Watersports

With crystal-clear ocean water and a pristine marine environment, Providenciales is an unparalleled destination for water sports. There’s a tremendous selection of things to do on and in the ocean. When the conditions are right you can even go surfing.

Many boat tours can be booked as private charters, allowing the excursion and activities to be tailored to exactly how you’d like to spend the day.

Snorkeling
Providenciales offers the best beach snorkeling of any island in the Turks and Caicos. At the central Bight Reef and Smith’s Reef, there are beautiful reef systems starting close off the shore.

Sunlight filtering through the water at the Smith’s Reef snorkeling site on Providenciales
The beautiful reefs in the Turks and Caicos.
When snorkeling the beach reefs, you likely won’t see large sharks, dolphins, or whales, however, the variety and number of colorful reef fish is excellent. It’s common to spot queen angelfish, French angelfish, yellowtail, stoplight parrotfish, trumpetfish, jacks, snappers, French grunts, butterflyfish, damselfish, and more.

Wetlands and Mangrove Channels
Extensive and ecologically important mangrove wetlands cover a large percentage of the Turks and Caicos. These unique habitats are teeming with wildlife and natural beauty.

Kayaking and Paddleboarding
Stand-up paddleboarding at night during the full moon in the Princess Alexandra National Park
Full moon stand-up paddleboarding in the Turks and Caicos.
Far too shallow for most motorized vessels, these channels and wetlands are best discovered by the silent kayak or stand-up paddleboard. As the nursery for countless species, wildlife sightings above and below the water’s surface are common.

Every location is different, yet you’ll likely get a close-up view of juvenile lemon sharks, stingrays, turtles, starfish, and conch. Hiding in the dense mangrove are green herons, and in the sky above, pelicans, egrets, and frigatebirds.

Kiteboarding
You’d be hard-pressed to find a better spot for learning to kiteboard at than Long Bay Beach on Providenciales. Here, the brilliantly-turquoise water is only waist deep, and the bottom is soft white sand. There are quite a few kite schools to choose from, and many students will be able to kite on their own after 8-12 lessons.

Kite Surfing
There are countless locations throughout the islands for an experienced kiter to explore. A day trip to North and Middle Caicos or South Caicos, or a downwinder through the Caicos Cays will offer kite sites and vistas that very few have the opportunity to experience.

Flat water windsurfing is likewise great, and equipment rentals and instruction are available from some of the kite schools.

Surfing
They don’t have the predictable breaks that some of the other Caribbean surf destinations have, yet when the conditions are right, both conventional surfing and stand-up paddle surfing on the barrier reef is exquisite.