South West Bluff and Osprey Rock

Bonefish Point

Bonefish Point is the most beautiful spot on Providenciales

A perfectly beautiful Sunday and a trip is planned to head down to the southern most tip of the island at South West Bluff, Osprey Rock and Bonefish Point. I always enjoy this excursion and make sure all my camera batteries are fully charged. There’s always so many plants, birds, views and our extraordinary clear ocean with its’ marine life to photograph.

View of the Pirates cave and Osprey Rock

Please don’t forget to bring lots of water and some shade as it does get really hot.

03blogblackleggedstiltIMG_1542a

A Black Legged Stilt was very vocal as he tried to scare me away.

There’s a beautiful pond area as you get closer to the little beach by Osprey Rock. There seems to always be salt foam looking much like snow. This Sunday there were several Black Legged Stilts and they really didn’t like my being there. Perhaps there were nests as they tried to ward me off.

03blogIMG_1896

A large patch of wild sea island cotton

03blogIMG_1917

Sea island cotton has such pretty yellow blossoms

The view looking towards Bonefish Point from on top just above the beach.

The view looking towards Bonefish Point from on top just above the beach.

The wide cove from Osprey Rock to Bonefish Pont is a wonderful place to see cruising or resting rays, turtles, juvenile sharks crabs and other marine life.

This is one of my favourite places to go by boat or road. It’s a little piece of heaven that often is yours alone to enjoy but getting busier so now it becomes more difficult to find these treasures

Osprey Rock

Love to snorkel between the rocks and see all the little fish.

The pirate’s cave is easier to access through the water and make sure to take some water shoes as the rocks can be sharp ……. no flip flops! Climb the ladder in the little cave through the rock opening and onto the top of the cliffs where shipwrecked sailors came ashore in the early 1800’s. In the rocks on top of the cliffs there are carvings with the names of the sailors.

06blogIMG_1673

The ocean looking from the pirate’s cave

Lone fisherman stand on top looking towards Osprey Rock or Split Rock

Osprey at Osprey Rock

There are always ospreys out there and sometimes you’ll luck out and see the babies

Inscription of the St. Louis burnt at sea in 1840 carved into the rock by shipwrecked sailors

This inscription is found up on the bluff along with others. A newspaper in Nova Scotia indicates that the St. Louis burned on Aug 30th, 1842 and was lost. A brig called the Impulse rescued some of the people but apparently she also wrecked on the Caicos Reef on Sept. 3rd and was still carrying the crew of the St. Louis. All this history and it all can be seen if you climb the ladder to the top and look down in the rocks.

Climb up the ladder in the cave to the top of the bluff and see the view……that’s a sting ray in the water below.

A stunning osprey with extended wings dries in the bright sunshine.

A stunning osprey with extended wings dries in the bright sunshine.

The shallows with a southern sting ray cruising through

07blogIMG_1691b

Pretty beaded periwinkle shells line the jagged rocks as you wade through the shallow waters.

08blogIMG_1844

Sand ripples and Osprey Rock in the background

A pin cushion star fish in the shallows of the sandbar at Bonefish Point

A sea star in the shallows of the sandbar at Bonefish Point

010blogIMG_2035

Chitons are found attached to the rocks

011blogIMG_1870

Interesting rock formations

012blogswbluffIMG_1585a

The waters are so very clear …….. you can see everything!

013blogIMG_0444

An osprey stands in the water and he knows I’m there.

Bonefish Point

Bonefish Point from the air

Bonefish Point on Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands

A walk down to Bonefish Point and this awesome view

Such an amazing area for a picnic lunch with friends and do take a walk down to Bonefish Point. I can assure you that you will see so many interesting things as you walk along the beaches and rocks. It is one of Provo’s gems and one of my favourites.

Flamingos in the distance

Sighting Flamingos on the way home. I’ve never seen so many!

Flying flamingos

WOW, what a gorgeous sight, a flamboyance of flamingos flying past.

And on the way home after a perfect day, we sighted a huge flamboyance of flamingos.

What a treat as I’ve never seen so many in all my years here on Providenciales

Enjoy your day,

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Perfect Day in the Turks and Caicos

Cruising the waters of Providenciales with Island Vibes has to be one of the “must do’s” on your next trip to the Turks and Caicos.

We had a glorious, picture perfect day with calm seas as we boarded the boat…..and YES, I’ve lived here for almost 20 years and still am in awe of all the beauty around me.

blogdolpIMG_8585cr

Two dolfin came out to play with us today….a mother and her young one.

blogdolpIMG_8600

Just love to see dolphins swimming wild and free in the seas around the Turks and Caicos Islands

bloghalfmoonIMG_8546

Half Moon Bay and one spectacular stretch of beach

blogivIMG_8860a

Island Vibes Tours are a great outfit with whom to head out onto the water for an afternoon of fun

blogIMG_8536a

Trying to GoPro a lemon shark in the shallows

blogivmalIMG_8521asm

Shows you just how clear the waters are!

blogivIMG_8635

Swimming back to the boat after some amazing snorkeling out at the reef

blogreefIMG_8615

Breakers on the reef at Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands

blogivIMG_8628

A little bit of refreshment………great Turk’s Head rum punch all round

blogsandbarIMG_8722

A piece of heaven on a large sandbar out by Dellis Cay

blogIMG_8806

Many sand dollars partially hidden in the sand and the sparkling waters

Such scenery can only be found in the Turks and Caicos

blogstarIMG_8833

Even a little sea star was taken back out a little further so it wouldn’t get stranded on the sand bar

It was a pretty rough ride for the kids on the way back………..time for some tubing and WOW did they go flying. Such fun as they hung on tight and still managed to fall off.

blogfbIMG_8997

Screams of fun as the kids went tubing on the way back

blogmalIMG_9019

The hectic ending to a perfect day

What a fun day it was out on Island Vibes. A fantastic time was had by everyone.

