Grand Turk

Blue Water Divers/Salt Raker Inn, March 1995, Martina Schlauch, Chicago, IL. "Out of the way and not overrun with divers. Salt Raker Inn was simple but pleasant. Jenny and staff are great. The diving was excellent and Mitch and Dave were great guides. Tons of great fish/coral life."

Blue Water Divers/Salt Raker Inn, May 1995, Dale Lukasik, Arlington Heights, IL. "Diving fantastic. Picked up on the beach in front of The Salt Raker in 22' Carolina skips with large canopies for shade. Roomy enough for eight divers. Always more than enough tanks although not all filled to 3000 lbs. Always extra gear on board including extra BCD's and regulators. As many as 17 divers and two boats and as few as 4 divers on one boat. Service personal and professional. Enjoyed diving with towner Mitch Rollings. Dave and Carl to be commended. Mitch sang underwater and also sings at the Salt Raker. More experienced divers, some new divers. Divemasters kept an eye out for new divers but allowed experienced divers to dive on their own. Walls started at 35­45 ft, with this shallow start and finish to dives the bottom time was long even with dives to the 100 ft level."

Blue Water Divers/Salt Raker Inn, June 1995, Campbell Wood, Houston, TX. "Easy relaxed diving. Only negative comment: An 80 ft first dive and 60 ft second dive limits are too restrictive. Reefs in great shape - mantas in two dives, dolphins on surface once."

Blue Water Divers/Sea Eye Divers, Salt Raker Inn, July 1995, Charles & Laura Walker, Ft. Worth, TX. "Salt Raker Inn rustic and comfortable, a little hotel with a fine kitchen. Jenny and her staff were friendly and attentive, doing their best with the limited supplies on this island. Excellent spot for just diving, dining and relaxing on the beach in front of the Inn. . . . Blue Water Divers has a friendly and helpful staff, but lost our business because of foul petroleum flavored air. (They said they changed the filters, but the taste remained.) Boats in poor shape without even drinking water aboard. . . . Switched to Sea Eye Divers where the air tasted like champagne. Grand Turk has beautiful walls with hearty coral and sponges. One playful acrobatic manta ray, but not as much large marine life as neighboring Providenciales."

Blue Water Divers/Salt Raker Inn, July 1995, Silas Campbell, Deland, FL. "Of 20 islands I've been on in Caribbean, Grand Turk diving is in the top 25%. Good numbers of large fish, close look at a feeding manta. Island covered with trash. Food overpriced and sometimes frozen seafood entrees (was ill 1 day with symptoms strongly suggesting food poisoning). Inn does not cater just to divers, but business people that stay up late. Island, food, and facilities in bottom 25% of my trips. Brian Sheedy's on Salt Cay in the Turks is a much better experience."

Blue Water Divers/Salt Raker Inn, July 1995, Esther and Jonathan Barron, Oklahoma City, OK. "Reefs pristine and undamaged. Vis 150 ft to 50 ft. Turtles, nurse sharks, spotted eagle rays, stingrays. On night dives also saw octopi, puffer fish, orange ball anemones, shrimp. Divemasters Mitch and Carl were excellent, boat Spartan. Accommodations were fine, food mediocre. Turks Head Inn food was better. Not a place to go for nondivers."

Blue Water Divers/Salt Raker Inn, January 1996, Gloria Davis, St. James, MO. "Good diving freedom, could go by ourselves, with buddy, or with divemaster, could dive own profile. Walls started in 30 ft. of water, great vis., no current, heathy coral: spotted drum, flamingo tongue, tiger shark cruising the wall beneath us. Divemasters friendly and helpful. Vis:100­200 ft. water: 78°. . . . Inn is small and friendly - nothing fancy but comfortable and clean. Food pricey but very good; kept cereal and milk in our room for breakfast but ate all other meals in the hotel. Hotel has hundreds of paperback books and stacks of dive magazines. . . . Nothing to do but dive, evenings got long as we are nondrinkers and didn't hang out in the bars except when our divemasters had their twice weekly "Mitch and Dave Show." Not a place to bring a nondiving friend unless they just want to relax. Hotel let the cats and dogs have free run of the bar and restaurant; you would be enjoying a great meal and a cat or dog would come and beg or go under your table. Found cats asleep on tables in the am."

