given on this board, as well as my friend's experience with them when he travelled there in January of this year. From what I understand, one of the things that differentiates CA from at least some of the other dive ops is that they will take you all the way out to French Cay and West Caicos, while other dive ops stay closer to Provo. From my experience, I can tell you that French Cay and West Caicos are amazing. Great walls, sharks on almost every dive, and eagle rays on two dives.

Congrats on 30 years!

James

 

[dpwheeler]

Thanks James. I'll check them out. I know that French Cay is a must do.
DW

 

[Sevenfeet]

My wife and I did a vacation to T&C a few years ago and Caicos Adventures took us out to the wall. Sadly, I missed the Rays that day and then came down with a raging case of the flu which put a major crimp on our vacation for the rest of the week (and kept me from diving again, obviously). But diving the wall was a lot of fun.

Food is expensive in Turks, more so than you might think. But there is a wide variety to choose from, everything from extremely nice high end fare to cheaper outdoor music venues.

Prepare to eat a lot of conch. Some of the island tour boats will take you conch fishing where they prepare your catch on the boat for a nice midday salad. Catching them is easy...they take you to shallows (3-4 ft of water) and the conchs in the shells are all around you on the sea floor (bring a mask and snorkel to make it easier...it's great snorkeling territory anyway). Pick one that's the correct size and bring it back to the boat. It's great fun for the you and the missus.

 

[Sevenfeet]

My wife and I did a vacation to T&C a few years ago and Caicos Adventures took us out to the wall. Sadly, I missed the Rays that day and then came down with a raging case of the flu which put a major crimp on our vacation for the rest of the week (and kept me from diving again, obviously). But diving the wall was a lot of fun.

Food is expensive in Turks, more so than you might think. But there is a wide variety to choose from, everything from extremely nice high end fare to cheaper outdoor music venues.

Prepare to eat a lot of conch. Some of the island tour boats will take you conch fishing where they prepare your catch on the boat for a nice midday salad. Catching them is easy...they take you to shallows (3-4 ft of water) and the conchs in the shells are all around you on the sea floor (bring a mask and snorkel to make it easier...it's great snorkeling territory anyway). Pick one that's the correct size and bring it back to the boat. It's great fun for the you and the missus.

 

[dpwheeler]

Thanks for the input. Caicos Adventures keeps popping up as the one to go with.
DW

 

[stokesj19]

I did my only 2 dives with Caicos adventures. I went at the end of last month, and will go back to see them. I am not certified, and they didn't make me feel stupid. They took us to west caicos, and it was amazing. Inbetween the dive they actually took us to the island to do a few cliff jumps. I believe everyone on the boat saw atleast 1 shark, along with rays and other marine life. I highly recomend them. I am hooked, and already planning my next trip. Provo was amazing, grace bay beach is one of a kind.

 

[CanadianTravelAgent]

My favourite restaurant so far is the Bay Bistro at the Sibonne Beach Hotel. This is where my husband and I stayed a couple of years ago. It's such a small little hotel (motel would be a better description). But the restaurant and location of the hotel is first rate - right on the beach. Conch chowder is awesome! They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner - reservations required. This is also a great place to stay on a budget and be right on Grace Bay Beach. Basic accommodations. Depends on what you are looking for. We also ate at Hemmingways next door at the Sands, the Tiki Hut at the Turtle Cove marina, and one of the places in the Ports of Call mall, and we ordered a pizza. Kept going back to the Bay Bistro!

I should add - we are headed back down later this month. This time we have decided to try Northwest Point Resort. We enjoy isolation and find that Grace Bay is so much busier that when we first discovered it 10+ years ago. However, it is still pretty idyllic compared to popular resort beaches like Cancun, Punta Cana or Varadero!

 

[NYCNaiad]

I've consistently heard great things about Dive Provo from a variety of people. They are so good that my step-brother and his wife go back every year.