Turks and Caicos Travel Blog

I’m jumping to Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), to see what this famous destination is all about.   Booked on a live aboard dive boat - for a week of diving.  Can’t wait !

Landing in Providenciales Island.   No Grand Turk on this visit..maybe next time.

Coming in from Dominican Republic on an ATR prop plane.  A one hour flight. Easy immigration,, no App requirement … something that is becoming rare in 2025.

I find a taxi at the small airport and I’m at my hotel 10 minutes later. This is a tiny island. Cool.

While making plans for TCI, I learn its crazy expensive.  Almost every hotel room is $800-1000/night.  And it only goes up from there.  After a long search,, I find a room for $275 and feel lucky.

The Ritz is $23k/week.. just a room. No food. No tips.. Wow…

My hotel is a small operation - under construction. An exception to the high high prices… Dreamcatcher Boutique Hotel (aka Grace Bay Studios).  The owner meets me as my taxi drops me off..

Absolutely cool. Swedish/Swiss guy.. He has a crew of workman there, is his own general contractor.. building out his 15 room hotel.. a life project. Looks like a good plan to me. It’s a great looking place. Quality construction.

He’s renting out rooms 'on-the-cheap' while construction is underway..  this is beautiful luxury.  A block off Grace Bay Beach.  I love this place!!

I arrange to rent an e-bike from him to explore the island,, and later, he gives me a ride to the marina,  to join my dive boat.  Generous of him.

I walk to Grace Bay Beach,, Insanely beautiful.  And the next day, explore the streets by e-bike.

With crystal water and snorkel reefs 10m off shore.. Picture perfect hotel after hotel line the waterfront.  This is Florida-level beaches,, with a Boca Grande feel.. It even has a Boca-Grande style downtown area.. they call downtown a ‘settlement’ 😊

This isn’t a destination for local Caribbean culture.. It’s life in a bubble here.  Just the rich and famous.. everything looks new. Even the marina.

Even so - I’m highly impressed with the island.. But it’s off the chart expensive.

I’ve only seen these exclusive prices on St. Barts and Anquilla.  Everywhere else in the Caribbean has a mid or lower price option..  Nothing in that category exists on Providenciales. Just high and higher.

My land-based visit is short, just 2 days…  I’m here for a live aboard dive boat.  An Aggressor. 120 feet, 10 cabins. With 14 other divers, and a crew of 7.  New friends.  A typical live aboard.  I’m in my element..

It’s easy to summarize TCI diving;;;    World class.

This takes me by surprise.

In the Caribbean;  Only Bonaire and Little Cayman can compete.  Clearly,   TCI is the second or third best diving in the Caribbean.  If you follow my blogs and adventures.. you know I’ve been around the world diving, and to almost every Caribbean island.  But .... Man-o-Man.. TCI is the real deal.

West Caicos in particular, is insanely good diving.  Sharks on every dive !!  Oceanic Trigger fish by the hundreds.. All the reef fish of the Caribbean make an appearance.  It’s not fantastic for Macro stuff here, and the coral is only mid-level quality ... but the larger marine animals are the best in the Caribbean… wow!

Although I say mid-level coral ,,, The hard coral is doing unusually well in TCI …  at least ‘well’ for the Caribbean.  It does suffer from Stoney Coral disease.. but not heavily..  Cool.  And I find zero bleaching. 

With interesting dive profiles… deep walls..  It’s not surprising that the soft coral is modest.. Soft coral prefers more shallow environments.. Possibly, some TCI dive sites I did not visit offer more Soft coral.. But for my dive adventure ... the hard coral reefs and walls dominate.

Schools of Horse eye Jacks are under the boat every dive..  Schooling Spade fish, Yellow tail snapper, Nassau Grouper... even a Goliath Grouper. Shocking numbers of Crabs on night dives.  I can’t say enough about the diving..   This live aboard will stay on my return list.. I highly recommend it!!

It is possible to dive West Caicos via a day/resort dive boat, out of Providenciales.   A 40+ minute trip out.. and you will get in 2 dives before a return.. A good alternative if not on a live aboard.  But in my case, being on a live aboard for a week – I get in as many as 5 dives/day.. including a night dive.. Outstanding and exhausting at the same time 😊

The dive profiles here are interesting.  Deeper dives than typical.  For me; Averaging 100ft.. The first dive of the day being 110-120ft ... shallowing up slightly as the day goes on.  Nitrox of coarse.  The water viz is stunning.. minimum of 100ft,, more at times.  Wow..  Maybe I’m lucky with my timing.. but this is outrageous!  I’m here in June/2025… water is around 81F .. I use a 3m to stay toasty.

West Caicos is uninhabited.  No sewage pipes, No fishing, No Cruise ships.  Surprise. Surprise…. The fish and reef are happy.

Diving off Northwest Providenciales is also excellent.. again - No fishing,  with very-low human population density..  with a well regulated sewage management requirements. NO-cheating!! No dumping directly into the ocean!!  ... still - the West Caicos sites win that comparison .. they are pristine. If your ever in TCI, get there if you can!!

I come away with 700 photos, and 20 video’s.. with more 360 video work awaiting me ... so much to share. 

This TCI dive adventure leaves me at 170 dives for the year.. Kit up, and Rock n Roll !!

My diving adventure and time on TCI comes to a fast close.. It’s off the boat.. and to the airport..

Caribbean Reef Shark

Onward.

Turks and Caicos Travel Blog