Blue Water/Salt Raker, February 1996, Bob Jacon, E. Greenbush, NY. "No rush operation; two tanks a day. Boats Spartan and wet. Mitch is personable, a good diver and great singer. Despite the food, the Salt Raker will help you unwind. Hot popcorn, a brew and a sunset at The Water's Edge ended the perfect day. vis: 80 ft. water: 77°­78°."

Blue Water Divers/Salt Raker Inn, March 1996, Zygmunt F. Dembek, Ph.D. "Be prepared to set your watch to "island time" here! Quaint Spartan Inn. Walk along sandy beaches, snorkel (with the resident stingray) in front of hotel. Air mid­80's; water 74°­76°, got chilled on second dive with a 2 mm skin. Vis: 60 to 120 feet. . . . Most wall dives had superior coral, however, silting affecting southwestern sites. 8 foot diameter elephant ear sponges, black coral at 45 feet, orange ball corallimorphs on a night dive,. lack of big critters on the wall. They had footage taken of a whale shark a few weeks prior to our visit. Large tiger groupers, occasional mackerel and barracuda; number of small tropicals astounding. Macro photographer's paradise! Thousands of fairy basslets at the Tiki Hut. Spotted spiny lobsters, goldentail morays common. Indigo hamlet at McDonald's. First dive 80­90 feet, second 60 feet, night dive if 4 or more sign up. While driving to the boats one morning (water was too rough for the routine boarding at hotel) Carl stopped at his mother's house to get the divers fresh-baked cookies!. . . . kitchen staff, Annamae, Ivy and Cheralyn run the best restaurant on the island. Fresh grouper, conch; lobster tails so huge we sent the remainder back to be made into lobster salad for the next days lunch! Frozen custard-like key lime pie sensational. . . . Fly from Provo to Grand Turk via Turks & Caicos Airways, I was shocked to see our bags returning to the terminal as we were boarding our plane! If T&CA decides that the weight limit of the plane is exceeded, your baggage is left at the airport for a future flight. Advised by return vacationers to fly Sky King airlines between the islands to avoid this problem."

Blue Water Divers, Salt Raker Inn, July 1996, Greg & Nancy Earle, Richardson, TX. "Coral abundant, in excellent condition. Gold-spotted eel, mantas, octopus. Good snorkeling off hotel beach, only 1/4 mile swim to wall. vis: 70­110ft. water: 82­85°. Short boat rides to wall diving. . . . Divemasters provide musical entertainment at Salt Raker twice a week. Salt Raker room was cheapest available; pricier rooms worth the extra cost. Not much to do on Grand Turk after dives. Museum in Cockburn Town worth a look. Turk's Head Inn (close to Salt Raker) had best food."

Blue Water Divers/Salt Raker Inn, August 1996, Kathy O Connor, VI, VA. "Diving easy - boat pick up on the beach and a 5 min. boat ride, great vis and usually no current. Blue Water Divers offered great service and flexibility; let the divers determine the schedule, the sites and bottom time. Saw a hammerhead and nurse shark, a turtle, sting rays, and plentiful fish. Coral is not as great as in Bonaire, but many fewer divers to compete for the best sites. . . . Salt Raker Inn is charming with a nice beach. Jennie and the staff make guests feel at home. Food excellent. Mitch and Dave provide high quality entertainment two nights a week. Not much to do except dive, so bring a book or two."

Blue Water Divers/The Salt Raker Inn, August 1996, Jim and Caroline Tubb, Metairie, LA. "Primitive, depressing, unkempt island above water - no gourmet restaurants, pleasant walking, jogging nor bicycling scenery, though locals are very friendly. Salt Raker Inn is quiet, peaceful, laid back, rustic, no frills but clean, with A/C in our second floor room; caught breezes and had nice view of the ocean. Staff friendly, food basic, (better to drink beer than wine!) not fancy or sophisticated. Found a couple of other places to eat, no tourist shops but a surprisingly good wine/liquor shop, though the wine suffered from poor storage. . . . Blue Water Divers small primitive boat met us on the beach in front of the inn at 9:30 am for 2 morning dives. Never more than five divers, sometimes just two, sites a 10 minute trip. Returned for replacement tanks for 2nd dive, getting back to hotel by 1pm. No night dives, good snorkeling from beach. No amenities on boat, no oxygen, rear entry into water, a single friendly and reasonably careful divemaster accompanied us into water and led dive, returning to boat first to help us back onto the boat via broken ladder! Vis disappointing, about 50­75' but the coral luxurious and prolific with a mass of smaller fish, some large grouper, the odd southern sting ray; patches of dead or silt covered reef. The easily accessible and close-in walls were impressive."

