Dive Review of Blue Water Divers in
Turks and Caicos

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Blue Water Divers, Jun, 2004, by anthony v. dresden, VA, 22206 . Report 1242.
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	[None]This past year marked my 13th visit to Grand Turk and its wonderful, healthy walls and reefs continue to please and amaze. Although the mantas are not as plentiful as they used to be, I was pleasantly surprised see that turtles are making a big comeback and saw one on almost every dive. Go figure. Some other divers even saw a tiger shark. I saw a very large Midnight Blue Parrotfish; the first I had come across in a couple of years. There are tons of tropicals and great coral. If you don’t have a big smile on your face after a Grand Turk dive, you need some serious medication. It’s indeed a magical place with effortless diving and sites never more than 10-15 minutes from your lodgings For over a decade, I have gone with Blue Water Divers – the island’s only PADI five-star facility, owned and operated by Mitch Rolling. Mitch came as a teenager to Grand Turk and is mentioned prominently in Stephen Harrigan’s wonderful book, Water and Light. By the time the Chapbook is published, Mitch will have logged over 8,000 dives on Grand Turk and this unparalleled experience counts in a big way. Now, you might think that after so many dives that Mitch would be bored but he and his great Turks Island divemaster, Conchy display enormous enthusiasm and do a fabulous job day in and day out. And it’s personalized service. You are not just a diver; you are a client and they want to make your dive experience memorable so you will come back – and there are a lot of repeat clients. Think the total opposite of cattle boats. Blue Water Divers’ boats are never overcrowded. Divers are polled as to what sites that have been on to avoid repeats. Mitch and Conchy will scour the reefs to find whatever weird blenny you need a photo of. They will help the novice diver while letting those with experience do their own thing. It’s simply a class act. Not to sound old and clichéd, but it’s the way diving used to be. As to accommodations, I followed Jenny Smith from the Salt Raker to the beachfront Osprey Beach which she now owns. Talk about turning a sow’s ear into a silk purse. This was once the infamous Kittina, which was subsequently placed under the witness protection program and renamed the Sitting Pretty. And Jenny pretty much gutted the place when she bought it and now, it’s a wonderful small hotel with lovely rooms and the same great staff she put together at the Salt Raker. Everyone is extremely friendly and they will go out of their way to help you in anyway they can. Again, a class act. The food is very good with a changing menu and plenty of fresh fish and lobster (in season) and there’s a great barbecue every Sunday and Wednesday night. Don’t miss Annamae’s key lime pie. Mitch and his local band, High Tide play on these nights after dinner. It’s a rock and scrape band combining rock and the rake ‘n scrape Bahamian style (think rip saws, screwdrivers as instruments). They’re great. One last note in the “paved paradise, put up a parking lot “category. There is a serious effort to bring cruise ships to Grand Turk – as soon as the Fall 2005. Any thoughts as what can be done to preserve this wonderful spot?
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	[Unspecified]Tobago, Dominica, Grenadines, St.Lucia, Bonaire, Bahamas, Little Cayman, Fiji, others
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	0-0°F / -18--18°C	Wetsuit Thickness	0
Water Visibility	75-150 Ft/ 23-46 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	None
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
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 in Turks and Caicos

Blue Water Divers, Jun, 2004,

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 in
Turks and Caicos