Dive Review of Blue Water Divers & Grand Turk Divers in
Turks and Caicos

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Blue Water Divers & Grand Turk Divers, Mar, 2008, by keith Pereira, WI, USA ( 2 reports). Report 4055.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Grand Turk Manta House, Blue Water divers & Grand Turk Divers Took Sky King Puddle jumper from Provo to Grand Turk very easy 20 min flight Took cab ($16 for the both of us) to the Manta House which is on the West side of the island where all the dive operators and accommodations are (Pond Street). Stayed at Manta House’s Northwest Bungalow with 2 bedroom, kitchen, bath in a stand alone cottage. Although not luxury, its nice accommodations 50 yards from the ocean and 5 min walk to any restaurant or dive shop. Accommodations on Pond Street are fairly reasonable ($75 -$150) with most visitors being divers looking for easy access to dive shops and a place to eat & drink…all GT accommodations on Pond Street appear to satisfy that need. Restaurants were a bit pricey, but not as pricey as Provo and the service was head and shoulders above Provo. Drink prices were surprisingly less than Provo. Recommend going to the liquor store for drinks in your room . Also you could just walk to another location within 5 like Osprey Beach hotel, the Sandbar, Salt Raker Inn, Turks Head Inn. Unlike Provo it is all laid back and mellow with beach wear, sandals cutoffs being the norm. Although in town at the grocer and other stores it was frowned upon to enter with beachwear (females). Diving Through word of mouth I had heard good things about all 3 dive operators close by: Blue Water Divers, Grand Turk Divers (Smitty) and Oasis Divers. On recommendation I dove a few days with Blue Water and a few days with Smitty at GT Divers The 2 dive DM’s Rob the Welshman and a Kiwi (sorry his name escapes me) during my days were both competent divers who did a good job. On the 3 days I was there at least 2 of the 6-8 divers were taking some certifications…either OW or AOW…so the Kiwi was usually busy with that group. BWD has a 35 ft (boat capable of comfortably handling 10 or so divers.…they p/u on the beach right in front of the House and a short 10 minute ride to the dive sites…surface intervals we usually came back and grab a bite or just chill on the beach (only drinking water was provided on the boat) Like Provo, bankroll entry’s and exit via a small latter in the back after handing up your weight belt and BC. The equipment provided by BWD was worn and in less than optimal shape, most BCD’s were frayed, had cracked/broken buckles, hose connections were loose, Regs leaked and shuttered…I actually had to switch mine out after a dive due to difficulty breathing at 80ft! Although I asked for a computer for each day diving they supposedly had none to offer…finally Rob let me use his spare…thanks Rob!!! Despite these shortfalls Rob did a good job providing safe, fun diving and allowed me to dive my profile as I wanted. The dive sights were all very good with visibility ranging from 80-120 ft although 1 day we had about 60 ft vis due to upsurge. The walls are very dramatic and the drop offs are breathtaking. Corals appear to be in good shape with fairly diverse reef architecture. Heard whale song on almost every dive and of course the usual suspects including spotting and following an octopus during the day as he hunted for food on the corals. Rob did a great job ensuring the divers went to dive sights they wanted and also pointed out some fascinating underwater structures that might ordinarily be overlooked (anchors, coral formations etc). In general BWD were very good and a provided first class diving at your own pace and skill level….but I would recommend you bring your own gear or rent prior to going there. Grand Turk Divers Prior to going there I had heard from a few experienced GT divers, that I Had to dive with Smitty…who was an icon there and had been diving in these waters for a long time. I set up a couple of days diving with him…and it was as advertised. GTD has a small 30 ft boat at the end of pond street that p/u at the beach. Smitty caters to smaller group diving but this was amazing….One day there was 1 other diver and the other day I was solo with Smitty…it was like a personal tour! The equipment at GTD was in very good shape no tears, leaks or other issues, and finally had a computer for me each of the days I requested….entry is the same as everywhere on TCI, bankroll in, exit via small ladder at the back of boat. Smitty does a great job assessing you skill and then providing you the most dramatic, outstanding diving experience. On our solo dive we were able to experience some very unique (and deep) wall formations yet still have an extended dive enjoying all that the walls/corals have to offer. On one particular dive after a deep dive to observe some turtles etc .the last 30 minutes was spent over the sand…Smitty was great pointing out rays, bat fish, and other sand creatures that are easily overlooked. He had a great way of getting your attention to point out something and left it fort you to decide to look or pursue your own profile. On the second day my girlfriend joined us on the boat, and we purposely went to a spot where he and I could view some amazing walls and reef animals and she could snorkel near the boat and experience some wonderful marine habitat… Diving with GTD was a great time and tapping into Smitty’s experience made it that much more enjoyable.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Fiji, Hawaii, Mexico, Florida Keys, Carribean
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm, no currents
Water Temp	75-80°F / 24-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	75-100 Ft/ 23-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	>2
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Blue Water Divers & Grand Turk Divers in Turks and Caicos

Blue Water Divers & Grand Turk Divers, Mar, 2008,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Blue Water Divers & Grand Turk Divers in
Turks and Caicos