Sea Eye Diving/Guanihani Hotel, July 1995, Nicole Gauchat, Gainesville, FL. "Guanihani extremely comfortable, food good. Sea Eye accommodating - Smitty is an excellent divemaster, good with beginners."

Sea Eye Diving/Guanihani Hotel, September 1995, Doug and Kathy Graham, York, SC. "Smitty, Cecil and Connie with Sea Eye Diving could not have been more thoughtful. Dive sites 5 minutes from hotel where you are picked up on the beach. Guanihani nice - clean, cool rooms, beautiful grounds and great staff. Restaurant had good food and atmosphere. Enjoyed food at Turk's Head Inn."

Sea Eye Divers/Guanihani Beach Hotel, February 1996, Claire Keyes, Pittsburgh, PA. "Hotel pleasant, food tasty and well prepared, friendly dining room staff; managers, a Scottish couple, stiff and unextending. . . . Sea Eye didn't seem organized and the divers sometimes seemed an afterthought to other enterprises. No one seemed to know who would be coming to pick us up; promises to fix minor things forgotten. Pleasant enough but no one went out of their way. Picked up at the beach and taken 10­15 minutes to sites; always saw enough fish to make them worthwhile. The walls are in pristine condition. Grand Turk is still relatively undiscovered. vis. 80­90 ft. water: 76°­77°."

Sea Eye Divers/Turks Head Inn, July 1996, Michael and Nancy Maresh, Miami, FL. "Turks Head Inn great. Get one of two second floor rooms with the balcony overlooking the courtyard. Rooms have A/C and cable T.V.. Food and service good. Food expensive because everything has to be imported. Salt Raker food also good. Mitch and Dave, the singing divemasters, shouldn t be missed. . . . Sea Eye Divers pick you up on the beach wherever you re staying. Petted a large Nassau Grouper. Two-tank morning dive and 6 hour afternoon snorkel trip, and Smitty, our dive guide, still insisted took just the two of us on a night dive. Library fantastic: free swimming eels, Spanish and slipper lobsters, monster spider crabs."

Providenciales

Club Med Turquoise, June 1995, Gary Costigan, Grand Prairie, TX. "Safety a number one priority; BC's and regulators are old. Each day I had something wrong with their equipment. D/M's seemed burnt out; they have to realize we are paying good money, and want to spend the precious time we have in the water."

Club MedTurquoise, February 1996, Robert and Cathy Davies, Stamford, CT. "Beach was reclaiming itself, so the dive boat moored about 50 ft. offshore. The first day the waves 3'­4' and we had difficulty reaching the boat lugging our gear. Not a diver friendly setup: each day we lugged our gear back and forth. The boat, Bat Ray, was a catamaran - the best. Vis: 40­50 ft. water: 70°."

Caicos Adventure/Club Med Turquoise, June 1996, Tom Guinn, Fountain Hills, AZ. "Didn't like Club Med dive operation. Unfriendly, swim to boat and get everything wet. Dove with Fifi, Philipe Kunz and 2-tank dives to West Caicos. Hour boat ride well worth it. Great wall dives. Lots of life, big and small. Good coral and sponges. vis: 100­150 ft. water: 82°­84°. Fifi a great divemaster. Lunch is included."

Dive Provo/Grace Bay Hotel, June 1995, Tony Matheis, Pleasanton, CA. "Great staff, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and thorough. Dive your dive or follow them; won't hesitate to correct a diver who abuses reef or inhabitants. First dives, 80 to 95 ft. Great walls and quite a few pelagics, especially the sharks at French Cay. The spur and grooves at Graceland in Grace Bay area were rich in fish and many varieties."

Dive Provo/Turquoise Reef Hotel, July 1995, Kurt Schwarz, Potomac, MD. "One 4 ft. reef shark. Vis Grace Bay 50­70 ft. Diving off West Caicos and Northwest Point better. Dive-master David gets cold quickly, rushes dives unless he is working on picture book with Great Blue Whale (photo pro). Old Salt, Nick, gave better underwater tours. New dive boat nice. Food and resort very good."

Dive Provo, July, 1995, Jenny Singleton, Fayetteville, N.C. "Dive operation very good, water is wonderful, sand beautiful."

