Blue Crabs

catching blue crabs between the two lakes by Harbour Club Villas

catching blue crabs between the two lakes by Harbour Club Villas

Over the last three days there’s been all sorts of activity just down the road from our villas where the waters from Turtle Lake flow through a culvert and into Flamingo Lake. I went down there today with my camera as I had heard from guests that there were all kinds of crabs in the water and on the bank and that some locals were catching them.

Good job you have thick gloves Stanley!!

Good job you have thick gloves Stanley!!

When I arrived on the bank, Stanley who does a little fishing and is from North Caicos, was there with his net and a bucket. He told me that he would be eating real good tonight. I guess they love these little crabs and throw them in a pot and cook them up.

This one was looking quite fierce and didn't want to be caught

This one was looking quite fierce and didn't want to be caught

Stanley said that there were “hundreds” of them the other day when he was out.

It's not easy to throw that net.

It's not easy to throw that net.

I’m not sure just how much crab meat you would get out of some of the crabs.  He was throwing back some of the smaller ones  and was looking forward to a good feast this evening.

 

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Conch

The beautiful pink shell of a Queen conch is often crafted into decorative pieces

The beautiful pink shell of a Queen conch is often crafted into decorative pieces

The Queen conch live on sandy bottoms and feed on numerous species of algae and seagrasses.
Did you know that Providenciales , the Turks and Caicos Islands has the only viable commercial conch farm in the world?
The queen conch or Strombus gigas, has been a staple of these islands for at least a thousand years and it’s meat provides a major source of protein. Conch is found throughout the waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
A young Turks Island miss holds a baby conch
A young Turks Island miss holds a baby conch
The pretty pink conch shell is used for decorative items such as bowls, jewellery, lamps and  vases. Our guests often find shells to take home with them as well as for gift giving. You too can find your own conch shell to take home when you vacation here on our beautiful islands.
Marta

Dive with sharks

Cruising too close???? Not for Mickey at Flamingo Divers who took this classic shot.

Cruising too close???? Not for Mickey at Flamingo Divers who took this classic shot.

Our guest and diver Daniel had an amazing underwater scuba adventure when he saw sharks up close for the first time. Can’t imagine what it would be like to be that close ! I’m hoping Daniel will have a chance to send me a few words on his diving. We have some of the clearest water ever here in the Turks and Caicos. Come and experience it for yourself. See you then!

Up close and personal with a shark

Up close and personal with a shark

Diving is the best in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

See you soon

Marta

http://www.diving.tc

Cave and Osprey Rock

Jane and Jennifer climbed up through the hole in the rock to see the view from the top and the inscriptions.

Jane and Jennifer climbed up through the hole in the rock to see the view from the top and the inscriptions.

The pirate’s cave at South West Bluff can be accessed through the water.  Jane and Jennifer climbed up the rope ladder into the little cave, through its roof opening, and onto the top of the cliffs where shipwrecked sailors came ashore in the early 1800s. In the rocks ontop of the cliffs there are carvings with the names of the sailors.  The wide cove from Osprey Rock to Bonefish Point is a great place for seeing cruising rays, turtles,  juvenile sharks, barracudas, crabs and other marine life. This is one of my favourite places to go to by boat or road. It’s a little piece of heaven that often is yours alone to enjoy. As our islands get busier and more known, it will become more difficult to find these treasures!

Inscriptions carved in the rock by shipwrecked sailors

Inscriptions carved in 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 August 30th, 1842, and was lost. She sailed from Boston to New Orleans with some 24 people on board who were rescued by a brig called Impulse. Apparently she also was wrecked on the Caicos Reef on September 3rd, and was still carrying the crew of the St. Louis. There was no loss of life in either incident.  

All this history and it all can be seen if you climb up the rope ladder to the top and look down in the rocks.

Happy searching the next time you’re at South West Bluff.

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

Dolphin pod

Incredible...we played hide and seek with a pod of five dolphins

Incredible...we played hide and seek with a pod of five dolphins

How lucky could we get…………..five dolphins played with us for 45 minutes off Five Cays close to South Dock on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands. We took family friend, Jane and Jennifer out for a day of boating. We stopped first at a little cay where the girls saw iguanas and just before the docks we sighted these magnifiscent dolphins. Wow, we couldn’t believe seeing so many of them at one time as they swam and frolicked under the boat and cut through the water with such phenomenal speed. It was really tough trying to get photos. You too may be lucky and see dolphins when you visit us here in the Turks and Caicos.

Marta

http://www.diving.tc

Bonefish

Bonefishing is great on the flats of Providenciales

Bonefishing is great on the flats of Providenciales

Here’s a close up of a bonefish. To be honest, we never knew what a bonefish was let alone what it looked like!! Our guest at Harbour Club Villas caught this beauty out on the flats. Flyfishermen will really enjoy wading the flats in search of bonefish. Often you see them tailing in the lake infront of our villas.  We’ve had guests run down from the villas, cast and catch them right from the road. Come and enjoy the great bonefishing to be had in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Marta

http://www.bonefishing.tc

Bonefishing the flats

Bonefishing is great in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Bonefishing is great in the Turks and Caicos Islands

The south side of Providenciales has endless fishing flats where you can wade and bonefish. Guests have been seeing and catching some pretty big bonefish. It’s all catch and release and pound for pound , these bonefish give fisherman a pretty good fight. If you want to fish and you have family that doesn’t……..no worries as we can send you to some great spots where everyone will be happy. Tight lines!!!
Marta