In addition to miles and miles of secluded beaches (among them the award-winning, 12-mile Grace Bay Beach, recently voted “Best Beach of All Tropical Islands in the World” and “Best Beach For Romance” by Caribbean Travel & Life magazine), Turks & Caicos boasts enough water sports, activities, and sights worth seeing to satisfy even the most varied range of interests.

A list follows, which includes Turks & Caicos International Film Festival, scuba diving, snorkeling, deep sea fishing, day cruises and sailing adventures, parasailing, windsurfing, sea cycling, kayaking, tandem skydiving, horseback riding, golf, tennis, eco-adventures, and whale- and JoJo the Dolphin-watching, as well as other areas of interest...

TURKS AND CAICOS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Every November, the TCI host their own Cannes-like film fest, when they bring down dozens of brand-new international films and celebrities in a week-long Caribbean-style celebration of "Sun, Sand, Sea and Cinema." Past attendees include Academy-Award-nominated writer-director Jim Sheridan (In America, My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father), Tony-nominated actor Delroy Lindo (Get Shorty, Malcolm X), Academy-Award-nominated screenwriter Richard Price (The Color of Money, Ransom, Clockers), and world-renowned film critic Rex Reed. Check out details on www.turksandcaicosfilmfestival.com

DIVING AND SNORKELING
Turks & Caicos offers some of the planet’s best scuba diving and snorkeling (the islands were recently voted a “Best Snorkeling Site” by Caribbean Travel & Life magazine, and a “Top 10 Best Diving Destination” by Rodale’s Scuba Diving magazine). In particular, our crystal-clear waters, spectacular drop-offs, coral reefs (the third largest in the world), and myriad species of plants, fish, and mammals make Turks & Caicos one of the most sought-after scuba and snorkeling destinations anywhere. Look for nurse sharks, reef fish, and humpback whales in the fall and winter seasons, as well as our favorites – angelfish, butterflyfish, and queen triggerfish – year-round.

Providenciales, or Provo, offers numerous dive operations to choose from, including, among others, “Big Blue Unlimited,” “Caicos Adventures,” “Dive Provo,” “Flamingo Divers,” “Provo Turtle Divers,” and “Silver Deep.”

Big Blue Unlimited:
A small-group (8-10 people) diving company located at the Leeward Marina, with immediate access to the beautiful Princess Alexandra Nature Reserve via power catamaran. Explore West Caicos, French Cay, Pine Cay, Northwest Point, and Grace Bay. Big Blue Unlimited offers diving instruction, including custom nitrox mixes, trimix and buddy inspiration rebreather instruction, and PADI, IANTD, TDI, and BSAC training. Call 1-649-946-5034, 1-649-946-6455, or visit Big Blue Unlimited’s website at www.bigblue.tc. bigblue@tciway.tc.

Caicos Adventures:
Dive off owner Philippe “Fifi” Kunz’s 43-foot power catamaran. A member of PADI International’s Gold Palm 5-Star Resorts group. Located at Caicos Café Plaza, Grace Bay. Email: divucrzy@tciway.tc. Call 1-649-941-3346. Visit Caicos Adventure’s website at http://www.caicosadventures.tc.

Dive Provo:
Located at the Allegro resort. 1-649-946-5029/5040. www.diveprovo.com.

Flamingo Divers:
Small groups only, guaranteed. A member of PADI International’s Gold Palm 5-Star Resorts group. Call 1-800-204-9282, 1-649-946-4193. Located next to the Marine Biology Center on Venetian Road just minutes from Five Little Cays House. Email: greatdiving@flamingodivers.com. Visit Flamingo Divers’s website at www.flamingodivers.com.

Provo Turtle Divers:
Established in 1970 by Art Pickering, Provo Turtle Divers is the oldest and most experienced dive operation in Turks & Caicos. Open 7 days a week, 8am-5pm. Call 1-649-946-4232, 1-800-833-1341, or fax 649-941-5296. www.provoturtledivers.com. ProvoTurtleDivers@Provo.net.