Join us won’t you?

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Cushion Starfish on Grace Bay

We went to Grace Bay today and were treated to seeing some beautiful Sea Stars also known as Cushion Stars very close to shore.

We went to Grace Bay today and were treated to seeing some beautiful Sea Stars also known as Cushion Stars very close to shore.

I took Tina and Sheldon down onto Grace Bay close to the Club Med area. The water was beautiful but unfortunately, the sand under the water was really crusty. It used to be one of my favourite beach spots but I think the dredging at Leeward has been a detriment to this stretch of Grace Bay.  The same can be said of Leeward Beach which is also rocky and full of bits of shell and coral instead of soft sand under the waters. We still enjoyed it because we saw at least a dozen large Cushion Starfish close to the shore.

Three large Cushion Sea Stars and each one was a slightly different colour combination.

Three large Cushion Sea Stars and each one was a slightly different colour combination.

Three beautiful Cushion Starfish

Three beautiful Cushion Starfish

 

Marta

 

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Bonefish Point Sandbar

A perfect afternoon on and in the water with the boys pulling us up to the sandbar..........it simply was the best

A perfect afternoon on and in the water with the boys pulling us up to the sandbar..........it simply was the best

We both had family visiting so it was an opportunity to take a leisurely run out to the sand bar at Bonefish Point. We took off from our marina at Harbour Club Villas. There’s a deep water channel ( 12 feet deep or so ) to the right of the sandbar and all of a sudden you’re in a foot of water. The guys put the anchor out and then decided to walk it into the shallows.

Barry floats along in the clear water and enjoys the best view in the world

Barry floats along in the clear water and enjoys the best view in the world

We saw some beautiful sea cushions ( see my previous post) and some smaller white starfish. Laura explored some rocks in the shallows and found numerous hermit crabs.

Laura shows me her find.............tiny little shells with crabs in them

Laura shows me her find.............tiny little shells with crabs in them

Here's a small hermit crab just walking along the edge of the water

Here's a small hermit crab just walking along the edge of the water

 

Barry, Tina and Sheldon stayed in the water pretty much all afternoon.

Barry, Tina and Sheldon stayed in the water pretty much all afternoon.

We all cooled off by staying in the water beer in hand. The Bonefish Point sandbar is on the south west tip of the island and accessible by road now. It never used to be……….the only way of getting here a few years ago was by boat or doing an excursion with Capt. Bill of Ocean Outback. This trip by the way is a great way of seeing the south shoreline. Hope you get to see this part of our island too.

 

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Starfish

A starfish or Cushion Star in the shallows at Bonefish Point

A starfish or Cushion Star in the shallows at Bonefish Point

On numerous trips out to Bonefish Point, we have always spotted these brilliantly orange Cushion Stars which are thick bodied species of starfish with short legs. On this particular day, the sky and water were exceptionally clear and the cushion star was actually lying on the sand in very shallow water.

Colours range from brown to orange, red and yellow

Colours range from brown to orange, red and yellow

Cushion Stars are echinoderms which are found decorating our reefs all around the world. Here in the Turks and Caicos Islands we find and see them frequently in many areas usually on sandy bottoms and amongst the sea grass.

Tube like feet enable cushion stars to move along the sandy sea bottom

Tube like feet enable cushion stars to move along the sandy sea bottom

All of the echinoderms move around with the use of tiny tube feet many of which have suction cups on the end of them.

Tina gently lifts a cushion star to take a closer look

Tina gently lifts a cushion star to take a closer look

This sea star ( the Cushion Star) is easily viewed and identified because of its size, colour and thickness and because it is usually found close to shore.

The brightly orange coloured cushion star has a hard shell with raised knobby spines

The brightly orange coloured cushion star has a hard shell with raised knobby spines

Take a look off the edges of the sand bar at Bonefish Point……….you’ll be sure to see several of these brightly coloured cushion stars. We’ve seen smaller brown and more yellowish ones out there too.

 

Marta

 

http://www.diving.tc

Starfish

Jane checks out the bright orange colours on a Bahama sea star or starfish

Jane checks out the bright orange colours on a Bahama sea star or starfish

Hi everyone,

I can’t tell you what an exceptional day we had! Not only were there dolphins, but we watched two pelicans dive bombing for fish. How do they do that???? The starfish were icing on the cake and we saw many of them in different sizes mainly off the sandbar at Bonefish Point. A blue crab was in the water too but he was too fast and scurried away.

Marta

http://www.diving.tc