Category Archives: What to do

Blue Hills and Pelicans

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What fun this little guy was having as he ran in and out of the water.

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

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. 

This pelican was not too worried as I took his photo.
This pelican was not too worried as I took his photo.

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.

See you in Blue Hills!
Marta
http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Long Bay beach

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Long Bay.......great for those long walks, beach combing, horse back riding and the best beach for kite boarding.

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.

Finding conch in the waters at Long Bay.

There’s lots of conch in the water out at Long Bay. We were shown all the ins and outs of crackin’ conch and how to serve up ” a fresh from the ocean” feast!

 

We didn't forget the limes....conch, fresh from the sea.

We didn't forget the limes....conch, fresh from the sea.

Albert used to do lots of fishing and knows exactly where to find conch. He showed us how to prepare the conch meat and served it to us out on the Long Bay beach.
Yum.....that conch with a squirt of lime is as fresh as it gets!
Yum…..that conch with a squirt of lime is as fresh as it gets!

Join us for a taste of Conch on your visit to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Hope to see you soon.

Marta
http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Snuba

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Snuba with Jodi as she takes our guests for a closer look at the reef and this wonderful turtle.

Snuba with Jodi as she takes our guests for a closer look at the reef and this wonderful turtle.

Not quite ready to scuba dive………..well try some Snuba with Jodi who will guide you along the White House Reef at Coral Gardens on Grace Bay.  Snuba divers breathe under water through a 20 foot air line which is connected to a scuba tank mounted on a raft. The raft floats above on the surface and follows the snuba divers where ever they go. What a great way to experience being under water and to see our coral reefs right up close.

Bonefish Point

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The sandbar at Bonefish Point

The sandbar at Bonefish Point

The sandbar at Bonefish Point is absolute heaven. It doesn’t matter when you go, at low tide, high tide or some where inbetween……….there’s always something special that will catch your eye. Bonefish, star fish, blue crabs scuttling in the shallows, nurse sharks, herons, pelicans, shells and conch too. As you walk along the beach from Osprey Rock to Bonefish Point, you’ll go through different types of beach formation. Some areas are littered with conch, others have coarse particles of coral, a small inlet with smooth round pebbles and of course there’s stretches of fine white sand that the Turks and Caicos are know for.

A blue crab strikes an aggressive pose !

This little blue crab was not happy to be confronted by my camera

This little blue crab was not happy to be confronted by my camera

The weather was perfect today for a trip down to Bonefish Point. I know you’ll enjoy all there is to see and explore at the South West end of the island.

Marta

www.diving.tc

Cave and Osprey Rock

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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

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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

Iguanas

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Friendly iguana on Bay Cay just off the marina at Harbour Club Villas

Friendly iguana on Bay Cay just off the marina at Harbour Club Villas

A short boat ride or a two mile kayak trip takes you to Bay Cay. Guests at Harbour Club have spent all day on this little island (they call them “cays” here ) exploring, snorkeling, fishing, lazing in the sun on the beach and getting up close and friendly with the iguanas. This one was very gentle as he ate an apple from Scott’s hand. Organized trips are available to see the iguanas at Little Water Cay, Turks and Caicos Islands. Hope you get a chance to see one or two on your visit here.

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Bonefish

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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

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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
http://www.bonefishing.tc

Island sunset

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Turks and Caicos Island sunset on the south shore of Provo

Turks and Caicos Island sunset on the south shore of Provo

Today was a flat calm day and the ocean showed not a ripple. I sent one of our guests to the bonefishing flat in the photo just a short ways down the road from our villas.  He spent part of the afternoon wading in search of bonefish. When the sun sets on the south side of Providenciales, it’s a good opportunity for a photo. You have to be on the beach early though as the sun goes down at 5:20 or so. Hope to see you enjoying some of our fabulous sunsets soon.

Marta

http://www.bonefishing.tc