Snorkel at Smith’s Reef

Posted on March 26, 2024 by marta

Mike, GoPro in hand and ready for some snorkeling at Smith’s Reef

Smith’s Reef is an amazing area for snorkeling and not too far off shore. You need to be aware that it is right beside the entrance to Turtle Cove Marina. A word of caution …. take note of the channel markers for incoming and outgoing water craft and stay out of the channel itself. You will see such a variety of sea life such as turtles, eagle rays, sting rays, an abundance of fish and corals.

Here’s how to find Smiths Reef at the end of Coconut Road

Visit TCI has a good map showing the location and how to find the reef.

Drone shot of Smith’s Reef showing the beautiful coral head.

A map of the reef showing the 22′ channel where often you’ll see rays.

Snorkel with turtles and all kinds of fish at Smith’s Reef

Heading out with a go pro to get some classic underwater shots.

Go pro ready for action

Another beautiful Provo day just made for some snorkeling.

Just a few words before you set out to enjoy and explore our reefs.

Please do not touch or stand on anything as coral is a living animal and be sure not to brush anything with your flippers, equipment or gear.

Remember:

Don’t step on coral. …
Don’t touch or chase marine life. …
Don’t stir the sediment. …
Don’t take marine life – dead or alive.
Please use reef safe sunscreen

Clear and calm….what a day on the reef

A turtle pops his head up…what a great photo Mike!

Do not cover yourself heavily with sunscreen before snorkeling and of course biodegradable lotions are available and better yet, buy a rash guard.

A Green Sea Turtle poses for photos beside a Purple Sea Whip.

A beautiful hawkbill turtle is curious

A Spotted Eagle Ray passing through.

Love the reflections in the water.

A Porcupine Fish showing spines swims amongst the coral.

A six foot nurse shark rests on the sandy bottom.

Big and docile just resting on the bottom ready for a photo shoot.

Snorkel with hawksbill turtle at Smith's Reef

A stunning hawksbill turtle cruises on by

Snorkeling Smith's Reef on Providenciales

Mike spots a Queen Angelfish

A turtle pops his head up with Mike snorkeling with his go pro

Wandering the shore line at Smith’s Reef is always full of discoveries, lovely rock pools and all kinds of shells and marine life.

Tidal pools along the shore line at Smith's Reef

Rock pools are fascinating especially when the tide is out.

And meanwhile along the shore, a rock pool find of a Helmet Shell.

Such beauty surrounds us and take a look at the exquisite markings on this shell.

A crab scurries along the rocks

Look for Chitons attached to the rocks

Chitons also known as Coat of Mail shells or Sea Cradles are a marine mollusc found along the rocks at Smith’s Reef and elsewhere.

See the eyes peeking out of the shell of this baby conch and the claw-like operculum with which they move across the ocean floor.

Back to the reef and this beauty…..a Honeycomb Cowfish apparently quite rare.

Love those eagle rays as they gracefully glide through the waters.

Mike says this green turtle took a keen interest in the camera.

Smith’s Reef on Providenciales is the best for snorkeling

And here’s me just enjoying every part of the day here at Smith’s Reef.

All the amazing underwater photos are taken by Mike so I thank him for letting me use them for my blog.

Enjoy the reefs everyone but please take care as you snorkel to preserve and protect the coral and sea life.

Snorkel responsibly and have fun.

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Historical Salt Cay and St. John’s Church

Posted on March 15, 2024 by marta

Salt Cay church dating from the 1800's — St. John’s Anglican Church on Salt Cay

St. John's Anglican Church on Salt Cay Turks and Caicos Islands

The beautiful old shutters of the church

St. John’s is a beautiful old Anglican church also referred to as St. John’s the Divine and was built in the early 1800’s. We wandered through the graveyard which stretches to an old seawall. Mr. Holton Dickenson, the chatechist and our guide, opened up the old doors which allowed for the sea breezes to flow through up to the altar.

