Turtle Cove Marina, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos

Our second day of diving and only 5 onboard today, so just one group of divers diving with Dave. Ironically, we head out to North West point where we moored on our way in to Provo. The North West point of Provo drops off to 2000m deep within a couple of miles of the shore creating an excellent wall dive. The Amphitheatre is a natural overhang of coral from the wall, it was a good dive, lots of different species and looking over into the abyss.

Dive 1: The Amphitheatre

 Queen Triggerfish 

Shoal of horse-eyed jacks swim close by

The red-striped lobster a local species 

Fan coral 

Sea Anemone 

The second dive site was literally within 5 minute’s boat ride just along the wall of the North West point. The weather however wasn’t quite so good with thunder and forked lightening in the distance amongst grey overcast skies. The second dive called “The Crack” leads through a fissure in the coral, quite easy to find when you know how as a black and yellow striped fibre optic cable is literally laid across the bottom just before it which acts as a landmark. Just like buses, after waiting for for three dives, 3 long awaited sharks appear on this dive, black tipped reef sharks to be exact. The sharks, patrol the shelf as this is where many fish come to feed. This was certainly the best dive we did in Turks and Caicos, lots of life and impressive drop-offs on the wall, though if anything the visibility was not quite as good here.

Dive 2: The Crack

A Black Tipped Reef Shark – at last!

A Green Moray Eel being cleaned by Blennies 

Large coral 

Honeycomb Cowfish  A difficult one to spot – Spotted Scorpionfish

Type of Puffer fish?

After the dive the boat is taken round to South Side marina on the southern coast of Provo. It was good to head across the reef in someone else’s boat and see all the small limestone islets and blue waters. It was pouring with rain by the time we disembarked and we were bused back to Turtle Cove marina, pleased with ourselves not to have chosen South Side marina miles down and unmade road with very little around it.

We dropped our kit back at the boat then went to settle up for our diving. It is pouring down still and we are soaked by the time we get back to the boat, but we enjoy a quiet afternoon listening to the rain catching up on blogging etc (after some prompting from Jean on the comments!). A long hot shower and I am thrilled to realise I can actually use my hair drier as we are on unlimited shore power – the first time I have done this onboard!!!

Sunset and Sinatra evening 

A lovely evening on the boat looking at the sunset and dancing to Frank Sinatra in the cockpit, followed by a fairly well matched gin rummy game.