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Grand Turk

Introduction

Reaching Grand Turk is not that east. From Miami, an American Air Lines brings visitors to Providenciales. From there, a smaller plane fly to Grand Turk island is less than half an hour. For those who do not like crowded places and noise, this is the paradise. All four hotels have perhaps a maximum of 50 beds! It is really like going back into the past. Indeed, divers will enjoy plenty of free time, since even after three dives a day, they still will have the opportunity to visit the island by bicycle, for example - a cheap way to enjoy Grand Turk, only 5 US$ per day. Going around the island should take about half a day. And should someone be tired after such ride, the calm on the island should allow for a prompt recovery. Grand Turk is not a place for night life, as there are only two small restaurants outside the resorts. No night club, not even a bar. But Providenciales is only a short trip away, and there you will probably feel that you are back in Miami!

All diving takes place on the east side of the island. It is a protected area, the Columbus Landfall National Park. Unlike what you can read in some advertisements, there is no shore dive, but rather some beach dives. The wall is located about 300 meters from the beach, and can be reached by boat in five minutes. It is also possible to dive on the west coast, but the diving sites are less interesting.

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best period
acceptable period
not recommend
air temperature

Diving type

Destination
easily accessible
easily accessible
bargain destination
bargain destination
Diving level & type
for beginners
for beginners
for advanced divers
for advanced divers
shore diving
shore diving
liveaboard
liveaboard
Diving Characteristics
pelagics
pelagics
lots of fish
lots of fish
lots of corals
lots of corals
interesting underwater scenery
interesting underwater scenery
Other activities
attractive natural spots
attractive natural spots
gastronomy
gastronomy
night life
night life
beach
beach
snorkeling
snorkeling

Map

map

Diving Sites

  • rating : 4.0
    Library
    rating : 4.0
    depth : 8-23 m
    description :
    This site faces the town's bookshop. Breach in the wall to enter from the other side. Sandy bottom at 8 meters. Lots of soft, mature corals, very healthy but not very large. Fish in abundance. Schools of large snappers. Large Nassau groupers. Tiny goby (5 mm) which can only be found only here. Small moray eel and three large barracudas. A large turtle came very close to us.

  • rating : 4.0
    Tunnels
    rating : 4.0
    depth : 18 m
    description :
    Before descending along the wall, a stingray with a pilot fish attached to its back was observed. Turtles and barracudas. Not very fishy, but the underwater scenery is magnificent. On leaving the tunnel, we come upon a coral reef. The corals are very healthy. Further north, several other passages in small tunnels.

  • rating : 3.0
    Amphitheatre
    rating : 3.0
    depth : 30 m
    description :
    Sandy bottom. Coral formation forming large underwater hills, 20 meters high by 5 meters wide. Entrance to the wall through an arch at 20 m. In front of us, a deep drop-off. Large black corals, with a drop-off lined covered with a variety of corals. We saw a turtle, a barracuda and some trevally. Lots of fish between 10 and 15 meters.

  • rating : 3.0
    Ancre
    rating : 3.0
    depth : 20 m
    description :
    The anchor of a boat used to transport salt lies at a depth of around 20 meters, giving the site its name. Lots of fish at the top of the wall (10 meters). Turtle, barracuda, crabs.

  • rating : 3.0
    Aquarium
    rating : 3.0
    depth : 30-42 m
    description :
    Wall 500 meters away from the beach. Anchors at 20 meters depth. A small valley leads us to the wall. Diving toward the south to a depth of 42 metres. Further on, the wall drops into the depths of the Passage of Colombus. Soft and hard corals, larger than at other diving sites. The top of the wall is very fishy. Crabs, bigeye trevally and barracuda are present in the wall.

  • rating : 3.0
    Barracuda Garden
    rating : 3.0
    depth : 20 m
    description :
    The top of the wall is quite narrow, between 3 and 5 meters wide. We saw a large eagle ray with spots at a depth of 20 meters. 3 stingrays on the sandy bottom before the drop-off. Healthy and varied corals, including barrels. A white spotted moray eel and a huge barracuda.

  • rating : 3.0
    Black Forest
    rating : 3.0
    depth : 24 m
    description :
    The wall forms a concave cave at a depth of 20 - 30 meters. Sandy bottom over a width of 10 meters, then the abyss. Black corals (which can live without any light) are abundant here. They generally grow in the depths. The coral assembly is truly impressive. Hardly any fish, as water is very choppy. At 14 meters and above, a little more fishy and some very nice corals too. A half-centimetre baby trunkfish (really adorable!), lots of boxfish.

  • rating : 3.0
    Chief Minister
    rating : 3.0
    depth : 20 m
    description :
    200 meters from the beach, a gentle slope descends over a dozen meters to reach the wall. Plenty of fish. Various corals. Plenty of juvenile fish.

  • rating : 3.0
    Gorgonia's wall
    rating : 3.0
    depth : 20 m
    description :
    Wall from 10 meters plunging to a depth of over 2000 meters! Part of the dive sites located north-west of Grand Turk. We dived to a maximum depth of 20 meters. Superb soft corals. Not very fishy, but all the reef species are represented. We saw a small turtle, two huge spider crabs and a very large barracuda.

  • rating : 3.0
    Middle reef
    rating : 3.0
    depth : 18 m
    description :
    A wall with a nice selection of soft corals (barrels, brains). Under the boat at 8 meters, a one-meter-long nurse shark. Descending along the wall, a superb two-metre hammerhead shark swims some five metres from us. Plenty of fish, but no schools. During a second dive on this site, visibility deteriorated sharply: we were nevertheless able to see a forest of gobies hiding in the sand, as well as schools of small sardines.

  • rating : 3.0
    Pillories
    rating : 3.0
    depth : deep
    description :
    This wall is particularly interesting when diving northwards. The sea is a little choppy (but with 10 cm waves, this is not a big deal - although the sea was flat on all other dives). Superb corals, but visibility is not very good. We saw a baby nurse shark, 3 large barracudas and nudibranchs, as well as a school of bigeye trevally.

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