Dive Provo/Turquoise Reef, September 1995, Doug and Kathy Graham, York, SC. "Excellent dive operation, but the sites, 40­90 minutes away, are only fair. Close diving is below average. . . . Hotel rooms are nice, but staff is not friendly and service is only fair. You are isolated at the hotel unless you take an expensive taxi to other restaurants. Skip Provo and go to Grand Turk."

Dive Provo/Turquoise Reef Hotel, November 1995, Michael Handley. "Hotel and dive operation good. Northwest Point boring for the most part but West Caicos had larger fish and turtles. Reefs were in good shape, vis relatively poor. Dive staff friendly and competent. Groups of wild dogs roam the island and the hotel grounds. The beaches are the best. The island is clean."

Dive Provo/Turquoise Reef, December 1995, Cyndie Santopietro, Warwick, RI. "Nice accommodations, bit of a cattle boat, but having computers we went on own. We were first in water and went in opposite direction rest of divers. Good briefings, plenty of surface interval between dives. Water: 78°­81° VIS: 20 to 70 ft. West Caicos had best diving; nice walls, some good coral formations - no big fish. . . . No high rises yet, but lots of sold lot signs. Locals friendly. Food very expensive, but cheap eats can be found, you have to hunt them out - 4-wheel drive is good idea as most roads are unpaved and restaurants are located in various areas of the island. No night life, great beaches, no crime, felt safe at all times."

Dive Provo/Turquoise Reef Resort, December 1995, Dr. Terrence W. Dunlop, Annapolis, MD. "Pretty island with variety in food and lodging. One golf course, one small casino. . . . Healthy reefs with nice variety of corals and sponges. Plentitude of small fish. Short to modest trips to most sites, but the best ones, e.g. West Caicos Wall, French Cay, NW Point, are relatively long and more expensive. Saw black tips, nurse sharks, leopard rays, big elephant ears and gorgoniens at West Caicos wall where vis. was 125 ft. minimum. . . . Turquoise Reef Resort run down and same surly staff. Dive operation office staff inflexible. Vis. 40­100 ft. water: 80°­84°."

Dive Provo/Turquoise Reef Hotel, January 1996, Lisamarie McCormick, Cumberland, RI. "Diving supreme! West Caicos a one hour boat ride and worth the trip. Sites all moored and in great shape. Friendly groupers followed us from one site to the next. Reef and Black tip sharks frequent, fish life and variety abundant. Staff of Dive Provo was not helpful, some rude. Divemaster lost a hearty tip at the end of the week due to his treatment of me the last day. . . . Shop advertised a free Reef Fish by Paul Humann when booking a package. They fought us because we never took the reef ID course, all though they never told us we needed to take it until our last day, when they offered no more courses until next week! Spent $800 with Dive Provo and no reef ID book! Had one helpful personable divemaster: Wayne. Turquoise Reef Hotel is in receivership. Promised features were absent; no bands in the evening, buffet breakfast hot food is cold and no eggs cooked to order. Front desk trainee refused to let me see my room charges upon check out. I would not pay until I saw them, and she was adamant about not letting me see my own charges! Food and drink expensive. Cocos Cafe was excellent even though expensive. Hey Jose's has Great Mexican at reasonable prices and a stiff Margarita!"

Flamingo Divers/Turtle Cove Inn, 1995 Roger Andrus, New York, NY. "Flamingo Divers, in the same complex as Provo Turtle Divers, operates two boats daily. One leaves from Turtle Cove for diving on North Shore sites, including Grace Bay. The other boat leaves from a separate dock on the South Shore and makes daily trips to West Caicos, Northwest Point or French Cay. Choose between a closer (and perhaps less extraordinary) site and a two hour round trip to prime reef diving. Crew: two divemasters, each of whom ordinarily accompanies a group of divers or, during some of our trips, a student. Divers wishing to dive unaccompanied and divers diving their computers are given complete freedom. Guides enthusiastic, well-informed and helpful. Shark City, a 135 ft dive which involves descending through a manhole size opening on the top of the wall off West Caicos, exiting through a tunnel and reentering the same reef structure through an arched opening which exits further up the wall. Roger led a well-briefed and exhilarating dive that I rank with the best of the Caribbean."

Flamingo Divers/LeDeck Hotel, March 1995, Sonja LeGrand, Shelby, NC. "In February I found dives of Dive Provo rushed, so in March I switched to Flamingo Divers. Staff outstanding. Picked me up at the hotel on time and were friendly and enthusiastic. Asked us what sites we would like to dive and they took us there. Small operation - not a cattle boat operation. It's a laid back, but professional atmosphere."

