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> Destinations > Turks & Caicos Islands > Trip Reports > Trip Report
I just returned from a ten day trip to South Caicos. The Club Carib has been
renamed South Caicos Ocean Haven and appears to be under stable management for
the first time in many years. Finally, the owner is on site and is also a
diver. The current staff includes three PADI Instructors.
The hotel itself is still pretty run down but it is clean and comfortable. No
phones or television, just a bed and bathroom. The food was decent and there
was enough of it -- a decided change from my last visit there three years ago.
The diving is spectacular for the advanced diver. The wall is sheer and covered
with an abundance of sponges, hard and soft corals. Pelagics were seen on over
half of our dives. On three dives, we saw schooling eagle rays (up to thirty in
a school). Southern Rays with 6 foot wingspans were common. As many as five
sharks at a time were seen among them white and black tip, lemon, carribean
reef and bull.
The reefs, according to U of Miami Marine Biologists, are among the healthiest
in the Carribean. In addition to the big critters, which we saw in abundance,
there was a profusion of smaller fishes.
The only downside of the diving is that some of it, especially East of East
Bay, is quite deep with the wall starting at about 100 fsw and the good stuff
another 20 to 50 feet down. Hence this is a place for the experienced diver
since there are also currents (not stiff ones). There is absolutely no damage
to the wall or reef -- something very special these days.
One caution, this is a trip best suited to groups. The airlines serving South
only operate two flights a day and it is not possible to get an early morning
pickup on departure unless there are at least five passengers. Groups also work
out best for the diving since the operator won't take newbies to the difficult,
but spectacular, sites.
Thanks to pflaum for this trip report ...
November 1999
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