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Turks & Caicos Islands
 You'll love diving the walls, reefs, offshore
shelves & pinnacles of these Caribbean islands -- at the extreme
southern tip of the Bahamas archipelago -- which on good days are
teeming with corals & scores of colorful species of marine life in
all shapes & hues. The diving in this sector of the Eastern
Caribbean is a little more advanced than what you'd find in Grand
Cayman or the Honduras Bay Islands, for example. Provo diving is
generally a tad deeper than Belize or Honduras diving, because of
the life-rich walls just begging to be drifted & explored. Currents
at some of the pinnacles can require a bit more athletic diving than
some other classic Caribbean diving islands offer. So we recommend
this for Provo diving clients: if you haven't been scuba diving for
a year or more, please do yourself a favor & take a simple, cheap
refresher course to get your skills back up to snuff. It's not
difficult to dive from Turks & Caicos Explorer; you'll do fine. But
it's best to be prepared. That goes for all quality diving live-aboards
such as the Turks & Caicos Explorer.
Folks who know the Caribbean well, will go to
Grand Turk Island for one key reason -- to enjoy some of the best
coral & fish life, & stunningly clear visibility, that you'll find
anywhere in the Eastern Caribbean. Grand Turk is not an island for
non-divers. You come here to see awesome fish & corals & sea walls,
& to relax, not to party down. That's the ticket here in the
incomparably lovely Turks & Caicos.
The idyllic islands of the Turks & Caicos sit
surrounded by turquoise waters containing over 1,000 square miles of
living coral reef. A Mecca for divers from all over the world, the
Turks & Caicos Islands are known for their expansive underwater
visibility, high-voltage wall dives, and the profusion of marine
life of all sizes located within their boundaries. Low annual
rainfall and reliable ocean currents contribute to the remarkable
visibility, as well as provide nutrients for the many large pelagics
common in these waters.
Caribbean reef sharks are common, as are spotted
eagle rays, jacks, grouper, and turtles. Also spotted on a frequent
basis are blacktips, tiger sharks, hammerheads, and manta rays.
Famous for its spectacular walls filled with huge gorgonian fans,
barrell sponges, hard-coral arches and macro life, the Turks &
Caicos Islands truly often a dive experience for everyone.
Dive the Turks & Caicos and LIVE Aboard the
Explorer
Newly-renovated and carrying 18 passengers and 7
crew, the vessel features 4 upper-deck staterooms, each with
queen-size bed and private bathroom and shower. A comfortable
seating and entertainment area with VCR/DVD, CD stereo and wet bar
is also located on the upper deck, just forward of the
lounge-equipped sundeck and barbeque area. The main deck features an
indoor dining salon, as well as the expansive dive deck with
individual gear bins, multi-level camera table, recharging station,
rinse bins, freshwater shower and wide ramp-style stairs to the dive
platform itself. Belowdecks are located 5 double cabins with private
sink and vanity and two shared bathrooms and showers, as well as the
E-6 photo lab.
U.S. Dive Travel believes the Turks & Caicos
Explorer is one of the best-value live-aboard diving yachts in the
Eastern Caribbean. This dive vessel is 106' long & 21' in beam. With
a crew of 6, the dive deck never feels like a Caribbean cattle boat.
The dive vacation cruises start in beautiful Providenciales island
then moves to West Caicos, & the routing is dependent upon variable
winds, weather & local ocean currents. As do the owners of U.S. Dive
Travel, our partners at Turks & Caicos Explorer focus keenly on
client safety & comfort, with special emphasis on scuba diving
safety at all times. The Turks & Caicos Explorer caters to
underwater photo buffs & has full E-6 slide processing on board,
plus a sun deck, entertainment center, 4 life rafts, a chase boat, &
world-class staterooms. If the Turks & Caicos Explorer owners have
left anything to chance here, it's only the weather & ocean
currents. And even with those variables, they have sussed them out
quite handily.
Few Caribbean live-aboards offer such a generous
platter of underwater adventure at such an outstanding price. Provo
diving & Caribbean live-aboards never have been the same since the
Turks & Caicos Explorer, an Explorer Ventures vessel, set the
highest of standard years ago. You'll get to see dramatic Caribbean
dropoffs teeming with pelagic fish, exciting offshore pinnacles,
too, which give you some electric deep diving with the big critters.