Flamingo Divers/Turtle Cove Inn, October 1995, Diane Rohman, Oceanport, NJ. "Walls at Northwest Point and West Caicos have a magnificent variety of pristine coral; reef sharks, turtles and spotted eagle rays on many dives, groupers, barracuda, angelfish, triggerfish, trunkfish. Roger, Sally and Dave give each of the divers personal attention. Genuinely nice local people."

Flamingo Divers/Turtle Cove Inn, November 1995, Charles and Diane Monet, Oceanport, NJ. "Walls at Northwest Point and West Caicos have magnificent pristine coral. Reef sharks, turtles and spotted eagle rays. Fish life is healthy, with an assortment of groupers, barracuda, angelfish, triggerfish, trunkfish, black durgeons, and parrotfish. Depths 50 to 90 feet, minimal current and great visibility make for long dives. . . . Roger, Sally and Dave are wonderful people, who give each diver personal attention. you're free to dive your computer with no time and depth limit and not with the group. Expect 8 to 10 divers on their two beefy dive boats. Each day, one covers West Caicos and one covers Northwest Point. A two-tank dive will get you back about 2:30. . . . Turtle Cove Inn is next to Flamingo Divers. It's motel style living; pleasant pool, not on the beach. Walk 10 minutes to the beach, you're at Smith's reef and the best snorkeling on Provo. . . . Don't take a meal plan, so you can eat where you want. Caicos Cafe and Coco Bistro have food as good as the better restaurants in New York. You can spend a lot less at simpler restaurants. . . . Great diving, nice local people. You'll wonder why you were so impressed with Bonaire."

Flamingo Divers/Turquoise Reef Resort, March 1996, Brad Schofield, Clifton Park, NY. "Treated to the best dive sites every day. Came within 50' of two humpback whales. Flamingo Divers well organized, accommodating and eager to make sure we enjoyed our diving. Staff is the best. . . . At resort were treated rudely by the staff, service was poor and meals expensive and mediocre."

Flamingo Divers/Turtle Cove Inn, August 1996, Karen Lounsbury, Davie, FL. "Flamingo Divers a minute walk from Turtle Cove Inn: clean, comfortable large rooms, pool or marina/ocean view, covered balcony or small patio, pool. two restaurants: Tiki Hut (pasta's awful), and the Terrace. Within walking distance: Banana Boat and Shark Bite (my favorite). Request second floor room; view is better, you get refrigerator and TV. . . . Erebus Inn more rustic; built on hillside with views. Walk up the steep hill after diving. . . . Flamingo Divers' Roger Coon takes you to best sites, especially West Caicos and even French Cay. Sharks just about every day. Manta and eagle rays. Water: 81 Degrees, Vis: 60­120 feet. Surface intervals on sandy beaches with snacks and sodas. No more than 9 people. Use your Computer and common sense, no other restrictions. Will pick you up from just about any hotel. . . . Luxurious resorts on Grace Bay, with beautiful sandy beaches, turquoise waters: Ocean Club, Royal Bay (Sandals), Grace Bay Club, Turquoise Reef Resort or Club Med. . . . Alfred's Place behind Erebus Inn; local calypso band on Friday. Prestancia and Coco Bistro: good Mediterranean food. Good deli near the marina on top of the hill. Some restaurants add gratuity to bill; ask before adding a tip. . . . Provo expensive; pay double or more for water, soda, film, T-shirts. Tax of 8% on food and bed. Unpaved roads, a lot of junk sitting everywhere, airport needs expansion (baggage claim area is a joke). Mosquitos and no-see-ums are a problem at night near the shore and at open air restaurants. . . . AA has two daily nonstop flights from Miami; $250 rt, 90 minute flight."

Provo Turtle Divers/Turtle Cove Inn, May 1995, Allan & Cathy LaRock, Anthony, NM. "Mediocre diving - algae bloom made vis poor, 40­60 ft. Cloudy days left no colors visible, had to use dive light even on 50 ft dives to see colors. No eels, no sharks, no mantas, no dolphins, just usual reef fish. . . . Rooms nice, staff rude, gave poor service, slower than 'Island time.' Expensive; breakfast and lunch $10/person, dinner $25. Taxi rates are set - $5/person to go 2 or 3 miles to restaurant, even if you put 10 people in a van. Not worth the time or money."

