Diving in the Turks and Caicos

Harbour Club Villas and Marina mooring dive boats a short walk away
Harbour Club Villas and Marina mooring dive boats a short walk away

The MARINA at Harbour Club Villas is home to two top notch dive companies. This makes for a very convenient, few minutes walk for our diving guests. If you are diving with Aqua TCI and Flamingo Divers you’re just a short easy walk away from your dive boat!

Harbour Club Villas and Marina has dive boats leaving daily for many of our spectacular dive sites.

Harbour Club’s six villas provide the best in dive accommodation on Providenciales. One bedroom villas fully equipped with kitchen, large living area and with pool and gazebo. These stand alone villas are just made for a great diving vacation for couples, families as well as small dive groups. Just a short walk takes you to the docks and dive excursions.

An open living and dining area, with sofa bed and couches.

The Turks and Caicos Islands have some of the most spectacular reefs and diving. We are blessed with the second largest reef system in the Western Hemisphere and divers will be amazed at the numerous dive sites (some 90 sites)………North West Point, West Caicos, Sandbore Channel, French Cay and Grace Bay.

We have about 300 miles of barrier reef and in Provo with boat rides of up to 40 minutes or so from our dock. WOW, the visibility is easily in the range of 80 feet or more. 

Guests have a short walk in the mornings to go diving
A short walk from the villas takes you down to the marina
A short walk down to Aqua TCI and other boats in the mornings.

Aqua TCI is just down the hill and the photo shows our tiki hut peeking through the trees.  A short walk further down the dock, you will find Flamingo Divers. They are within walking distance from our villas……….so how convenient is that!

You can be up and out the door, walk down to the dock and be on your dive boat within minutes.

Scuba diving accommodation at Harbour Club Villas and Marina in the Turks and Caicos Islands with dive boats moored in the Marina
Scuba diving accommodation at Harbour Club Villas and Marina with dive boats moored in the Marina
Aqua TCI in Cooper Jack Bay just outside the Marina coming into the channel.

Harbour Club’s Marina is the eastern portion of South Side Marina where several dive operators moor their boats.

Provo’s best dive operators run dive boats from the marina at Harbour Club Villas

FLAMINGO DIVERS with Mickey and Jayne

“We love diving….we love people….so therefore we love taking people diving.”          Between these two lovely people, they have over 52 years of professional diving experience!!

Flamingo Divers are usually the first to head out for dive sites at West Caicos, French Cay or the North West Point………..there’s some 90 sites out there.

Mickey and Jayne are specialists in small group diving with never more than six divers.

Flamingo Divers provide “World Class, small group Scuba Diving At Your Fin Tips”.

A high percentage (some 83%) are returning divers and they tailor dive profiles to suit preferences and levels of experience so book early to save your space. 

Dive with Mickey and Jayne of Flamingo Divers.
Awesome diving with a humpback whale

Jayne writes “Stairway to Heaven at West Caicos. Well….this site earned its name today! 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, bitter sweetly so, we had to finish our dive.”

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Great excitement on seeing a whale shark.

AQUA TCI  with Bill and Stephanie 

Bill and Stephanie …….diving with the best of the best

These two beautiful people have been diving for 20 years and their mantra is: “All that’s required from you is to relax, DIVE and chill!” They do all the work for you and all you have to do is ENJOY. 

They guide no more than 8 certified divers per trip on custom dive boats seen below.

Chuck’s Mate dive boat gives guests options on a larger boat. It is a 36 foot Newton Dive special which will hold between 12 and 14 divers but capable of taking on a few more.

Aqua TCI dive boats heading out for diving off the reefs of Provo
Restaurant close by to Harbour Club Villas lodging on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands
Marina showing Bob’s Bar and Eats. A great spot for sunsets and delicious food in a casual setting

Grab your morning coffee and just walk to your dive boat in the mornings. Dive sites are about 40- 45 minutes away.

Heading out for the reefs of Providenciales and some fabulous diving.
Aqua TCI heads home over calm seas after diving the reefs
Amazing flat calm waters on this day as Aqua TCI heads home from French Cay
 

Malcolm Roads beach and the Northwest Point – these dive sites, are approximately a 40 minute boat ride from Harbour Club Marina. The wall starts at 35 feet and plunges to more than 3000 feet. Divers will see black coral, tube sponges and wire coral with abundant schools of fish. 

Liveaboard out by Malcolm Roads beach

Great underwater photos are by Michael Morton.