You'll see gorgeous overhanging reefs, tunnels & marine life of
every description.
There is much more to good Caribbean live-aboards
than just the scuba diving part, of course. The topside scenery on
Provo is nearly as nice. For example, there's one stretch of more
than nine miles of perfect white sandy beach, with very few
buildings or homes of any sort -- one of the most beautiful
trackless beaches in the entire Caribbean. Turks & Caicos Explorer
is a great live-aboard vessel to help you get away from the throngs
of tourists who descend on the more glitzy schmaltzy sectors of the
Caribbean every high season. Don't worry, even though Provo has a
small casino & a few nightclubs, it's no Jamaica or Roatan, no
Cancun or Cozumel. Give the sleek & sporty Turks & Caicos Explorer a
whirl. You'll have one fine live-aboard dive vacation to remember
for many years to come.
Since the inception in 1995 of Rodale's Scuba
Diving's Reader Survey Awards, the Turks & Caicos Explorer - in her
previous incarnation as Caribbean Explorer - has rated in the top
ten liveaboard dive boats worldwide in terms of customer service,
and was ranked the best dive operation in the world in 1996. As of
2003, Turks and Caicos Explorer's two sister ships - the
Northeastern Caribbean's Caribbean Explorer II, and Australia's
Nimrod Explorer - ranked #7 and #4, respectively, in Rodale's
readers' ranking of worldwide liveaboards.
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More about the Turks & Caicos Islands
The Turks & Caicos Islands, located 575
miles southeast of Miami, were first populated by the
Lucayan or Arawak Indians. Columbus claimed the islands for
Spain in 1492, which then in 1670 ceded them to Britain.
Dependencies of the Bahamas until 1874, the islands were
subsequently controlled by the Jamaican government. In 1962
the islands became a British Commonwealth Colony, which they
remain today.
The weather in the Turks & Caicos
Islands is remarkably consistent year-round. The
temperatures range from the 70s (F) or higher in the winter
months to the low 90s during the summer, with nearly
constant sea breezes. Water temperatures range from a low of
about 72 degrees F in winter to a high of about 82 degrees F
in summer. There is normally little appreciable current at
the sites we visit, and visibility is generally between 75
and 150 feet. Most divers are comfortable with a 3 mm
wetsuit in summer, and a 5 mm wetsuit with hooded vest in
winter.
Though many of the dive sites visiting
are outside the boundaries of the Princess Alexandra
National Park, which provides strict protection for much of
the marine life surrounding Provo, all of the dive operators
in the area enthusiastically support marine conservation and
preservation measures which ensure that the waters of the
Turks & Caicos remain pristine for future visitors.
Summaries and pictures
courtesy of Expedia.com |
Itinerary
Trip Details
Pricing does not include air-fare, but covers
lodging and breakfast. Please call
us, so we can assist you with flight and travel arrangements.
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How Do I Get There??
Please call us,
so we can assist you with flight and travel arrangements.
Just a Few Suggestions
Providenciales is well-served by jet service
from Miami and New York on American Airlines and USAir, as well as
from London by British Airways. Weekly charter flights from Canada
and other US cities is also frequently available. Casual attire is
appropriate on board, as well as throughout the islands. The US
Dollar is the official currency of the Turks & Caicos; power outlets
and 115-volt power are the same as in the USA. Passports are
recommended for all visitors; an ongoing or return ticket is
required. North American visitors may also enter with an original
copy of their birth certificate (with raised seal), coupled with one
piece of photo identification.
We suggest a weight limit
of 55 pounds per person because some smaller carriers may apply
excess charges [currently run .50 per pound]. The atmosphere in the
Turks & Caicos is very informal so it helps to pack lightly. On occasion,
luggage can be delayed and you may wish to include a few personal
items in a small carry-on.
You'll be asked to
complete a history form and to return it to the dive shop. Don't
forget your "C" card. You won't be able to dive without
it.
A valid Passport and
return or ongoing airline ticket is required for all visitors.
Currently, U.S., British and Canadian citizens can use a Birth
Certificate with a raised seal and photo ID as proof of citizenship.
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