My wife and I have just recieved our PADI Open Water certificates and are
traveling to Turks and Caicos in a couple months for our first "real"
dives. We want recommendations on dive guides and what to expect. Any
recommendations will be appreciated. Thank you.
Dan Bracuk - 29 Jul 2005 03:02 GMT
angharad <angharad@nomail.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting
in:
:My wife and I have just recieved our PADI Open Water certificates and are
:traveling to Turks and Caicos in a couple months for our first "real"
:dives. We want recommendations on dive guides and what to expect. Any
:recommendations will be appreciated. Thank you.
If you haven't selected your resort yet, select one with an on-site
dive shop and dive with that shop.
That's my 2nd recommendation.
If I remember correctly, there was a reasonably recent (last couple of
months or so) there was a thread on some all inclusive in T&C -
beaches, sandals, or something else. If you do a Google Advanced
Groups Search you should find it. It will help you decide.
That's my 3rd recomendation.
My 1st recommendation is - if you want to do real diving in T&C,
consider a liveaboard. Peter Hughes, Aggessor, and Explorer all have
boats there. I have dove with all three fleets and like them all
(Peter Hughes is my fav). I have also done two Peter Hughes trips to
T&C. If the diving wasn't good, I wouldn't have done the 2nd, if ya
get my drift.
In any event, have a good trip.
Dan Bracuk
If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure.
chilly - 29 Jul 2005 07:04 GMT
> My wife and I have just recieved our PADI Open Water certificates and are
> traveling to Turks and Caicos in a couple months for our first "real"
> dives. We want recommendations on dive guides and what to expect. Any
> recommendations will be appreciated. Thank you.
At this point in time, *anywhere* you go, any diving that you do, any trip
that you take, , , will be amazing.
After you've had your first "real" dive "vacation", you'll have had such an
amazing experience that you'll just want more. And then better you'll be
able to determine what should be your next awesome dive experience. That's
when the advice of where you should go, where you should stay, on land or
liveaboard will mean something.
Ecnerwal - 08 Aug 2005 17:29 GMT
> My wife and I have just recieved our PADI Open Water certificates and are
> traveling to Turks and Caicos in a couple months for our first "real"
> dives. We want recommendations on dive guides and what to expect. Any
> recommendations will be appreciated. Thank you.
Well, my wife and I stayed on Providenciales a few years ago, and dove
with Turtle divers. While Turtle was fine, I'd strongly suggest diving
on a liveaboard, as several are available, and the land accomadations,
eateries, etc, all seemed rather obnoxiously "you must be here to visit
your illicit millions stashed in our offshore banks" in attitude &
pricing, IMHO & IME.
A liveaboard is actually a great place to dive from even if you are a
new diver, especially if you are smart enough not to pretend experience
you don't have - lots of helpful people, lots of available divemasters
and/or instructors, plenty of opportunity to practice, practice,
practice, and lots of nice stuff to see. With a destination like T&C,
not much (if any) more expensive than staying on land and paying for
room, food, transport and diving.

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Chip - 23 Aug 2005 17:44 GMT
The trick here and with any other place is to go with SMALL groups.
Nothing worse than the large boats with 15+ divers in the water at
once. The best guide in my opinion after 6 years of diving in Provo is
Ocean Vibes. The owner Wayne knows his stuff, his boat is swift and
quick, and if you are staying on Grace Bay (which I HIGHLY recommend),
he will do a beach pick up in the boat.
Just back from Provo, and I must say, the water is not a clear in
previous years, much to do with temps and the occurance of Algae. All
dive sites were affected, not just Grace Bay. What ever you do, you
MUST dive the site names Ampitheater off the coast of west caicos.
BRING A LIGHT!!!