Silver Deep:
Offers scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, and excursions on its 12 new boats (25’-43’ center consoles, deck boats, and flat boats). Half or full days. Private charters or join an existing group. Try Silver Deep’s custom cruises, including, among others, its “Beach Cruise,” where you’ll snorkel among colorful fish, explore Iguana Island, find rare sand dollars on Pine Cay and tropical shells on Ft. George Beach; or its “Conch Cruise,” where you’ll snorkel and free dive for conch, then eat it on world famous Half Moon Bay Beach, and take the shell home as a souvenir; or its “Combo Cruise,” where you’ll visit the iguanas, snorkel the barrier reef, free dive for conch (and eat it later), and collect sand dollars; or its “Iguana Island Tour,” where you’ll take a short boat ride to Little Water Cay to meet the iguanas, enjoy a sandy beach, and look for stingrays; or its “Snorkel BBQ Tour,” where you’ll spend a real island day snorkeling, fishing, and free diving for lobster around Little Water Cay, Pine Cay, Dellis Cay, and Parrot Cay, after which your guide will prepare what you’ve caught for lunch on a secluded beach (be sure to wash it all down with Provo’s popular rum punch); or its “Middle Caicos Cave Adventure,” where you’ll cruise by Parrot Cay and North Caicos on you way to the Conch Bar, for a guided tour of the largest limestone cave in the Caribbean (lunch is served on breathtaking Mujdin Beach), after which you’ll snorkel, visit the iguanas, and beach comb for shells; or its “Snorkelmania Tour,” where you’ll enjoy the best spots along Turks & Caicos’ barrier reef; or its “Island Getaway Adventure,” where you’ll enjoy a secluded beach using Silver Deep’s beach chairs and sun umbrellas (lunch and drinks are provided); or its “South Discovery Tour,” where you’ll cruise calm, shallow waters along Provo’s south shore, snorkel, and explore a real “pirate cave” on West Harbor Bluff; or its “Provo Exploration Adventure,” where you’ll be Robinson Crusoe for a day, snorkeling Provo’s reefs, and exploring West Harbor Bluff’s pirate cave, Malcolm's Beach, and the Blue Hills native settlement where island sloops are built for the local regatta (enjoy lunch and drinks on a secluded beach); or its “Multi-activity Tour,” where a guide will take you snorkeling, fishing, scuba diving and shelling to your heart’s content; or its “Nighttime Glow Worm Adventure,” where, once a month (after a full moon), you can observe Provo’s waters lighten up with glow worms – marine creatures that sparkle during their mating ritual; or, better yet, ask about a custom tour to unspoiled West Caicos, or North Caicos and the pink flamingos, or to French Cay, where you’ll snorkel with nurse sharks, or to pristine Ambergris Cay (all trips are organized to meet your needs). Silver Deep also offers private two-tank dive charters to “the wall,” Pine Cay, Grace Bay, West Caicos, and French Cay, where you’ll see stingrays, turtles, sharks, and whales, as well as the most colorful Caribbean fish in the world (tanks, weights, and rental equipment are provided). Silver Deep also arranges wedding adventures. Call for more information at 1-649-946-5612, or visit their website at www.silverdeep.com. Email: silverdeep_dean@tciway.tc.

Also, for some of the best snorkeling on Provo, check out the waters around Five Little Cays (five small uninhabited islands off Provo’s southern coastline, where Five Little Cays House is located), as well as the waters off the Coral Gardens condominiums on Grace Bay Beach. And don’t forget to dive the Endymion wreck off Salt Cay. Also, near Grand Turk, rivers of corals weave along the shoreline and are not to be missed, providing a bloom of sea life. Great snorkeling areas also abound near West Caicos and French Cay, all with underwater landscapes that lie close to the beaches.

There is a recompression chamber at Menzies Medical Practice on Provo. 1-649-946-4242. DAN insurance is accepted.

