Call them the Southern Cays or the South Cays, whichever you please; just expect to be thrilled with everything you find below the brilliant blue water that surrounds this little cluster of uninhabited rocky islands located southeast of West Caicos. During the summer, French Cay is an important breeding ground for nurse sharks, and as you’re about to see, the entire region is simply splendid. Here is a quick tour of just five favorite dive sites in Turks and Caicos’s Southern Cays.
Double D
Named for the two massive coral-covered pinnacles that rise up from the ocean floor at about 50 feet beneath the surface, this site is located just a short distance from French Cay’s bird sanctuary. With a lovely wall which is wreathed in brilliant hard and soft coral as well as sponges and sea fans, this underwater fantasyland is home to huge schools of jack and black durgeon, as well as countless groupers, barracuda, and other fish. Watch for sharks and turtles, and don’t forget to look for macro life as you ascend. Visibility is usually between 75 and 100 feet.
West Sand Spit
Exposed at low tide, and located about 27 miles to the southeast of Provo, West Sand Spit is home to at least 120 different fish species, including three different types of Jewfish. Beyond the sandy slope created by the spit, you’ll find a wall that begins at 60 feet, meeting the ocean floor at 150 feet below the surface. With schooling goatfish and the ever-present yellowtails, plus some very large stingrays, triggerfish, and sharks, this magnificent site is washed by an upwelling current and is vibrantly colorful. Visibility is normally 75 feet or so, and the combination of current and depth reserves the spit for experienced divers.
Half Mile Reef
Lying to the east of French Cay, this beautiful reef is about half a mile long. While most of the reef is subject to a current and fun for drifting, there is a bowl-like section which is famous for the huge elephant ear sponges that lie at its bottom, 85 feet beneath the surface. The ancient sponges are approximately 8 feet across, and are 20 feet from one another; they are nestled among smaller sponges and coral formations, and the entire reef is populated with splendid fish in every color of the rainbow. Watch for mahogany snapper, blue tang, angelfish, and schooling barracuda as you explore, and enjoy the great visibility, which often reaches 100 feet.
Rock & Roll
While there is a magnificent wall beginning at 60 feet, Rock & Roll also possesses a magnificent forest of staghorn coral above the wall’s edge, where you can find colorful life in all shapes and sizes. Everything from squirrelfish to chromis, anthias to octopus, and blue tang to gray angelfish enjoys the abundant nutrients that well up from the deeper areas below, and reef sharks, schooling jacks, and massive eagle rays can be seen cruising past. There is a bit of current here, and visibility is usually between 75 and 100 feet. Excellent for photography, this site is best for intermediate divers and up.
The G Spot
Best for experienced divers and named for the gorgonians that color this fascinating site, the G Spot is an excellent place to see groups of large eagle rays, huge spotted drum, and turtles, as well as countless other fish, invertebrates, and crustaceans, all of which seem to be in no particular hurry and which are more than happy to pose for photos. The site features a lovely wall covered in colorful soft coral and sponge, which meets the seabed at 150 feet, and which offers visibility at about 100 feet most of the time. A light current keeps things looking brilliant, while ensuring all the creatures which live here are happy and well fed.
This incredible slice of paradise is located about an hour’s journey from West Caicos, and it does take some planning to get here, so be sure to choose your dive operator in advance, and work on your underwater photography skills before leaving home if you can! Whether you get to visit all of these sites or just one, the preparation is well worth it.