Thanks Mike for the super photos!

Beautiful yellow tube sponges
Corals and fish in the clear waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands
Scuba dive boats heading to the many dive sites of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands
Aqua TCI heading out to French Cay on a calm day.

French Cay – is a tiny atoll about 15 miles due south of Providenciales and offers virtually no shelter from the seas so it simply has to be dived in good, calm weather. It is well worth the 50 minute boat ride with some of the best walls and reefs in the islands. It has two distinguishing features which make for great dives. First, the wall faces south and is usually well lit by the sun’s rays. Secondly, the top of the wall is relatively shallow at 40 feet and well covered with coral clumps rather than the sand bottom which is found on West Caicos sites.

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Coming out of the channel and on the way to French Cay………what a day………..flat calm.

French Cay is protected and is an amazing bird sanctuary

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French Cay is a protected island and bird sanctuary with numerous dive sites.
Colonies of birds like this brown noddy out at French Cay
Pelicans and noddies perched on a log.

Sandbore Channel – Lying halfway between Providenciales and West Caicos, Sandbore Channel is outside the marine park and has some of the best diving with walls that are sloped or sheer. Good area to watch for for eagle rays, dolphins and sharks.

Spotted eagle ray glides past
A chance to see beautiful sharks gliding by

West Caicos – Located 10 miles southwest of Providenciales, West Caicos is an uninhabited island offering six miles of protected leeward side walls that are found about 100-150 yards from shore. The wall starts from 35-45 feet, dropping to approximately 6,000 feet and there’s more than 2 dozen dive sites. .Caribbean, black tip reef shark, and eagle rays are often seen along the sheer walls. This is your best chance to spot wild flamingos, osprey and brown pelican. West Caicos is approximately 45 minutes from our dock.

Coming straight at you……up close with a shark
A school of pretty grunts on the reef
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And YES, you may be lucky enough to see JoJo the dolphin. This photo is by Jodi Taylor

A little note for those who don’t dive. No need to be left behind as ‘Bubble watchers’ can come out with the divers on all the boats.

Book a villa at Harbour Club close to the dive boats…..let’s go diving.

And so, when you are ready to plan that dive trip to the Turks and Caicos, give us a call or send us an email. We have most of the dive operators within walking distance of our villa accommodation. We can book everything for you and as you can see, we have the best dive operators right here. These dive operators all leave daily from close by Harbour Club’s Marina and head for Providenciales’ most spectacular diving – uninhabited West Caicos and French Cay, located on the edge of the Caicos banks where the wall drops to deep blue depths of 7000 feet.

Marta  

Queen Angelfish

The Queen Angelfish is one of the most beautiful and colourful fish found in the warm waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands

The Queen Angelfish is one of the most beautiful and colourful fish found in the warm waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands

Such amazing colours….electric blue speckled with a bright canary yellow body, yellow tail , fins and a face that has blue highlights around the eyes and mouth. The Queen Angelfish stands out in a crowd because of all that colour but this too works perfectly so that this fish can  hide and blend in with the surrounding vibrance of the coral reefs in our area.

Queen Angelfish have a speckled, blue ringed spot that loks like a crown

Queen Angelfish have a speckled, blue ringed spot that looks like a crown

The royal title comes from this distinctive marking. It is a blue circle on the top of its head, known as the “crown” that gives this fish its name. 

This shy fish feeds on the sponges, algae and soft corals of the reef.

This shy fish feeds on the sponges, algae and soft corals of the reef.

They are quite large for reef-dwellers and can grow up to 18 inches (45 centimeters) in length. The Queen Angel has a  rounded head and small beak-like mouth. They have these long upper and lower fins that stream dramatically behind them. Although I love the Queen Angelfish best, The French Angelfish is also among the most beautiful of all the reef fishes.

The French Angelfish.....it's scales have bright yellow edges, making a vibrant pattern against its dark blue body.

The French Angelfish.....it's scales have bright yellow edges, making a vibrant pattern against its dark blue body.

A big thankyou to our Harbour Club guests Brian Gatt and Connie McEgan for their spectacular photos of the French Angelfish. I don’t dive (only snorkel) so I have to rely on others for underwater photos. The Queen Angel photos were taken by our son Mike on some of his regular visits to Provo.

The French Angelfish has a light blue face, gray/white mouth, and yellow highlights on its eyes, gill plates, and fins.

