elbig
Contributor
Wow another great trip report. You definitely set the standard for a report template. I am considering a LOB in Oct and found this very useful. Kudos.
Trip Report Turks & Caicos Aggressor II 4/21-4/28 Trip Report
- Thread starter drrich2
- Start date
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elbig is right! Your trip reports are awesome, drrich! You do indeed set the bar. Looking forward to the next one!
Based only on the photos you've shown, it looks to me as if there have been fairly significant changes to the sites. I'm assuming this was due to hurricane damage but really, difficult for me to compare. On my trip a few years back, my dives were curtailed due to a cold and I sat out half the trip. While I'd enjoyed the trip otherwise, and did see a handful of non-aggressive reef sharks as well as the leopard, I still wasn't left with the overall enjoyment that I get diving Belize atolls. Regardless, I'd always thought there would be a return trip. That has changed due to my consuming passion for SE Asia diving.
Based only on the photos you've shown, it looks to me as if there have been fairly significant changes to the sites. I'm assuming this was due to hurricane damage but really, difficult for me to compare. On my trip a few years back, my dives were curtailed due to a cold and I sat out half the trip. While I'd enjoyed the trip otherwise, and did see a handful of non-aggressive reef sharks as well as the leopard, I still wasn't left with the overall enjoyment that I get diving Belize atolls. Regardless, I'd always thought there would be a return trip. That has changed due to my consuming passion for SE Asia diving.
As always thank you for a fabulous report with fantastic attention to details - very useful! We did the T&C Aggressor trip in 2013 and there were lots of sharks and eagle rays and loads of beautiful sponges and corals. Of course we were there before the hurricane and we spent a lot of time diving off French Cay - but we were there in October/November when the water was warmer and I wonder if that has any impact on the amount of sea life on the reefs?
Our first Provo LOB (a long-time ago) was was with the Peter Hughes Dancer Fleet and we saw loads of sharks, mostly reef and nurse sharks and lots of tarpons, too. One time on a night dive a group of reef sharks (around 7 of them) started circling and buzzing the divers in the light under the boat - that was exciting!
Did you get an impression of the island and the rebuilding and how well things are recovering from the hurricane? The airport was under construction while we were there and it was a bad experience!
Our first Provo LOB (a long-time ago) was was with the Peter Hughes Dancer Fleet and we saw loads of sharks, mostly reef and nurse sharks and lots of tarpons, too. One time on a night dive a group of reef sharks (around 7 of them) started circling and buzzing the divers in the light under the boat - that was exciting!
Did you get an impression of the island and the rebuilding and how well things are recovering from the hurricane? The airport was under construction while we were there and it was a bad experience!
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OP
drrich2
Contributor
I just posted my trip research notes to provide an overview of Turks & Caicos as a dive destination.
Mainly from looking around from the interior, I didn't see structural damage in the airport; it's a small airport, figuring out which gate was mine was confusing (but they're in a row side-by-side, so not the problem it'd be at a large airport), and they need to air-condition it (or way better than what they're doing).
In the van ride across Provo to & from the boat (not real long), I mainly noticed a fairly flat island (not extremely), not as arid/scruffy as Bonaire but nowhere near the lushness of St. Lucia or the rainforest of part of western St. Croix, and it didn't look 'wrecked.' That said, if I don't see some concrete block partial construction with rebar sticking up out of it, I'm probably not in the Caribbean. Most every trip I see such structures and wonder if they're under construction or falling apart.
The one mention of hurricane damage came when I mentioned to the Captain while docked at the marina that I'd like to walk around the marina to the other side, to take a 'whole boat' photo from across the water. From what she told me, in light of the hurricane damage, that's not easy/practical to do, and some of the path I saw was private property. I don't know what it was like before the hurricane.
I'd like to know, too. A given dive site can change so much in a day, and whichever direction a diver happens to be looking. I'd like to have tried French Cay.