Mr. Holton Dickenson opens the big old doors to the church

Interior of the church with two pulpits

The old windows of the church at Salt Cay

Beautiful windows looking out towards the Brown House

Mr. Dickenson holds the old Register of Services showing numbers of worshippers and amounts collected.

Mr. Holton Dickenson showed us some old records that the church still keeps. These old registers need to be photographed page by page or they will eventually deteriorate and be lost for the future generations of Salt Cay residents.

A page from the Marriage Register

St. John's church on Salt Cay Turks and Caicos Islands

Record of Marriage of Thomas Grant and Eliza Araminta Hamilton from 1909

Names of Officiants such as Astwood, Morgan, Tatem in the Register of Services

From an old postcard

From an article in the Turks and Caicos Weekly news by Candy Herwin.

Looking over the old cemetery walls out over the ocean

The graveyard and church doors taken from the old sea wall in 2018 after Hurricane Irma devastated our islands.

The cemetary and old sea wall

Harriot/Dunn grave site………owners of the White House and salt merchants on Salt Cay

Neil (Daniel Francis Harriot) was the resident Harriot at the White House until his death in 1910. He is buried at St. John’s Church in the plot he set forth in his will. My husband and I were fortunate to meet and talk with Michael Dunn when he visited us at Harbour Club Villas with a friend years ago. I remember he was looking for a piano that he could play and at that time, I believe there were only two or possibly three on island. A friend of ours had one of them.

The church overlooks the salt pans

The bell tower outside of the St. John’s Anglican Church was usually rung to announce to everyone that it was time to come to church. Every Sunday dressed in their Sunday best, the faithful would listen to the bell tolling and head to church in time for Sunday worship. There are three of these bells still left on Salt Cay.

St. John’s church is a beautiful start to stepping back and into the history of Salt Cay……… a tranquil and peaceful place that speaks of an era of days gone by. The population is dwindling as the ocean breeze gently brushes the gravestones. Time to reflect on the history of this magical island that is steeped in history. We are the keepers of years past and need to do everything we can to preserve, nourish and protect the history and stories of Salt Cay and our national heritage. Thankfully we have concerned and caring people that are doing their utmost to document and keep Salt Cay’s history alive for future generations. Take a bow….you know who you are!

Salt Cay is a jewel in the sun.

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Humpback Whales in the Turks and Caicos

Posted on March 5, 2024 by marta

Humpback Whale watching with Salt Cay Divers in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Nose to nose with a humpback whale

Every year, typically from the end of January through March, the Humpback Whales make their annual migration to the Silver Bank close to the Dominican Republic. The Silver Bank is situated approximately 75 miles north of the Dominican Republic and 100 miles southeast of Turks and Caicos

Whale watching excursions and scuba diving with whales on Providenciales Salt Cay and Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos Islands

A mama whale watches her inquisitive calf in the waters by Salt Cay

Sighting whales is the most exciting thing and then getting into the water to snorkel with them is an experience of a life time

I managed to catch this one and he wasn’t too far off shore

On our trip to Salt Cay, we had the best ever for whale watching. We went out with Salt Cay Divers in their deluxe boat and had such an amazing time that we went out again for a second excursion. On our first day out, we saw FIVE mothers and calves. I couldn’t believe the excitement on the boat at each sighting. Here in the Turks and Caicos Islands the whales are passing through so you need to book your dive trips and or excursions to enjoy this amazing sight.

Whale watching with Salt Cay Divers in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Sighting a mother whale and her calf off Salt Cay

Humpbacked whale staying close to her calf

The Turks and Caicos Islands are on a plateau that is split by the Turks Islands Passage at which is some 6,000 feet deep (1830 meters) and which separates the Turks Islands from the Caicos Islands.

These majestic creatures pass through our area as part of an annual migration for mating and birth

Humpback whales and whale watching excursions with Salt Cay Divers in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Adults whales can weigh up to 40 tons and be 50 feet long. New calves can be one ton and be 10-15 feet long.

