Who's Been to Turks & Caicos Since Hurricanes Hit

[hammet]

Going in 3 weeks... look out Conch Shack! Rum Punch Pitchers stat!

 

[chillyinCanada]

I love the Explorer II and will be on the boat again in a few weeks. I was not saying that as a representation of the boat overall. I find it my favorite boat in the caribbean and surely the most fun liveaboard i have ever been on..I just thought Stan was a dick, that's all. Not enough to call corporate and get the guy fired though. I tried to talk to him and he was abrasive at best. He is gone now anyway so who cares.

Jo, Pippa (when she was on the boat) and JF are freaking awesome. Andy(Andrea) is a great guide as well. best crew i have ever seen on a liveaboard.

Sadly for me, there was a substitute captain aboard during my trip a couple of years back. I could just barely abide the man. Stan didn't bother me at all and I thought the food was fine. No is great.

 

[KeithG]

Sadly for me, there was a substitute captain aboard during my trip a couple of years back. I could just barely abide the man. Stan didn't bother me at all and I thought the food was fine. No is great.

Who was the captain? We have had JF, Sandra, Ken & Bob.

 

[Hoag]

Who was the captain? We have had JF, Sandra, Ken & Bob.

JF is great!

 

[chillyinCanada]

For some reason I remember the name as Bill. Perhaps it was Bob?

 

[Brodydog]

Captain Ken is not my favorite. But I doubt he was on the T & C boat.

Op here. We did go ahead and book our trip for May. Hoping to see JF again. Thanks for all the feedback.

 

[Snoweman]

Great discussion BUT the op wants to know experiences post hurricane. So would I.

I was there at the beginning of November. All my dives were awesome, except one. On the one crappy dive the DM called the dive after nine minutes. I was not on a live aboard, but the company had plenty of tanks so we were able to get two good dives on that boat ride. My last dive was interesting, as the viz declined during the dive. That was a first for me.

 

[Scott from LongIsland]

Just returned from the Explorer II two weeks ago. The reefs are definitely damaged from the storms, especially French Cay. I was last there in 2014 and the diving was substantially worse

 

[KeithG]

Just returned from the Explorer II two weeks ago. The reefs are definitely damaged from the storms, especially French Cay. I was last there in 2014 and the diving was substantially worse

Can you provide additional thoughts regarding which dive sites / areas that you saw the damage and the type of effects?

Edit: you did mention french cay. What was your impression of west caicos and north west point sites?

 

[Scott from LongIsland]

Can you provide additional thoughts regarding which dive sites / areas that you saw the damage and the type of effects?

Edit: you did mention french cay. What was your impression of west caicos and north west point sites?

Well, to me NW Point is always a bit subpar compared to West Caicos and French Cay so i wasn't expecting much there. At all dive sites I saw a lot of (good size) free floating sponges that were clearly snapped off from a recent surge. Lots of sand on coral heads still...elkhorn coral broken off and sitting in sand. The visibility overall was still considerably down. The viz on French Cay was 30-40ft at best.

All of the areas seemed to take quite a beating. Many of the coral patches in the sandy areas before the wall dropoff are gone or significantly damaged. Lots of brown/dead coral

It pains me to say this but I used to consider the T&C some of the better diving in the Caribbean. No longer the case in my eyes. Not sure if i will be heading back there any time soon