DIVE PROVO'S
WILD WEST CAICOS & NORTHWEST POINT
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The Scuba Center is the retail and activities boutique near the
pool, where divers sign up for the scheduled dives, book instruction
or special services, or arrange for any of the extensive watersports
offered, including beach cruises, sailboards, Hobie Cats, ocean
kayaks or even fishing. Michael Rosati oversees the watersports
program and is an expert windsurfing instructor.
Within an adjacent building is the photo/video center under the
direction of Kevin Roby, the knowledgeable photo pro affectionately
known as the Blue Whale. Kevin offers E-6 film processing, Nikonos
rentals (Dive Provo has been designated an official Nikonos Photo
Center by Nikon), custom video and still photo shoots, camera repairs
and High 8 video rentals.
Yet as lovely and comfortable as the resort might be, as
personable and professional as the dive operation might be and as
safe and convenient as the boats might be, the quality of the Provo
dive experience is powered by what's underwater. For Dive Provo that
means a heavy emphasis on wild West Caicos and Northwest Point.
I knew we were on the right track the first time I dove West
Caicos and found two live-aboards one-half to one mile away. A
live-aboard has significantly more range of choices than a resort
based dive boat and to find two such quality boats at West Caicos
implied a consensual validation for this stretch of wall. (Note: From
Northwest Point to West Caicos is an area six to seven miles long,
almost all of which is high quality wall diving.)
An additional good omen came swimming by as soon as we hooked
onto the mooring buoy. A pair of Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins had
followed our stern wake for the past half mile and, surprisingly,
they did not bolt as soon as we hit the water. Instead, they
continued to play (unfortunately just beyond the range of effective
underwater photography) for the next 1 0 minutes.
Pelagic encounters are not a predictable sort of thing but I was
gratified to see both a Hawksbill Turtle and a pair of Spotted Eagle
Rays on this same dive. The wall is exceptionally lavishly decorated,
so the temptation is to race from one dramatic wide angle setup to
the next. But, along West Caicos you must discipline yourself to keep
an eye to the blue, for you never know what might come silently
cruising past. Or, not so silently, as in the case of the Humpback
Whale. Ted and Jane told me that during the winter Humpback Whales
are commonly seen topside, frequently heard underwater and
occasionally glimpsed close enough for a photo or video underwater.
The whales travel to the Silver Bank just north of the Dominican
Republic to mate and give birth and the Turks and Caicos lie directly
along their northern migratory route. February and March are the best
months for Humpbacks and the summer is usually good for Manta Rays.
There are 14 named dive sites visited by Dive Provo along West
Caicos, including White Face, notable for an eight foot high Spanish
galleon anchor (probably from the 1700s judging by the size, design
and degree of coral growth) wedged into a coral crevice just at the
lip of the wall. Elephant Canyon is home to the largest known sponge
in the Turks and Caicos islands. Near the base of a sand chute
leading to the vertical precipice, this gigantic circular Orange
Elephant Ear measures 1 1 feet in diameter.
While each of the sites is unique, there are obviously
similarities-spectacular similarities at that. All along West Caicos
it is reasonable to expect water clarity in the 80 to 150 foot range,
a vertical dropoff that begins in about 60 feet and colorful
decoration that rivals that found anywhere in the Caribbean. Aside
from the Orange Elephant Ear Sponges that are almost common along
this wall, there are also abundant Black Corals, colonies of yellow
and purple tube sponges and draping rope sponges in red, lavender,
orange, brown and yellow. In terms of wide angle potential, this wall
and the drop along Northwest Point rival Little Cayman or anywhere
else that might be proposed as an example of the "ultimate" Caribbean
drop-off.
Northwest Point is about a 45 minute boat ride from the Dive
Provo dock, significantly farther than the spur and groove coral
formations and mini-wall of Grace Bay but certainly worth the trip.
The water is a stunning cobalt blue and the mooring buoys generally
situate the dive boat near the edge of the wall where the first
glimpse beneath the waves reveals a heavy cloak of hard corals and a
few rising spires of Pillar Coral. The wall starts at about 50 feet
here and, as at West Caicos, drops precipitously.
The marine life along the shallows includes Nassau Groupers,
Barracuda, Atlantic Spadefish and the whole range of smaller reef
tropicals such as squirrelfish, coneys and Trumpetfish. Eels are seen
occasionally, as are solitary Hammerhead Sharks. Pelagic encounters
are fairly common, especially squadrons of Eagle Rays, but the real
star of the show along Northwest Point is the stunning beauty of the
drop-off .
Along the mile and a half wall there are 1 1 named and moored
sites. Someone must have seen a shark at Shark Hotel once, but I
didn't. Instead, I did find a mini-wall dropping from 45 to 110 feet,
rich with Black Coral and tube sponges. A narrow plateau caps the
main wall and several swim-through archways are positively draped
with rope sponges. Bring a light on this dive, because the vibrant
colors are only revealed in artificial light.
Black Forest, as expected given the name, is rich with Black
Coral but also decorated with tunicates, corals and sponges. Chimney,
Hole in the Wall, Amphitheater, Stairways, Canyons, Plateau and The
Crack are all named for distinctive features of the wall that
differentiate them from the others but, it probably doesn't matter
which of the 1 1 moored sites are chosen, all are awesome walls!
Dive Provo encourages the use of dive computers for its guests
and, given the vertical nature of the dives at West Caicos and
Northwest Point, safe, cautious multi-level computer assisted diving
is probably prudent. But, not everything is wall diving and there is
no reason it has to be deep. The shallow dives off Grace Bay can be
stunning, particularly on an incoming tide when the water is crisp
and clear, and these are only 30 to 50 feet with little or no
current. The populations of reef tropicals are heavier here and, with
the extended bottom time and good light penetration, fish watchers
will be enthralled. Dive Provo also regularly visits nearby Pine Cay,
which offers a slightly deeper spur and groove formation in 60 to 70
feet (the wall starts in 75 to 80) but this is prime pelagic range
and several Whale Sharks have been sighted here.
The quality and diversity of the Provo dive portfolio makes this
destination a must for any seasoned Caribbean traveler. As many of
our favorite places become a little too familiar and predictable,
it's good to know there is still marine wilderness left to
experience.
(REPRINT FROM SKIN DIVER MAGAZINE , ARTICLE
BY STEPHEN FRINK )
Turks & Caicos Islands 
British West Indies
Reservations Only: (800) 645-1179 * Phone/Fax: (941)
793-7157