The gestation period of Humpback whales is 11 months. The females usually return to the place where they were born to have their calves. A calf is totally dependent on it’s mother and can consume up to 50 gallons of milk per day. This causes a significant weight loss in the mother.

We were lucky to see 5 different sets of whale calves with their mothers

Escorts are mature humpbacks whales that tag along with a mother and her calf to help fend off predators

Mother and her calf swimming alongside

Snorkelers slip quietly into the water to swim with the whales

A whale sounds as Eva snaps a photo

Capt. Richard searching the waters for tell tale signs of Whales

Such a beautiful sight to see.

Sighting of humpback whales in Salt Cay with lots of tail slapping

Out on an earlier excursion with Salt Cay Divers and sure enough we sighted whales

Two thumbs up for an awesome snorkel with humpback whales

Humpback whale and calf in the waters of Salt Cay in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Little calf with mother watchfully taking everything in

A whale lying on it’s side raises a long pectoral fin into the air and slams it back to the surface with a loud splash.

Capt Jagan back on shore after another successful and amazing day in search of whales

Only photo of the Salt Cay Divers new boat but taken a day later when the winds kicked up and the waves were breaking over the seawall

Thanks to our son Mike and Mickey and Jayne of Flamingo Divers for some of these wonderful photos.

Scuba diving with humpback whales on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Mickey and Jayne several years ago and their exciting whale encounter

From Mickey and Jayne on their encounter at Stairway to Heaven at West Caicos

“Well….this site earned its name today!

What a truly magical day underwater – we were only 2 minutes into our dive when a gleaming white pectoral fin caught our eye, and then, the silhouette of a HUMPBACK WHALE!!! We sat on the sand to watch it pass by…and imagine our delight when not only did it not pass us by quickly, but it also decided to spend the dive with us! We spent 60 minutes hovering and watching this gentle giant hang in front of us, and drift up every 15 minutes for a breath of air, and promptly swim back to us again. When our air consumption finally dictated our ascent, we swam to the anchor line and slowly began ascending, only to look behind and watch him follow us! With us hanging at 15 ft, and him at about 20 ft, we simply stared at each other for another 3 minutes until, bittersweetly so, we had to finish our dive. During our surface interval he stayed just forward of the boat and drifted a little away, but we were up for doing dive #2 in the same spot, as we hadn’t had a chance to explore the reef there! About 10 minutes into the dive, he showed back up to our divers and hung out with them until again, alas, we were the ones having to wave goodbye to this marvelous mammal. (From the surface, Jayne had seen it turn around and head back to the divers bubbles). Truly truly amazing. What an absolute privilege, not only to have a moment underwater with this beautiful creature, but to have had some great, passive interaction with it. A day to remember.”

Humpback whales and scuba diving in the Turks and Caicos Islands

What a magnificent creature this is

Diving and spotting humpback whales on Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands

A diver is dwarfed beside a humpback whale

Whale watching and spotting humpback whales on Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands

Close up of a whale while snorkeling by Salt Cay

If you’re dreaming of seeing whales, the time to come to the Turks and Caicos Islands is February through March

These whales can grow in length from 40 to 60 feet (12-15 meters and can live from 70 to 80 years.

If you’d like to dive and chance seeing whales, please book your Turks and Caicos Dive vacation at Harbour Club Villas and Marina. We have two dive companies with dive boats in our Marina…….Aqua TCI is moored right on our docks just minutes away. Flamingo Divers are close by and just a short walk away.

Whale Watching excursions and Diving are available with Salt Cay Divers on beautiful Salt Cay……. https://saltcaydivers.com/whale-watching/

Diving is spectacular in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

See you soon.

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

MyTurksAndCaicosBlog.com

Turks and Caicos Vacation, Travel, Fishing, and Diving

Monthly Archives: March 2024

Snorkel at Smith’s Reef

Historical Salt Cay and St. John’s Church

Humpback Whales in the Turks and Caicos