Provo Turtle Divers/Ocean Club, June 1995, Lisa Chang, Venice, CA. "Two boats a day for 2-tank dives - large, speedy Newton which usually goes to the better dive sites (West Caicos, Northwest Point) and a smaller slower, less comfortable boat that goes to local sites (Grace Bay). Larger boat makes you feel like you're diving with a herd of cattle and the smaller boat tends to frequent the same sites over and over. To try less dived areas, told we would have to charter a boat at $250 a day. Found another couple who wanted to dive the wreck of the W.E. Divemaster, Camille found a viper eel in a barrel sponge. Wheelhouse at 100 ft. and the bottom of the boat at 170 ft. Two shallow dives where Camille focused on pointing out the more unusual small fish, sponges and corals of Turks and Caicos. As an alternative, do not buy a package and charter a boat for a few days instead."

Provo Turtle Divers/Ramada Turquoise, June 1995, Linda Gilcrest, Soquel, CA. "Ramada ok, but food was terrible and the staff seemed indifferent and unhappy. Meals on the island, in general, seemed overpriced. The dive operation was well run. The staff excellent with the exception of 'Rock', who was surly and resentful. The others on staff, Marc, very helpful on the boat. Dives were deep and typical of Caribbean. I got 'Bent' on last dive of trip and was fortunate that there was a chamber on the island."

Provo Turtle Divers/Turtle Cove Inn, February 1996, Steven A. Herrlin, Palatine, IL. "Everyone friendly, experienced, professional and safety conscious. Three nice quick dive boats. Saw a few great walls, but wind and silt limited diving to one area near West Caicos. Dove from 42 ft. Custom Newton, a "perfect dive boat!" Note: E-6 processing is available on Provo. Turtle Cove Inn is nice, clean and a good value. It is adjacent to the town marina and many good restaurants. Food is expensive everywhere. Vis: 30­150 ft. water: 74°­76°."

Provo Turtle Divers/Ocean Club, February 1996, Bob Speisman, Irvington, NY. "Two years in a row had days we couldn t dive due to winds and vis. Calmest waters and best dives at West Caicos, over one hour each way. AM two tank dive puts you back at hotel 2­3PM. Nice boat with drinks and head. Dive your won profile. Primarily wall diving begins at 60­70'. Very dramatic. Lots of rays, turtles and gray reef sharks. rare electric ray. Vis: 130 ft., water: 70°­78°. . . . Ocean Club is perfect. New restaurant is quite tolerable for Caribbean."

Provo Turtle Divers, March 1996, Mike Richardson, Homestead, FL. "The wall off N.W. Point is impressive; wide variety of corals, interesting cuts. Good variety of reef fish, but limited quantity. Night dive disappointing - not much to see. Highlight; two 8" bright orange/red fireworms not found in Humann's Reef Creature Ident . Shallow reefs not impressive. Numerous good sized grouper and snapper. Night dives disappointing; lack of marine life. . . . Tiki Bar had above average food, but the service terrible. Staff spent more time talking at the cash register than looking after customers. Food and service at The Terrace was very good, needed reservations to assure a seat."

Provo Turtle Divers/Turtle Cove Inn, June 1996, Jackie Davidson, Hidden Hills, CA. "We went to shoot a segment for American Adventurer T.V. series. Had our own boat that afforded us more remote locations such as West Caicos; unbelievable. Turtle Cove Inn! The food at the Tiki hut (on premises) very good. Weather could have been better. Art Pickering and his staff were superb."

Turquoise Reef, October 1995, Don Dibble, San Marcos, TX. "Island wonderful and the people made the trip acceptable. Diving the worst I've ever done. Population of fish was limited and the reefs bleached white. Vis: 50­75 ft. water: 81°­83°."

Turtle Inn Divers/Mariner Inn, January 1996, Juanita Sigg, Park Ridge, IL. "Resort less than average. The rooms had been refurnished, but hot water, clean towels hard to come by. The meals poor at best. . . . Turtle Inn Divers sent a bus to pick us up daily. Their catamaran had dry boxes, a head and soft drinks. Divemaster was knowledgeable about sea life. Saw sharks, eagle rays, dolphin, schools of tropicals. Between dives we visited Iguana Island, swam with JoJo. Vis. 80­150 ft., water: 78°­80°, profiles 90­100 ft for 30­35 minutes."