The French Angelfish has a light blue face, gray/white mouth, and yellow highlights on its eyes, gill plates, and fins.

I’m sure you’ll see these exotic fish as you snorkel at Smith’s Reef and the Bight Reef at Coral Gardens. For those that scuba dive, our coral reefs and walls are some of the best in the world. Come to the Turks and Caicos Islands for your next dive vacation and stay with us at  Harbour Club Villas. Dive boats leave our Marina every day  and if you don’t dive, snorkeling is great here too.

 

Marta

 

 

http://www.diving.tc

Lionfish in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Beautiful and colourful but a disastrous predator eating juvenile fish on Turks and Caicos Islands reefs.

Beautiful and colourful but a disastrous predator eating juvenile fish on Turks and Caicos Islands reefs.

Lionfish are also known as Turkey fish, Dragon fish or scorpion fish and they are now a serious threat to our coral reefs and surrounding waters here in the Turks and Caicos Islands. If left to their own devices, lionfish could multiply in number into the millions eating up all marine life on the reef and then move into shallower waters where they will find conch and lobster. They are an extremely invasive species.

A snuba gal comes face to face with a Lionfish and Jodi from Snuba TCI snapped this great photo.

A snuba gal comes face to face with a Lionfish and Jodi from Snuba TCI snapped this great photo.

In June of 2009, Jodi and Snuba TCI donated $1200.00 worth of Lionfish catching gear….nets, gloves and collecting bags and gave it to the DECR on Provo. Jodi has caught at least 18 Lionfish on the Bight Reef at Coral Gardens also known as the White House Reef. I believe the first Lionfish sighted way back in 2006 was in this area. Today, all the dive operators are taking up the battle to catch any Lionfish they see out at the dive sites.

Lionfish have up to 18 needle like dorsal fins which contain venom purely for defensive purposes.

Lionfish have up to 18 needle like dorsal fins which contain venom purely for defensive purposes.

Lionfish are not poisonous but their spines are venomous and can cause a nasty sting to humans. They rely on lightening quick reflexes and camouflage to catch their prey.  They are a perfectly safe and delicious food fish once the fins have been removed. What remains is a tasty filet that’s as good as grouper according to some. The DECR has launched a 12 month long lionfish tournament which will award $3,000.00 to the first fisherman to record 3,000 lionfish catches.

Lionfish will hopefully be added to the menu at many of our islands' restaurants.

Lionfish will hopefully be added to the menu at many of our islands' restaurants.

Here’s what you can do to help:  Ask for lionfish at your favourite restaurants. Ask Mickey and Jayne of Flamingo Divers or Jodi to show you how to catch them (other island dive operators can show you too). Join REEF and give a donation towards their research or just by collecting data on lionfish when you dive.

Thanks once again to Jodi of Snuba TCI and Jayne of Flamingo Divers for such great photos of Lionfish.

 

Marta

 

http://www.diving.tc

Seahorse spotted while diving

Jayne of Flamingo Divers snapped this photo of a small seahorse while diving on Saturday

Jayne of Flamingo Divers snapped this photo of a small seahorse while diving on Saturday

Our guests at Harbour Club Villas have been out diving with Mickey and Jayne of Flamingo Divers for the past three days. What a highlight when Jayne discovered this little seahorse which was tucked away and very well hidden. It is a rare occurance to be the first to discover a new seahorse on a dive site. The dive operators here share this information with each other so they can point out the seahorse to their divers.

Another guest of ours Brian Gatt snapped this photo of Jayne taking a photo of another seahorse they came across last year

Another guest of ours Brian Gatt snapped this photo of Jayne taking a photo of another seahorse (see the orange tail ) they came across last year

On Saturday, Aug 1, Flamingo Divers were out at the dive sites of the North West Point and these creatures are quite rare and so very beautiful.
Seahorses are so named because they have a horse shaped head and a body and tail which is covered with concentric boney rings.

Brian got a great photo of Jayne's camera shooting the little seahorse

Brian got a great photo of Jayne's camera shooting the little seahorse

Brian's unbelieveably great photo of a seahorse

Brian's unbelieveably great photo of a seahorse

Seahorses vary in colour including orange, red, yellows, grey and greens and they change colours to blend in with their surroundings. They are not good swimmers and are most likely to be seen resting in sea grass beds or coral reefs with their prehensile tail wrapped around something that is stationary.

