Though once a common hideout during the Golden Age of Pirates, the greatest treasure now in the Turks and Caicos Islands is not buried in the sand. The gems in this part of the Lucayan Archipelago are the reefs that encircle the 40 low-lying cays and coral islands that rise from the Atlantic, roughly 400 miles east of Cuba and 550 miles southeast of Florida. Only 8 of the islands in the archipelago are inhabited, and the best way to discover their vibrant oceanic wonder is from the decks of an Aggressor Liveaboards® during a 7-night charter with 27 spectacular dives.
Through the Crack
On Sunday mornings, from April to December, you’ll embark from Turtle Cove toward Northwest Point and your first dive at Shark Hotel, named for the breeding nurse sharks and the sleek gray reef sharks you’ll see cruising along the 300-foot wall of Black Coral Forest, a phenomenal sight with over five species of black coral. Keep your eyes open, and you might see juvenile lemon sharks. For those not claustrophobic, you’ll get a thrill swimming the Crack, a wide fissure 50 feet below the surface that bisects two coral walls brimming with sea fans, gorgonian corals, and huge black coral trees. Inside the fissure, you’ll catch glimpses of lobster, turtles, and a full pallet of colorful, tropical fish. Beyond the crack, you’ll see the bigger pelagic sharks and fish.
Above the Abyss
Throughout the week, the Turks & Caicos Aggressor II® sails southwest from Provo to the turquoise waters of West Caicos and more stunning wall dives. Triggerfish, turtles, parrotfish munching on coral like it was breakfast cereal, queen angelfish, and sponges… you’ll see tons and tons of sponges—which is also the name of your first adventure, “Tons of Sponges.” With topography that will captivate and mesmerize you, the wall runs the length of the island, 100 to 150 yards off the island’s western beaches, with sheer drops that plunge 40 to 6000 feet down. The water is so clear and deep it is as if you can see to the bottom of the world. Gliding past giant barrel and vase sponges and enormous sea fans, you’ll find yourself frequently hovering to gawk at a surreal world so rife with marine life that you can’t think at the moment of being anywhere else. Each dive along the western coastline—from the Rock Garden Interlude and the sand chute of the Driveway to the Anchor with its white walls embedded with a real anchor—brims with color, fantastic creatures, and a sense of wonder that the Earth can hold so much beauty hidden beneath the waves.
Diving the Wilderness
Before returning to port, the Liveaboards® travels a bit farther south for a series of remote dives at French Cay. The Double-D dive floats you above a sloping lush reef and two rising pinnacles for which the dive is named. The site teems with velvety black durgon, eagle rays, and large reef sharks. More reef sharks escort you along Half Mile Reef, and later you will see large gatherings of nurse sharks cruising the shallow waters of the reef top or snoozing in magical forests of gorgonian and elephant ear sponges at G-Spot. The final dive at Rock and Roll is a marvel of sharks, groupers, turtles, and octopuses.
Book Your Adventure
Diving from the decks of an Aggressor Liveaboards® into the magical reefs of the Turks and Caicos islands is an experience of a lifetime. Our food is great, our crew is impeccable, and our captain is a tried-and-true sailor. Look through the itinerary, choose your dates, and schedule your 7-day diving adventure with Aggressor Adventures.