Salt Cay

Mt. Pleasant Guest House, April 1996, Walt Brenner, Wayne, PA. "Diving along the ten mile long wall of Grand Turk was superior to Salt Cay. Turtle, a couple of eagle rays, manta, nurse shark. Reef fish abundant and friendly; lobsters and crabs (especially at night). Comb jellies, flying gurnards, barracuda schools, slipper lobsters. . . . On both islands accommodations are in small guest houses, former homes of wealthy merchants, typically 4 to 8 rooms. On Salt Cay (pop: 120) Brian Sheedy, former ad executive from NYC, makes your stay at his Mt. Pleasant Guest House comfortable with plenty of space, clean linens daily, a lovely large (the size of a whale) outdoor dining/drinking area, excellent food. The Salt Rakers Inn on Grand Turk equally pleasant; Sea Eye divemasters attentive without getting in the way. Smitty was a gem and made every dive excursion a real treat. vis: 80­120 ft. water: 78°­80°."

Mt. Pleasant Guest House, May 1995, Janice Onorato, Fairbanks, AK. "Diving wonderful. Water 82 deg. vis 60­120 ft. No current. Reef teeming with fish, hard corals, soft corals and reef creatures. Fish were curious, macro photography of fish during the day easy. Turtles, stingrays, eagle rays, reef sharks, dolphins, large groupers, orange ball anemones, octopus. Leisurely diving with no cattle boats, staff really pleases, virgin beach."

Mt. Pleasant Guest House, June 1995, Mark Sternefeld, Yonkers, NY. "No air conditioning, no swimming pool, no amenities. Friendly people. Good wall diving. No shore diving."

Mt. Pleasant Guest House, September 1995, Michael Baggan, Kingsport. "Laid back and relaxing. Diving uncrowded; some sites are advanced because of depths or currents, but most suitable for all. Staff provides as much help as you want and encourage computers. The walls and reefs are pristine and the big fish are almost tame (I'll never eat grouper again!). We swam with 15 foot mantas on two days; made 19 dives and read 3 books."

Mt. Pleasant Guest House, October 1995, Stephen Thayer, Tacoma, WA. "Exceptional - Bryan made us feel at home. Meals better than home. Island is steeped in history and Bryan is an authority. People extremely friendly."

Mt. Pleasant Guest, December 1995, Jim & Gill McKee, Sonora, CA. "Brian delightful, gregarious host. Personal attention and service (including warm towel after a night dive) to create a wonderful feeling of luxury. Brian's tour of the Island, including all the local color add to the fun! Bikes available at no charge. 1800's house is charming and warm, food fantastic. Diving great! Pristine, untrampled flora unique; sharks, eel, rays, turtles, and porpoises!"

Mt. Pleasant Guest House, February 1996, Steven A. Herrlin, Palatine, IL. "Unique guest house on a small, quiet island. Owner Bryan a good host! Food great and plentiful. Diving: excellent to disappointing due to occasional strong winds and silty water. Accommodations rustic but adequate. More and larger fish than many parts of the Caribbean. A few dollars could improve the dive operation: a larger rinse tank and gear storage closer to the boat. Try to dive with Conrad. Horseback riding. Vis 100 ft., water 76°."

Mt. Pleasant Guest House, July 1996, Michael and Nancy Maresh, Miami, FL. "Brian Sheedy entertaining and accommodating host. Guest house; no A/C, no T.V. Great place to relax. Even in summer breezes kept the house cool. Had only room with ensuite facilities. Brian imports good food and offers a specialty entree most nights. The old Caribbean of fond memories. Diving very good. Vis: 50­70 ft.. Sharks, turtles, large eels and good assortment of reef fish. Corals healthy. No runoff, pollution or heavy diver pressure."

South Caicos

Club Caribe, July 1995, Christopher Pflaum, Overland Park, KS. "Wild and pristine, the look and feel of an alien environment that divers seek but seldom find in Caribbean. Best diving is deep; wall starts at 70' to 90', sometimes deeper. The G Spot is magical with huge coral buttresses rising from the sand. An alternate to dealing with Club Carib is to work out combination diving on Grand Turk and South Caicos with Sea Eye Divers."

Copyright 1997 by DSDL, Inc.Publishers of Undercurrent. All rights reserved. No portions of this report may be reproduced in any way, including photocopying and electronic data storage, without prior written permission from the publisher. For more information, contact DSDL, Inc., P.O. Box 1658, Sausalito, CA 94966.