I hope lots of people will contribute their observations to this thread, and particularly as we go forward from the hurricanes of 2017. Maybe someone can discuss how they found French Cay post-hurricanes.
Richard.
Mainly from looking around from the interior, I didn't see structural damage in the airport; it's a small airport, figuring out which gate was mine was confusing (but they're in a row side-by-side, so not the problem it'd be at a large airport), and they need to air-condition it (or way better than what they're doing).
In the van ride across Provo to & from the boat (not real long), I mainly noticed a fairly flat island (not extremely), not as arid/scruffy as Bonaire but nowhere near the lushness of St. Lucia or the rainforest of part of western St. Croix, and it didn't look 'wrecked.' That said, if I don't see some concrete block partial construction with rebar sticking up out of it, I'm probably not in the Caribbean. Most every trip I see such structures and wonder if they're under construction or falling apart.
The one mention of hurricane damage came when I mentioned to the Captain while docked at the marina that I'd like to walk around the marina to the other side, to take a 'whole boat' photo from across the water. From what she told me, in light of the hurricane damage, that's not easy/practical to do, and some of the path I saw was private property. I don't know what it was like before the hurricane.
I'd like to know, too. A given dive site can change so much in a day, and whichever direction a diver happens to be looking. I'd like to have tried French Cay.
I hope lots of people will contribute their observations to this thread, and particularly as we go forward from the hurricanes of 2017. Maybe someone can discuss how they found French Cay post-hurricanes.
Richard.
hammet
Contributor
Thanks for posting this!
As a frequent visitor to T&C, I've often wanted to do a live aboard, by myself and without the family. I've been seriously looking at doing the live aboard thing on this boat for a few months now
That being said, I think the accommodations look a little spartan to me and I'd think I'd be pretty bored with the limited company for an entire week. The trade-off of a decent hotel for 2-3 fewer dives per day might not be so bad. I'd also think I'd regret not seeing the island more and eating real food instead of a ship's cooks menu. Where's the conch chowder?!?!!
As a frequent visitor to T&C, I've often wanted to do a live aboard, by myself and without the family. I've been seriously looking at doing the live aboard thing on this boat for a few months now
That being said, I think the accommodations look a little spartan to me and I'd think I'd be pretty bored with the limited company for an entire week. The trade-off of a decent hotel for 2-3 fewer dives per day might not be so bad. I'd also think I'd regret not seeing the island more and eating real food instead of a ship's cooks menu. Where's the conch chowder?!?!!
OP
drrich2
Contributor
Keep in mind I booked the cheapest accommodations; pay more and you can get more. But I spent surprisingly little time in the room. I posted my schedule responding to a similar concern in the research notes thread, but I'll post here, too.
Default Dive Schedule: 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m. Basically figure 50-60 minute dives with 2 hour surface intervals, diving nitrox. After a dive, crew take your fins, walk to your station, take off gear, unhook reg. for tank fill, take off wetsuit, go to back of boat & shower off, a crew puts a warm towel on you. Analyze & log nitrox mix. whenever.
Meal Times: 6:30 a.m. continental breakfast (cereal, bagels, fruit). 7 a.m. Hot breakfast (made to order eggs, meat option, pancakes, maybe French toast). 12:30 p.m. Lunch. 6:30 p.m. Supper. There's a snack between the 2 morning & between the 2 afternoon dives.
My Day: iPhone alarm at 6:45 a.m. Brush teeth. Maybe get camera ready for diving. Go eat a beagle with topping and some fruit. 7 a.m. - order 3 fried eggs. 7:30 a.m. - Getting antsy. Tank analyzed & reg. hooked up and pressurized. 7:40 Don shorty, socks & boots. 7:50 Bell rings. 8 Dive briefing. Into BCD & water shortly afterward.
Out around 9 a.m. Shower, head up to the top deck to drink Diet Coke, wait for snack to be out, doze. Don't even go to room.
