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Dive Review of Blue Water Divers/Osprey Beach in
Turks and Caicos/Grand Turk

Blue Water Divers/Osprey Beach, Apr, 2007,

by Tim Kolakowski, PA, Erie (Contributor Contributor 12 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 3627.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments I've read many excellent reports on Grand Turk so we finally went during Easter Break 2007. Blue Water Divers always gets great reviews so I dove my 4 days on Grand Turk with them, then we went to Provo for 4 days. Like the reports say, it's a 5 minute boat ride in the Carolina Skiffs to the dive sites and the walls begin at 40-50 ft. The corals were, however, sandy and bleached like I've seen off Provo & Salt Cay in recent years. Unlike many past "Undercurrent" reports, we didn't see a single shark or anything out of the ordinary until the last half of my last dive...then suddenly it became the dive of my life - 6 dolphins joined us at 40 feet! They dove, surfaced, and played, over and over again, for a solid 20 minutes, passing with a few feet of us each times they cruised by. Some swam upside down, some were play-fighting as dogs sometimes do. One even backed itself down to the sandy bottom a few feet away from me on its tail, then leaned back towards me at a 45 degree angle and held that position for about 30 seconds. Imitating me, maybe? We actually had to swim away from them as we were getting low on air! 5 of the divers in our group missed a final encounter as two of the dolphins approached and one of them rolled on his back on the bottom and lay still for about 30 seconds...I could have almost scratched its belly! I was out of film at this point and the other diver didn't have a camera but many other pictures of this encounter are on a website, email me for it if interested.
The cruise ships are there, but the glitzy port with restaurants, bars, and shops is on the southern tip of the island, away from everything. It's literally quarantined by a giant gate, preserving the rest of the island's quaintness. Cockburn Town is charming and the old buildings are beautiful. If you go, try to meet Oswald E. Francis, a 91 year old Belonger who still works - he helps manage a warehouse in Cockburn Town. He'll tell you all about his life on Grand Turk and his time spent at sea. A fascinating man!
The Osprey is the only hotel on the beach, what a view! Great BBQ on Wednesdays when Mitch, the owner of Blue Water Divers, & his band play. Son James met another 10 year old at the hotel. The lighthouse is worth a visit if you drive around the island. Also check out Gibbs Cay, the uninhabited small scale Stingray City.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman, Key Largo, Grand Bahama, Curacao, Bonaire, Saba, St. Vincent, Jost Van Dyke, Provo, Salt Cay
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas calm
Water Temp 75-0°F / 24--18°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 75-100 Ft/ 23-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Stay with group
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 2 stars Large Fish 5 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

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

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 3 stars
UW Photo Comments Bucket in Carolina Skiff
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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