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
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
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.
Grace Bay beach at Coral Gardens is great for snorkeling with the turtles.
Here’s my favourite photo of Grace Bay beach taken at the White House Reef by Coral Gardens. The reef comes up very close to the shore and is protected by a circle of buoys. Snorkelers are asked to stay outside the circle of markers to protect parts of the reef that come up close to the surface at low tide. Recent sightings have included turtles, eagle rays and all kinds of colourful fish.
Flat calm and the clearest water you will ever see greets the snorkeler at the White House Reef on Grace Bay beach
Snorkeler Mike heads out to check out the reef. You can see the circle clearly in the photo so remember to stay outside and there’s lots to see as you make your way around the buoys.
Wow.....what amazing colours the parrotfish have as they swim through the coral reef.
The Turks and Caicos Islands have some of the best snorkeling and diving in the world with incredible visibility. Visit the White House Reef at Coral Gardens on Grace Bay beach when you head to our beautiful islands for your next vacation. The water’s great!!!!
See you soon,
Marta
Relaxing in the water is such hard thirsty work as this gentleman discovered.
What can I say………..this is the life. Floating along in our sparkling clear ocean while sipping on a beer. I hope you’ll come on down to enjoy our white sandy beaches and clear turquoise water. See you soon,
Marta
What a view! Over looking our anchored boat with Five Cays in the background.