DEEP SEA FISHING & FISHING CHARTERS
Out past the coral reefs surrounding the Turks & Caicos Islands, the Atlantic Ocean offers great deep-water fishing: blue marlin, sailfish, wahoo, tuna, mahi-mahi, and sharks. Or try light tackle trolling for mackerel, jack, and barracuda. You can also try the flats for bonefish and tarpon, or spin cast for bonefish. Some may prefer bottom fishing for snapper and grouper. Charter companies include, among others, “Captain Bar Gardiner’s Bonefish Unlimited,” “Captain Bob Collins’ Sakitumi Charters,” “Gwod Phrienz,” “Gwendolyn,” “Light Tackle and ‘Black Diamond’ Fishing and Boat Tours,” “J&B Tours,” “Hook’em Fishing Adventures,” and “Beyond the Blue Fishing Charters.” Be careful to shop around carefully for a qualified charter; not all local fishermen make the best guides.

Captain Bar Gardiner’s Bonefish Unlimited:
1-649-946-4874.

Captain Bob Collins’ Sakitumi Charters:
The most experienced sports fishing operation on Provo. Collins has been fishing these waters since 1989 in his 43-foot Hatteras. 1-649-946-4065. VHF Channel 16, ‘Sakitumi.’ One of only several deep sea fishing operations on-island.

Gwod Phrienz:
Deep sea fishing with Algie Dean. 1-649-946-4342.

Gwendolyn:
Deep sea fishing on a 45-foot Hatteras sportfisher. 1-649-941-0412. 1-649-946-5321. www.Provo.net/Gwendolyn/.

Light Tackle and ‘Black Diamond’ Fishing and Boat Tours:
Earl Musgrove. 1-649-946-4451.

J&B Tours:
Offers 27’-52’ boats for private charters, fishing, snorkeling, island excursions, whale watching, bird watching, water skiing, shell collecting, sunset cruises, and island hopping. Snorkel gear, life jackets, and drinks are provided for all trips, which include, among others, J&B’s popular “Deep Sea Fishing Adventure,” where you’ll spend a half-day or full day on one of J&B’s open fisherman boats trying to hook a marlin or dolphin; or its “Bone/Bottom Fishing Tour,” where you’ll take to the shallow waters in search of the ever-elusive bonefish, or go after a grouper, snapper, yellowtail, or jack. Located at the Leeward Marina. Call 1-649-946-5047. Or visit J&B’s website at www.jbtours.com. jill@jbtours.com.

Hook’em Fishing Adventures:
Offers fishing (deep sea, light tackle trolling, bottom fishing, electric reels, night fishing, bone fishing, fly fishing, and shark fishing), and excursions, beach cruises, and snorkeling for the entire family. Run by Captain Wing Dean, who has over 20 years of experience in the charter fishing business. Deep Sea: Have your lines down in the ocean within 15 minutes of leaving the marina. Fish for wahoo, marlin, tuna, mahi-mahi, and sailfish. Penn rods and Shimano reels. Light Tackle Trolling: Catch snapper, jacks, grouper, barracuda, and more. Light rods and reels. Bottom Fishing: Fun for all ages, and beginners. Catch snapper, grouper, yellowtail. Spin casting rods. Electric Reels: A completely unique experience. Fish in 500’-1000’ of water for red and black snapper with powerful electric reels. Adults only. Night Fishing: Enjoy bottom fishing for snapper and grouper under the stars. Bone Fishing: Catch “boneys” with light spin rods and 8-lb test. Fly Fishing: Explore the flats with your experienced local guide, and enjoy the challenge of trying to catch the elusive bonefish – pound for pound one of the strongest fish in the world. Beginners okay. Equipment provided. Shark Fishing: For those who enjoy a good fight, lots of action, and a great fishing experience. Catch Lemon Shark, Nurse Shark, and Caribbean Reef Shark. Hook’em Mix: Can’t decide? Want to see Iguana Island, do a bit of snorkeling, and maybe some bottom fishing? Hook’em Fishing Adventures offers choices of fishing and beach excursions on the same trip, and will tailor a day-full of adventures to meet your group’s needs. Island Fantasy: Check out Iguana Island, snorkel a reef, and beach comb at Shell Beach. Conch Snorkeling: Check out Iguana Island, snorkel for conch, and then visit Paradise Half Moon Beach. Middle Caicos Excursion: Take a full day to explore the stalactites, stalagmites, and Indian drawings in caves on Middle Caicos. Visit Mudjin Beach for lunch and afternoon snorkeling. Stop at Iguana Island on the way home. Located at the Turtle Cove Marina. Call 1-649-231-3586 or 1-649-231-2220. www.hookem.tc. fish@hookem.tc.