Seahorses vary in size from 1 1/2 to 12 inches long and don't generally travel long distances

Seahorses vary in size from 1 1/2 to 12 inches long and don't generally travel long distances

Seahorses only have one mate and it is the male that gives birth to its live young. The female seahorse lays eggs directly into the male’s pouch on his abdomen where he immediately fertilizes them as they are deposited. One or two months later he gives birth to tiny replicas of the adults.

We hope you are lucky enough to see one of these rare creatures when out diving in the clear waters and on our coral reefs in the Turks and Caicos Islands. If you are looking for some great diving, give Flamingo Divers a call………Mickey and Jayne are the best and give an exceptionally personalized service to all who dive with them.

See you under the water as you dive  and explore our reefs.

 

Marta

 

http://www.diving.tc

Lobster Season Opens

The Caribbean Spiny Lobster locally known as crawfish

The Caribbean Spiny Lobster locally known as crawfish

Lobster season opens today and I’m sure all available boats will be out  today fishing for lobster. The Caribbean Spiny Lobster is also known as langouste, rock lobster, crayfish and crawfish and they tend to shelter in crevices of rocks and coral reefs during the day and coming out at night to feed. They have a striped body, brown-gray in colour with yellow spots on the segmented tail.

Lobsters covered the bottom of this boat

Lobsters covered the bottom of this boat

 In the Turks and Caicos Islands lobster season is from Aug 1 to March 31 and some of our fishermen learned to dive at a young age and have inherited their knowledge of lobster from their fathers or other family members.

Yum!  Lobster tails for dinner this evening the opening day of lobster season!

Yum! Lobster tails for dinner this evening the opening day of lobster season!

Boats usually carry team of 2 to 4 fishermen and since the fishing boats have a shallow draft, they can stop directly over patch reefs on the Caicos Banks. The spiny lobsters are found hiding in crevices and under coral outcroppings.

A boat load of lobsters destined for many of Provo's restaurants

A boat load of lobsters destined for many of Provo's restaurants

 

I couldn't resist putting in this photo (sorry Laura!!) but this was simply the biggest lobster I've ever seen. It was huge!

I couldn't resist putting in this photo as this was simply the biggest lobster I've ever seen. It was huge!

Our guests at Harbour Club Villas will be heading to Baci’s Ristorante this evening where John will be preparing a delicious lobster feast for this evenings diners. Come on down to Baci’s for fine dining in an Italian terrazzo style ambiance nightly fresh fish and lobster specials. Hope to see you there!

 

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Starfish

A starfish or Cushion Star in the shallows at Bonefish Point

A starfish or Cushion Star in the shallows at Bonefish Point

On numerous trips out to Bonefish Point, we have always spotted these brilliantly orange Cushion Stars which are thick bodied species of starfish with short legs. On this particular day, the sky and water were exceptionally clear and the cushion star was actually lying on the sand in very shallow water.

Colours range from brown to orange, red and yellow

Colours range from brown to orange, red and yellow

Cushion Stars are echinoderms which are found decorating our reefs all around the world. Here in the Turks and Caicos Islands we find and see them frequently in many areas usually on sandy bottoms and amongst the sea grass.

Tube like feet enable cushion stars to move along the sandy sea bottom

Tube like feet enable cushion stars to move along the sandy sea bottom

All of the echinoderms move around with the use of tiny tube feet many of which have suction cups on the end of them.

Tina gently lifts a cushion star to take a closer look

Tina gently lifts a cushion star to take a closer look

This sea star ( the Cushion Star) is easily viewed and identified because of its size, colour and thickness and because it is usually found close to shore.

The brightly orange coloured cushion star has a hard shell with raised knobby spines

The brightly orange coloured cushion star has a hard shell with raised knobby spines

Take a look off the edges of the sand bar at Bonefish Point……….you’ll be sure to see several of these brightly coloured cushion stars. We’ve seen smaller brown and more yellowish ones out there too.

 

Marta

 

http://www.diving.tc

Summer fun on Provo

Hard to believe but the water really is this colour......Malcolm Roads beach and you can see a dive boat in the background

Hard to believe but the water really is this colour......Malcolm Roads beach and you can see dive boats in the background

Join us for some summer fun in the islands. The turquoise water sparkles under the glorious sunshine and all our beaches are just waiting for you.  The snorkeling is great and divers,  just grab your dive buddy and you’ll enjoy exploring our abundant underwater sealife and coral reefs.

See you soon,

 

Marta

 

http://www.diving.tc