Providenciales (Turks & Caicos)
Yup, this
is me in Provo. My first
experience in Caribbean diving came on a trip o the Turks &
Caicos Islands. The islands are, I believe, a dependency of
Britain and can be found at the southern tip of the Bahamas
chain. They are about a four hour flight away from Toronto, or a
one hour flight from Miami. The island I visited was Provo (short
for Providenciales). It is flat, has no town to speak of and it
is very dry. But, it is this very dryness and lack of fresh-water
runoff that causes the waters around the island to be so clear.
The island also offers about twelve miles of uninterrupted and
uncrowded white sand beaches, with fantastic snorkeling in some
spots.
The first time I set fin to warm water was off Provo at a spot
called West Caicos. I was blessed with 200+ feet visibility 
and the rest of
the week never saw visibility below 150 feet. Most of the diving
around Provo is wall diving. You drop to about 70-80 feet and
find the wall and swim alongside wonderfully pristine coral
formations, sea fans and huge elephant ear sponges. Below you the
water gradually gets a deeper and deeper blue, as it drops to
eventual blackness-the result of a sheer 2000 foot drop. The fish
life is prolific with the occasional pelagic more than a regular
occurrence. Although I was only lucky enough to encounter the
occasional nurse shark, there where reports of hammerheads the
week I was their, and whale sharks have also been known to
frequent the area.
I highly
recommend the diving in Provo, but I would suggest a trip in the
near future. Since I visited over two years ago, the popularity
of the island has exploded with divers and more and more
commercial development is taking place. Get their while you can
and enjoy the unspoiled diving while it lasts. To find out more
about the islands check out their website, and to discover more
about diving specifically, click HERE.
Any Comments? E-Mail Me At: divers_log@hotmail.com
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