Hello everyone, I just got back from a week long stay in Turks and Caicos and was lucky enough to get 3 days of diving with Dive Provo. I used Caicos Adventures for my certification last year but this year the people I was diving with wanted to see how other companies on the island operated (as this is a yearly destination for my family). Dive Provo was a great experience and I highly recommend them for any divers in the Turks and Caicos. Very friendly and approachable people who have years of experience on the island as well as diving. My mother, brothers fiancée and my friend were getting certified while my brother and I have been certified for years we were able to be on the same boat and experience their reactions while doing the surface interval. It was really something hearing the excitement and passion from everyone after explaining for the past year why they should be certified!. The certification process through Dive Provo was impressively in-depth including 4 hours of pool time the day before and a maximum of 4 students per group unless previously discussed.
Our first dive site of the day was called Tons of Grunts. Located in French Cay this is the furthest dive destination for the 2 tank dives. On this day the surface waves were large and the boat being a small 16 person dive boat made for a interest transportation experience. After setting up my gear my brother and I went over each others gear before jumping into the water. Even on the boat you could see down to the top of the wall at 62 feet. We jumped into the water and I was handed my camera by the dive master. We decided not to use the provided dive master instead we would buddy ourselves but stay within distance of the dive master for spotting purposes but we wanted the freedom to dive our own plan. Upon reaching the sandy bottom at 45 feet we started making our way towards the wall. We were instantly greeted by the local trumpet fish (above), these long skinny fish have always peaked my interest due to the colours and hunting habits. Unfortunately I was unable to capture a photo that does these animals justice as they loved swimming below me using me to help conceal them for hunting.
When we finally reached the wall about about 30 meters of swimming we took note of where the Dive Master put the boat flag (marking where to end the dive) and headed right (into the current). The wall was about 60 degrees in angle and dropping from 45 feet to 6000 feet!. Although we didn't go to 6000 feet we did decide to go slightly deeper than the dive master and capped our dive at a max depth of 96 feet. Looking up at the wall face really puts into perspective the intensity of nature and how unique this planet and oceans really are. My brother was able to point out a crab in a tube sponge coral at the 70 foot mark. This crab made his home inside the sponge, which made a great protective area from reef sharks and other predators.
Our turn around point was at 25 minutes. As dives here are maxed at 60 minutes due to the surface interval and with the little coral life that was located on our ascent point we decided to go slightly further than the group and once we arrived back at the marker make our way to the ascent line. I was able to capture the black and white photo of a diver shallowing his dive after making his turn back
along the wall. The way coral grows and excels on this angle and along the line of the deep blue really is a fascinating thought.
On our way back we wanted to focus on the initial drop point of the wall, we noticed that there was a lot of fish activity and wanted to explore and see what we could find. This is when a small cow fish went right by my left side and started zig zagging through coral and rocks. These fish at first glance might remind you of a puffer fish, although related these fish have a unique look to them. At the top of their heads there are two little spikes. These fish come in multiple different colours and patterns. I quickly tried to capture a photo of this blue and green with black spots, however he was darting and whizzing all over this coral patch. The cowfish is a beautiful animal and the juveniles are a hit list for me to see and capture on camera.
Dive Info: 96 feet for 48 minutes
Stay tuned for the remaining 5 dive sites !
*If anyone wants to see the large/HD copies of these photos please leave a comment or contact my email*
When we finally reached the wall about about 30 meters of swimming we took note of where the Dive Master put the boat flag (marking where to end the dive) and headed right (into the current). The wall was about 60 degrees in angle and dropping from 45 feet to 6000 feet!. Although we didn't go to 6000 feet we did decide to go slightly deeper than the dive master and capped our dive at a max depth of 96 feet. Looking up at the wall face really puts into perspective the intensity of nature and how unique this planet and oceans really are. My brother was able to point out a crab in a tube sponge coral at the 70 foot mark. This crab made his home inside the sponge, which made a great protective area from reef sharks and other predators. 
On our way back we wanted to focus on the initial drop point of the wall, we noticed that there was a lot of fish activity and wanted to explore and see what we could find. This is when a small cow fish went right by my left side and started zig zagging through coral and rocks. These fish at first glance might remind you of a puffer fish, although related these fish have a unique look to them. At the top of their heads there are two little spikes. These fish come in multiple different colours and patterns. I quickly tried to capture a photo of this blue and green with black spots, however he was darting and whizzing all over this coral patch. The cowfish is a beautiful animal and the juveniles are a hit list for me to see and capture on camera. 
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