Humpback Whale

What a glorious sight........a humpbacked whale. Mickey and Jayne of Flamingo Divers and their group swam with this humback whale for the entire dive.

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 asome time up close and personal with a Humpbacked Whale on a recent dive trip.

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

http://www.diving.tc

 

Harbour Club Marina

Look at the amazing colours of the ocean!

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

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Dive Boats at Malcolm Roads

A storm at sea intensifies the turquoise colours of the ocean

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 is endemic to the Turks and Caicos Islands and Bahamas

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

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

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Snuba

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.

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

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

Snorkeling on Grace Bay

Not one, not two but THREE eagle rays at Coral Gardens reef

 Wow, what a great day of snorkeling at Coral Gardens reef on Grace Bay. Not one, not two but THREE spotted eagle rays. Our guests headed out snorkeling and came across these three spotted eagle rays. They also followed a young turtle and saw many other fish of all colours and sizes. The snorkeling and diving here in the Turks and Caicos is some of the best in the world. There’s lots of other neat places where you can see all sorts of marine life just waiting to be explored by you and your family.

Hope to see you soon!
 
Marta

http://www.diving.tc