Snorkeling along the shoreline looking for shells
Malcolm Roads beach is a spectacular stretch of sand with some pretty good snorkeling. Tina found all kinds of tiny shells and bits of coral right close to the shoreline.
A handful of treasures from the sea
Tiny shells and bits of coral are found just under the water in the sand along the waters edge.
The Humpback Whale has flippers that are heavily scalloped and that are often a third of its total body length.
Once again, I have to thank Mickey and Jayne of Flamingo Divers for letting me use these incredible shots of the humpback whale they dove with in late January. These wonderful creatures can grow in length from 40 to 60 feet (12 to 15 meters) and can live from 70 or 80 years. The humpback whale is generally a blackish colour with a white area covering the throat grooves. They are playful and can throw themselves completely out of the water which is called “breaching”. Salt Cay is truly the Whale capital of the islands from January to March every year as this is where the Atlantic Humpbacks migrate to the Silver Banks to calve and mate.
Now’s the time to see whales in our beautiful waters. Book that trip soon and have an experience of a life time seeing these magnificent creatures.
What a glorious sight........a humpback whale. Mickey and Jayne of Flamingo Divers and their group swam with this humpback whale for the entire dive.
For those of you that have dreamed of seeing whales, now is the time to head down to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Every year from late January through April, the North Atlantic Humpback Whales migrate to the Silver Banks which is a mating and nursery area north of the Dominican Republic. Our islands are in the middle of this annual migratory route and the Humpback Whales can be spotted and heard “singing” all over the Turks and Caicos…………from West Caicos, Salt Cay, Grand Turk and even off the Malcolm Roads beach where I actually saw a mother and calf several years ago………my first and only sighting of a whale!
Mickey and Jayne of Flamingo Divers spent some time up close and personal with a Humpback Whale on a recent dive trip.
Jayne writes: “We had a humpback show up on our dive on Jan 20th – stayed with us the entire dive, even followed me to my safety stop and did it with me! Then it came back to our divers on the 2nd dive. It was amazing. I’ve attached a couple of pics….(I have 196 of them so won’t send them all!!!!!)”
Thanks Mickey and Jayne for the great photos.
Book your dive trip now and you too will hopefully see the Humpback Whales migrating. Call me or email me at Harbour Club Villas and we’ll organize everything for you and or put you in touch with the diving experts.
See you soon……remember that if you want a chance at seeing whales, now is the prime time!
Marta
Zebra Nerites are beautiful snails that you can find in rocky tidepools under full sun in the Turks and Caicos Islands
When you are out exploring the North West Point area of Providenciales, look for these neat snails in the rock pools along the shoreline. They are found among intertidal rocks and are a small white shell with black zebra-like stripes.
Close up of these zebra striped shells
Look at the amazing colours of the ocean!
Storm clouds gather out at sea and create such a striking turquoise blue. This photo was taken from the hill overlooking the Marina at Harbour Club Villas. A great spot to watch the comings and goings of dive boats that leave our marina daily and head out for West Caicos and French Cay. If you want to do some scuba diving, the Turks and Caicos Islands have some of the best dive sites. Come dive with us in the Turks!
Marta
Taylor Bay is one of the most idyllic spots on the south side of Providenciales………..shallow water for a long ways out and hardly a soul on the beach. It’s a great spot for families with young kids because the water is generally calm and only inches deep. You can wade out for a long, long ways before it gets deeper. We make sure to tell all our guests to pack up a picnic lunch, head to Taylor Bay and spend the day just lazing in the water. Bonefishing here can be good too. See you there????
A storm at sea intensifies the turquoise colours of the ocean
It doesn’t matter what the weather is like at Malcolm Roads, the colours are always spectacular for photo taking. A passing storm and clouds turned the sea into brilliant shades of blue and turquoise. Dive boats were anchored out at the dive sites and in the foreground, two magnificent Cactus Trees framed my photo.
The Cactus Tree or Consolea nashii, ( locally called horse pear) is endemic to the Turks and Caicos Islands and Bahamas.
The Cactus Trees found at Malcolm Roads can reach hights of 12 feet and have a woody trunk. Flowers bloom throughout the year and are a rich red in colour with yellow stamens.
Bright red flowers of the Cactus Tree
This particular species is found exclusively in the Turks and Caicos Islands as well as the Bahamas.
Visit the spectacular beach at Malcolm Roads and watch for these wonderful Cactus Trees.
Cheers,
Marta
What fun this little guy was having as he ran in and out of the water.
This little guy was having so much fun on the beach by the pier out at Blue Hills. The pier is a favourite perch for numerous brown pelicans and terns. Birdwatching is fun down in Blue Hills.
This handsome pelican was perched on one of the pillars on the pier at Blue Hills
We often see Brown Pelicans and a good place for birdwatchers and birders to see them is down in Blue Hills. They glide along the water’s edge looking for fish and plummet from above down into the water as they dive for fish.
Blue Hills is one of our local communities right on the ocean and one of my favourite spots for taking photos. Visitors are encouraged to take some time to enjoy the beauty of this part of Providenciales.
Long Bay.......great for those long walks, beach combing, horse back riding and the best beach for kite boarding.
How the weather changes here on Provo……………flat calm without a breath of wind early this morning then the wind picked up and really started to blow by the afternoon. A perfect day for walking the beach at Long Bay and I would imagine with the wind being up, that the kiteboarders would have been out taking advantage of the winds. We’ve had guests at Harbour Club that have come here specifically to kiteboard. I’ve watched them on numerous occasions out at the Bight beach which is a favourite as well as at Sapodilla Bay.
But back to Long Bay. It is what I call a wild beach, wind swept and strewn with conch shells as there are many conch out in the waters off the beach. There’s even a Haitien sloop (boat) up on the shore. Albert shows us how to find conch at Long Bay and then to crack the conch.
Finding conch in the waters at Long Bay.
We didn't forget the limes....conch, fresh from the sea.
Join us for a taste of Conch on your visit to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Hope to see you soon.
The Wild Cotton flower is a beautiful pale yellow or white at first and grows wild on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands.
From a very pale yellow, the cotton flower turns into a pretty pink
British Loyalists who were taking refuge from the American revolution set up Cotton and Sisal Plantations in the Turks and Caicos Islands. These were worked by imported slaves with the Cotton and Sisal being sold in London and New York. The cotton plantations were doomed as the competition was fierce and the soil was thin and not very fertile. After a hurricane in 1813, the cotton plantations were to perish.
After the blossom falls the Wild Cotton forms a tiny fruit called a boll.
The cotton boll bursts open when ripe to expose the packed seeds that are surrounded by the cotton fiber.
All the cotton photos are taken of the plants growing at Harbour Club Villas ……… Yes, you too can grow them or come and see us in the islands as it grows wild here in different spots.
Cotton flowers and pods ready to burst forth with cotton fibres
Enjoy the photos as this plant is quite showy when flowering as well as when full of cotton. The local birds here use this cotton when making their nests.