Grand Turk Island – Abord the Wind Dancer

Date: June 2001

This was to be our first trip to the Turks and Caicos Islands and expectations were high. Not only was this destination recommended by others, I was enamored by Peter Hughes’ comment, "Anytime you have very deep water in close proximity to land, you will almost always find some spectacular diving. Blue Corner in Palau..."  BLUE CORNER??? Any realistic comparison to Blue Corner (see Palau trip review) would be a big hook. Our experience with Grand Turk? Very good diving...but not even close to Blue Corner.

Diving: All but one dive for the week was close to the shore of Grand Turk Island. Brisk winds were a factor keeping us from visiting South Caicos, twenty-two miles across the deep Turks Islands Passage.

Diving at South Caicos is on their windward side, and the non-objectionable winds we experienced on the leeward side of Grand Turk were enough to create 5-6 foot seas according to Captain Lach. The winds also limited our diving at Salt Cay, slightly to the south of Grand Turk. So, we did just about every mooring along Grand Turk, and even used a couple of the smaller day moorings towards the end of the week off the small runabout.

With a few exceptions, the dive profiles were fairly similar along the island -- shallow under the boat with the wall close behind. In some areas (McDonalds), the sand bottom in the shallows formed steep chutes which beckoned like ski slopes to the deep blue drop-off beyond. The slopes were bordered by tall coral heads providing a focus after exploring the wall.

Towards the end of the week, we dove on an unnamed site off a day mooring just south of McDonalds (dubbed, "Wendy’s", of course), and found a similar pattern. Closer to shore, however, the sand chutes became intriguing roadways between continuous coral formations on either side. Everyone really enjoyed these sites and agreed they were among the best.

Many of the dive sites were named for island landmarks in front of the sites; e.g. "Library", and "Chief Minister’s" [home]. At Library, the boat swung out over the wall, so it was a short swim to the wall. Early into our first dive, Cary found three tiny spotted drums swimming together back and forth, the largest about the size of a thumbnail. It’s a rare find to see one, let alone three together! Those little drums had to endure two dives worth of photo and video taking, and general gawking. Library wall also made a great night dive with the orange-cupped anemones, crinoids, basket stars, and crabs.

At a couple locations, but especially Coral Gardens, large groupers followed divers like puppy dogs. Although we did not feed them, and Peter Hughes’ operations discourage the practice, it seemed obvious to me that they were accustomed to handouts. They were not belligerent, however, just always with you and willing to be photographed countless times. In addition to the groupers, barracudas were also very approachable for photographs at many of the sites.

Turtles were seen by someone on almost every dive, and Lori made it her goal to be that someone. She came close. Nurse sharks were also numerous, but we missed pelagic sightings. No eagle rays, either. Brave garden eels were everywhere, letting divers approach closer than I have seen before. It was also fun watching the jaw fish dart in and out of their holes in the sand.

Black Forest had a steep wall which actually sloped slightly back in towards shore creating an overhang. The wall was littered with huge stands of black coral for quite a distance. Our morning dive there was early enough so that the sun had not yet peaked over the wall, so it was relatively dark for dramatic silhouettes. This would have been a better afternoon dive, for me.

In all areas, currents were negligible, the water was warm, and except for our one dive off of Salt Cay, the visibility was good, helped by an almost ever-present sun.

Wind Dancer: We dove on Peter Hughes’ Wave Dancer in Belize, so we knew what to expect: exceptional service, food, and dive operations. We were not disappointed in any area; in fact, everyone agreed that their high expectations were exceeded.

Due to weather delays at the beginning of our trip, we landed on Grand Turk from Provo about 3 hours late. The crew kept tabs on us, however, and Mike was at the small airport to greet us with a cold drink and luggage handling. It was only a five minute taxi ride to the dock (taxi provided by the company), and as we approached the Wind Dancer at dusk, it looked like a real "working" boat compared to the sleek Wave Dancer. The outer appearances were deceiving. Once on board, we all agreed that we liked our new home for the week better than the Wave Dancer. The large upper deck had ample lounge furniture for sunning, and under cover were tables, chairs, and a bar. The dive deck was similar to Wave Dancer’s, if a bit smaller as I try to recall. The dining area was wide-open with lots of windows; great for group gatherings and mealtime camaraderie. Everyone also commented that they thought the cabins on the Wind Dancer were a bit larger and more comfortable.

The crew was top notch and enthusiastic, headed by Captain Lachlan MacKenzie (guess where he is from). They offered as much or as little assistance as you requested, and they were very accommodating to guest suggestions.

From the moment I stepped on board, they tackled a troubling problem I had with an errant camera case that never made it out of Miami. In less than 24 hours, they worked with the airlines to locate the case, transported it to Grand Turk from Provo, and got it to the boat. The padlock had obviously been tampered with, (by some goon in Miami I suspect) to the point that Lach had to use a hacksaw to remove the lock. The contents were safe, however, and I only missed one day of photography.

Meals: Tony, from Jamaica, was our chef for the week, and everyone easily agreed our cuisine was the best ever on any dive trip. I’m sure a significant portion of our ticket price goes towards food, and Tony consistently created a cultural variety of dishes with tantalizing spices. Breakfast was fairly typical with made to order eggs (or omelets), bacon or sausage, lots of fruit, pastries, cereal, juices, etc. The going really started getting good with the first morning snack, consisting of freshly baked cookies or fruit turnovers. A buffet-style lunch always included a delicious hot soup along with rather substantial entrees. Oh, I suppose one could have chosen to eat a "light lunch," but I’m not sure anyone did. The afternoon snack consisted of cheese and crackers, quesadillas, and big bowls of popcorn for the movie watchers.

Dinner, as is typical on the Dancer fleet, is a "formal" affair with mood lighting, table cloths, rolled napkins, and the crew ready to serve us in their dress whites. Tony provided his superb freshly baked breads along with gourmet entrees and desserts. With the window blinds closed (part of the lighting atmosphere), it was easy to forget you were on a boat instead of dining in a fancy restaurant.

For a change of pace, we ate one lunch and one dinner on the sun deck with Tony doing his magic at the grill. I think we may have missed another planned meal up there due to the wind. No one went hungry, and some of us picked up a couple pounds.

Postscript: No one held a gun to our heads and forced us to do five dives a day, but that’s what some of us did some of the time. Add to the dive time and preparation, time for meals and snacks, and there was not much left in the day. But that’s what we signed up for, and the Wind Dancer delivered in every way.

We were back at the South Dock after two scheduled Friday morning dives (in which we did not participate due to an early flight Saturday morning). There were a variety of activities from which we could choose for Friday afternoon. Most of our group decided to visit the museum in town (very interesting), buy some local stamps at the post office, and sip a drink at a beach bar. The offer was made for us to choose eating at a local restaurant in Cockburn Town, or eat on board. Sometimes this offer really means "please eat in town and give our crew a break", but not on the Wind Dancer. Tony was planning a barbecue on the sun deck...easy decision!

We were reluctantly awakened at 5:00 a.m. Saturday to catch our flight to Provo. While waiting for our next flight to Miami, we met some divers who had just spent the week on the Sea Dancer. They, as did we, had a wonderful week aboard one of Peter’s Dancers.