Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of Caicos Adventures/The Sands in
Turks and Caicos/Providenciales

Caicos Adventures/The Sands, Jul, 2002,

by Michael Kamens, Ohio, USA . Report 22.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 3 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 3 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments I had read the previous chapbook reviews on Fifi and his Caicos Adventures and was expecting a one of a kind dive trip. Unfortunately a lot has changed over the past year or so. While I expected small groups at pristine sites and superior customer service, I was discouraged to end up on a boat with close to 30 divers making for a typical cattle boat experience. The boat was chaotic, the diving crowded and frankly aside from one fantastic dive master (Canard), the service was very poor. The fish life was not quite what was advertised either. We saw a couple reef sharks and two beautiful eagle rays, but there was little activity on the reefs and the vis was at best 75 feet or so. The walls seemed healthy but not void of damage and were very monotone in their appearance. As advertised we dove exclusively off West Caicos and French Cay. On our last day, the boat was reduced to a total of 8 divers (as I expected for the whole trip) and while the sites were not earth shattering, at least we were able to enjoy the dives without seeing more humans that fish. My guess is that success has changed Caicos Adventures into another run of the mill dive operation and that is a shame.

The Sands was fantastic on the other hand. The facilities were clean and the staff attentive and very pleasant. They have a gorgeous pool and landscaped grounds that made for relaxing afternoons. They offer free usage of hobey cats and non-motorized water sport equipment and the beach was breath taking.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving [Unspecified]
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy, dry Seas calm, choppy
Water Temp 82-84°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Offered option to dive on own with computer and buddy with little to no restrictions or to follow divemaster on computer.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins 1 or 2 Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

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]
Was this report helpful to you?
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 393 dive reviews of Turks and Caicos and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 
Featured Links from Our Sponsors
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Reef & Rainforest, Let our experience be your guide -- Reef and Rainforest
Reef & Rainforest, Dive & Adventure Travel
A full service dive travel agency that specializes in Turks & Caicos. We know the best Caribbean and Pacific diving

Want to assemble your own collection of Turks and Caicos reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

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.

Undercurrent Home


Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email.
And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.1 seconds