Turks and Caicos

[Stine]

Hey all!
I'm day dreaming about my next vacation (while lounging in Jamaica!) I'm thinking the Beaches Resort in Turks and Caicos. I'm wondering if there is a certain time of year where the diving is better, i.e. Bigger fish to see?
Thanks in advance!

 

[simcoediver]

The very best way to see Turks & Caicos is on a liveaboard.The reefs are really far out and the islands surrounding Turks & Caicos has awesome diving with walls & big sharks & rays. If you want a resort there are some dive ops that will take you out for a full day.Turks and Caicos Liveaboard Diving - Explorer Ventures

 

[diversteve]

I wouldn't say time of year as much as dive site selection. Although I personally also dove the Explorer - in the spring. They do spend the first couple days around Provo though first so I dove some of the sites listed on the Beaches dive page. Then we moved to West Caicos (uninhabited)and the diving was noticeably better. Then it got even better the last few days around French Cay - I would spend a whole week there if someone did that. (liveaboard only)

Beaches does list some of the French Cay/West Caicos sites so they may go out there occasionally - maybe if the boat is more advanced divers. I have heard they dive often around NW Point or off Grace Bay also - which makes more sense if they have other afternoon dives scheduled. The shops that dive the other islands (almost all of them) do so on an all day excursion, pick you up around 9am, take you to the south marina - 45mins. boat ride, 2 tanks plus lunch - back around 2:30. Add the third optional dive some do on demand and it's closer to 4:30.

Of course it's silly to do so since you're paying Beaches to dive. Maybe once if Beaches doesn't offer the option that week.

I was at the Beaches once briefly, it's really kid friendly if you have any of those. There's also several adult villages from what someone posted previously when I mentioned that.

Diving is way better in the T/C - on par with Cayman. It may be one of the best deep wall/large pelagic trips we've ever done. Lots of reef sharks, at one mooring while doing a safety stop I counted 25 or so Stingrays with their companion fish, some big old turtles, I don't believe they kill Lionfish there so I saw some basketball sized ones down the wall. The walls are super healthy and coral covered - in some areas you can't see the sand. There's also some drift diving options. I spent one entire dive filming the ecosystem around 1 coral head - nothing bigger than 2" - most much smaller. We had a serious photographer on the boat and most of the time all I saw was his legs sticking out - some amazing macro.

Whales move thru there on their way to the Silver Banks but that's off Grand Turk (or Salt Cay) and the Provo boats don't usually go there - too far. Also I believe it's only snorkeling. IDK when but it must be late in Dec? since both liveaboards convert to whale watching from about Jan-April and move to the Dominican Republic for that.

 

[KathyV]

I agree with the comments above, we prefer diving the T&C islands from a liveaboard, but not everybody likes LOB diving. And if your diving experiences include an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica (?) then I think that that you will be very pleased with the sites around Provo that are dived frequently from Beaches.

 

[hammet]

At beaches right now waiting for shuttle to airport. This is my 3rd trip.
Did 4 days of two tank dives...all went around northwest point. Did 2 afternoon single tank dives and a really nice night dive in grace bay.

Boats were filled with lots of silt kickers and air gulpers and i came up most of the time with 1k psi or more left. But that not withstanding, the dive leaders were able keep things moving and they are a very friendly and capable group most of them recognizable from my previous visits.

The diving was beautiful....Lots of sharks, turtles, etc. Tanks all ready for you on the boat. Just roll out of bed and go diving. Then grab a Turks lite beer or rum drink at any pool bar.

 

[scubadada]

There are many nice resorts on Providenciales, if you like Beaches, so be it. Just like Florida and the Bahamas, T&C will have significantly cooler water in winter than summer. You don't have many dives, perhaps don't care, I would not dive with the Beaches dive operation. I have heard it mostly described as cattle boat and not diving the best locations off West Caicos and French Cay. If you will be land based rather than liveaboard, I would choose a different operator. Several years ago my son and I had a good experience with Caicos Adventures. Their main boat, Caicos Cat is a fast, smooth double hull. Our average dive time was 64 minutes. We had Reef Sharks on many of the dives, a very memorable experience at Boat Cove. Enjoy

 

[hammet]

Agree with above post. If you just want diving, go elsewhere. If you have small kids or just want to do the all inclusive thing in a very accommodating resort and still do some pretty nice diving then beaches may be for you.

 

[Stine]

Thanks for your replies!
My husband and I were thinking of bringing the kids, and our trip to Jamaica was his first time diving in warmer waters.
Sound like T&C all inclusive is out for us- I want some good diving!
Thanks again

 

[KathyV]

A liveaboard isn't usually the best choice for a family vacation. If you want to stay on Provo and dive the better sites then you may spend a lot of time in dive boats going back and forth to the reefs.

I think a lot depends on what type of vacation you are looking for. If you want a family vacation with some diving in a gorgeous place, then the all-inclusive Beaches Resort on Provo sounds like a great option. Provo is beautiful and Grace Bay Beach is astonishingly gorgeous, the most beautiful beach and water I have ever seen.

But if you are traveling primarily for the diving then there are other options you may wish to consider.

I haven't been to Beaches but I have stayed on Provo and loved it as a vacation spot, and the liveaboard diving I have done in the T&Cs is some of the best Caribbean diving in my experience.

Search Scubaboard for more information about T&C and Beaches Resort diving, below is a thread that you may find of interest. But right now just relax and enjoy your trip to Jamaica and worry about the next trip later!

Diving in Turks Beaches Resort

 

[drrich2]

How many kids, what ages, what range of activities are you guys looking at (e.g.: shopping, swimming, snorkeling, parasailing, want to see ruins, dolphin encounters, what do you guys want to do?), and what led you to pick Turks & Caicos?

Sometimes people have practical reasons to pick a particular destination - time share trade, free flight, gonna be on-island there anyway, etc... Sometimes it's more of a 'I heard the diving at Grand Cayman/Bahamas/Fill-In-The-Blank is great' kind of thing.

Richard.