Diving Grand Turk

Diving Grand Turk Everything You Need To Know by NomadInMe. In this blog post, we will discuss the island of Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos Islands, including things to do, places to stay and the best dive site’s. Throughout the post, you will find links and information to help plan your trip.

More or less all of the diving in Grand Turk is wall diving. The famous Grand Turk Wall runs the length of the protected leeward side of the island. You will find around 40 dive sites in the Columbus National Marine Park. The sites relatively consistently start at 25-30ft instantly dropping to over 7000ft! Scuba diving in Grand Turk is among the best in the Caribbean and its proximity to Miami makes it easily accessible and a great choice.

**Grand Turk Hawksbill Turtle and Nassau Grouper**

Wall diving is an exciting type of scuba diving and although the idea can seem daunting, it is very safe and enjoyable. The benefit of Grand Turks wall diving is the relatively shallow depth at the top of the wall. The dives will consist of swimming ‘over the wall’ for the first half at depths of between 60-100ft and then swimming back along the top of the wall at 20-30ft. This shallow return to the boat allows for a significant off-gassing time allowing for safely enjoying 2 deep dives per trip.

The dive sites themselves are surprisingly distinguishable, with different gradients and bottom topographies. You will find a number of caverns, swim-throughs and arches. As well as healthy populations of Caribbean reef fish. Dolphins, reef sharks, turtles and eagle rays regularly frequent these waters. During the summer months, migratory humpback whales pass through the area and are often encountered.

Due to the islands orientation, diving Grand Turk is accessible most of the year with flat calm and clear waters. Occasional fleeting westerly winds are rare and the water has 100+ft of visibility year round. These same conditions make it a great place to learn to dive. With many sandy and shallow areas great for practising skills.

About Grand Turk

**Grand Turk cruise ship dock and diving**

Grand Turk is a small Caribbean island in the Turks island chain of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The islands are located in the Atlantic Ocean, northeast of the Caribbean and south-east of the Bahamas. The Turks and Caicos have boomed in popularity as a Caribbean vacation destination in recent years. With year-round sunshine, shockingly blue water and some of the best beaches in the world, its easy to see why.

Providenciales is by far the most popular and populated island in the Turks and Caicos. A short, 1-hour flight from Miami and with an array of hotels and holiday rentals. Grand Turk is a 30-minute flight from Provo. It is home to Cockburn Town, the capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The island itself, when compared to Providenciales, in far more rustic. With fewer amenities, restaurants and choice of accommodation. It is a faraway experience than that of the all-inclusive resorts and luxury villas of Providenciales.

Grand Turk offers a very different Caribbean experience, with Scuba Diving being the islands main draw. At only 7 square miles with 3700 permanent residents, it definitely carries that ‘small island feel’. Cruise ships are the most common visitors to the island with its bustling cruise ship port fringed immediately with white sand beaches and a variety of bars and watersports operators.

Fly-in visitors are less common and most that do so, come solely for the diving. Diving in Grand Turk is among some of the best in the Caribbean. Not only due to the overall health of the reef but also the convenience.

What To Do In Grand Turk

Besides diving, Grand Turk doesn’t offer a whole lot of other options as far as entertainment. Exploring the local beaches and enjoying the bird and wildlife on the island is a great option when not diving. Fishing whale watching and island hopping are also popular activities. Salt Cay and Gibbs Cay are 2 nearby islands where tours are available.

Blue Water Divers are by far the most established dive operator on island. They offer AM 2 tank dives as well as afternoon diving, shared and private options are available as well as training all the way up to Divemaster. With well maintained boats and equipment and friendly knowledgable staff, they can help you plan your entire trip. Be sure to ask about their Gibbs Cay trip, explore the outer islands, enjoy a rum punch and a swim with the stingrays.

Grand Turk offers a small collection of bars and restaurants including Sandbar, Salt raker, Osprey and Bohio. In addition, you will find a handful of local bars, the locals are generally friendly. Some small amounts of petty crime exist on the island, the same as can be expected in much of the Caribbean.

Where To Stay In Grand Turk

Bellow are some of our top picks for a variety of budgets include a link to the listing on VRBO.

Luxury – Beach front villa with private pool & panoramic ocean views

VRBO listing

Mid-Range – The Seahorse Villa

vrbo listing

Budget – Seasongs

VRBO Listing

Diving Grand Turk | Best Dive Site’s

Bellow is a list of our favourite dive sites on Grand Turk and why, you will also find a map with with the dive sites and their locations.

Aquarium – One of the deeper sites, with long coral canyons on the inner reef.
Macdonalds – A big coral arch leading over the wall, shallow inner reef great for surface interval.
Gorgonian Wall – A steep drop off covered in Gorgonian Fan corals.
Black Forest – Overhanging wall with rarely seen black coral.
Canyons – Great site with step sandy channels and swim-throughs, lookout for frog fish and seahorse.