Scuba Diving

The Turks and Caicos is home to some of the best wall diving in the world. Our islands are supported by an extensive underwater plateau, and the edges of this plateau are often sheer cliff faces.

In addition to the amazing underwater topography, there’s plenty of fascinating marine life to see, from colourful reef fish and vibrant corals, to sharks, turtles, rays and more.

The Turks and Caicos is renowned for its pristine reefs and coral, and Providenciales is a great destination to dive from as sites along the entire western side of the Caicos barrier reef and wall are regularly accessed from the island.

Each region of the reef offers a unique aspect. The walls of Northwest Point and West Caicos are impressively sheer, Grace Bay offers fascinating spur and grove formations, and the wall off French Cay, lit by the sun due to its southern exposure, is home to some of the most impressive coral in the country.

Freediver and the collapsed Thunderdome at Malcolm’s Road Beach
Freediving at the Thunderdome at Malcolm Roads.
Grey reef sharks are common at many barrier reef sites, and dolphins, manta rays, hawksbill turtles and leatherback turtles can be spotted as well.

Providenciales offers excellent scuba diving, with dive sites spread across about 70 miles (112 km) of barrier reef and wall. Snorkeling and scuba diving are some of our top recommended things to do.

Most of the diving near Providenciales is considered wall diving, which occurs at the transition between the shallow depths on the Caicos underwater plateau and the deep water abruptly off it. In some locations, the wall is a sheer vertical face.

The Turks and Caicos is a great place to learn to dive. We have many dive shops that have accredited and professional instructors and offer PADI and Scuba Schools International (SSI) courses.

What’s the Best Time of Year to Dive?
The seasons do affect the dive experience a bit, with the winter months generally being the best time of year for wildlife (especially for whales), and the summer months having the nicest weather conditions (as long as a hurricane isn’t nearby!).

It’s best to defer to your dive operator’s judgement as they have current information and experience on the weather and ocean conditions, however, our opinion is that West Caicos, Sandbore Channel (highly weather dependent), and Northwest Point offer the best diving near Providenciales.

Generally, sunny days with very little ocean swell and wind, and between the full and new moons, are technically the best for conditions, but it’s important to not be too concerned about the weather as rain and bad weather tend to pass quickly in the Turks and Caicos. Many sea creatures are more active in lower light conditions as well, so an overcast day can be great for unusual sightings.