Dive again ~ 11 a.m., out around noon. Shower. This time change from swim trunks to 'land shorts' & a quick drying runner's shirt (disclaimer: I am not a runner!). Eat supper in salon. Chill on top deck. Might go doze in room bunk.
Dive @ 2 p.m. Then shower, stay in swim trunks, doze on top deck & wait on somebody to bring me a snack.
Dive @ 5 p.m. Then change into same shirt & shorts as for lunch, this time for supper. After supper, might doze in room, which works better than in lounge chair on top deck.
Night dive @ 8 p.m. Then shower, get mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows, get in shirt & shorts, get camera battery & Cobalt 2 on a charger & maybe back up SD card onto iPhone, go to bed around 10 - 10:30 p.m.
Live-aboards lend themselves to high frequency diving. Just the thing for someone like me looking to maximize the maybe 2 weeks/year he gets to spend diving. I spend little time in the room, so it doesn't bother me.
Richard.
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drrich2
Contributor
In terms of getting bored with the same group over a week, wasn't a problem. Live-aboard divers share a passion, come from varied & interesting backgrounds (we had U.S., Canadian, at least one guy from France...) and jobs, and tend to be fairly gregarious...and they're all there to have a good time.
I'm an introvert and I get 'social fatigue' in busy social settings, but it was okay for me. Seemed like everybody had a good time.
People discussed what they saw on the last dive, gear, a Canadian couple discussed trying to get their kids to learn French, a Canadian talked about how in business dealings it's important to speak the native language (or work though somebody who does), a couple of divers had done a Cocos live-aboard, 3 divers praised Blue Angel in Cozumel and 1 Cozumel's Iberostar (for a family trip), an older guy who's kids weren't interested in the family farming business sold off some assets, and that's not even getting into learning about the crew.
Live-aboards can be surprisingly interactive and social, even for those (i.e.: me) not particularly outgoing.
Richard.
I'm an introvert and I get 'social fatigue' in busy social settings, but it was okay for me. Seemed like everybody had a good time.
People discussed what they saw on the last dive, gear, a Canadian couple discussed trying to get their kids to learn French, a Canadian talked about how in business dealings it's important to speak the native language (or work though somebody who does), a couple of divers had done a Cocos live-aboard, 3 divers praised Blue Angel in Cozumel and 1 Cozumel's Iberostar (for a family trip), an older guy who's kids weren't interested in the family farming business sold off some assets, and that's not even getting into learning about the crew.
Live-aboards can be surprisingly interactive and social, even for those (i.e.: me) not particularly outgoing.
Richard.
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Nice job as usual Richard...really got a good sense of the boat - which I have seen at the next mooring over a couple times.
Shame you couldn't get to French Cay that's where we saw the most sharks - assuming they're still there now post-hurricane.
Did you see any conch trails at night? I followed a couple to the Conch - the only place I've ever seen that.
It's Thunderdome - not the Dome if you want to correct that - or I can if the edit window has expired for you. The history on that is it was a French adventure show set that was abandoned.
Shame you couldn't get to French Cay that's where we saw the most sharks - assuming they're still there now post-hurricane.
Did you see any conch trails at night? I followed a couple to the Conch - the only place I've ever seen that.
It's Thunderdome - not the Dome if you want to correct that - or I can if the edit window has expired for you. The history on that is it was a French adventure show set that was abandoned.
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drrich2
Contributor
I saw conch trails, and number of their shells (at least one had an obvious live conch in it). Thanks for the tip; I still had time to change from Dome to Thunderdome. At the briefing Rob told us the story; IIRC, it involved a couple of competitors free-diving down into the dome, collecting some sort of pearls, using them to 'buy' breaths via regulators from 'mermaids,' and then they could swim back up from the dome (30 something feet?) to the surface.
Holding their breaths. Of compressed air.
It was at that point Rob mentioned how busy the recompression chamber on Provo. is.
Richard.
Holding their breaths. Of compressed air.
It was at that point Rob mentioned how busy the recompression chamber on Provo. is.
Richard.
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