Beyond the Blue Fishing Charters:
Bonefish on South Caicos using a 24’ airboat (up to 50mph in inches of water) that accommodates 1-10 people. Not to be missed. Also available: charters to cattle and sisal plantation ruins from the 1890s; Iguana Island; multi-day scuba and bird-watching trips. In US call 1-321-795-3136, or in South Caicos at 1-649-231-1703. www.beyondtheblue.com. bonefishbtb@aol.com.

CRUISES, POWERBOATS, AND SAILING CHARTERS
There are a wide variety of cruises, day excursions, and charters in Turks & Caicos, enough to meet most interests. Explore Providenciales’ bluffs, caves, and snorkeling sites, as well. Charter companies include the popular “J&B Tours,” the original powerboat adventures company in Turks & Caicos.

J&B Tours (Power Boating Adventures):
Offers 27’-52’ boats for private charters, fishing, snorkeling, island excursions, whale watching, bird watching, water skiing, shell collecting, sunset cruises, and island hopping. Snorkel gear, life jackets, and drinks are provided for all trips, which include, among others, J&B’s popular three-hour morning or afternoon “Beach Cruise,” where you’ll visit Iguana Island, snorkel, and cruise along unspoiled sandy beaches; or its “Native Cruise,” where you’ll spend the afternoon snorkeling with stingrays and turtles, diving for conch (which you’ll eat later for lunch), and keep the shell as a souvenir; or its “Island Getaway Adventure,” for those who want to spend some time alone swimming, sunning, and romancing (chairs, umbrellas, and lunch provided); or its “Cave Safari Tour,” where you’ll boat to Middle Caicos (population 300), explore the limestone caverns (after cruising the North Caicos shore, past Three Marys Park), and enjoy lunch on a perfect, picturesque beach; or its “West Caicos Snorkel Adventure,” where you’ll spend a day on and around West Caicos, snorkeling its spectacular reefs and exploring its white sandy beaches and turquoise waters; or its “Glow Worm Cruise,” where, at sunset, you’ll experience the sparkling, pulsating, luminescent mating display of the male glow worm as he zig-zags in shallow waters on the Caicos Banks (cocktails and snacks are provided); or its “Island Discovery Tour,” where, for a day, you’ll see Provo in all its glory, as you snorkel, free dive for conch, and then eat lobster with an all-day open bar. J&B also offers wedding arrangements. J&B has photographers on staff, as well as a digital photo studio. Located at the Leeward Marina. Call 1-649-946-5047. Or visit J&B’s website at www.jbtours.com. jill@jbtours.com.

PARASAILING
Combine the thrill of skydiving with the view of hang gliding far above Grace Bay Beach. Available from various operators on the island. Located along Grace Bay Beach. Don’t forget to take your camera.

WINDSURFING, SEA CYCLING, AND KAYAKING
Perfect for the gentle trade winds rolling in over the relatively calm waters of Grace Bay Beach. Equipment rental and lessons are available from various operators on the island. Our beachfront villa, Five Little Cays House, offers two kayaks (Ocean Kayak Yak Boards) for use in the ocean. Check out Windsurfing Pro at the Ocean Club resort (1-649-9465649, 1-649-946-5490, windpro@tciay.tc, which offers hobie waves, hobie cats, small motor boats, kayaking, and windsurfing), or Turtle Parasailing at Turtle Cove Inn (1-649-941-5389, parasail@tciway.tc).

TANDEM SKYDIVING
Provo now offers tandem skydiving with Skydive Provo (1-649-941-0901). Visit the landing zone on the beach southwest of Club Med.

HORSEBACK RIDING
“Provo Ponies” offers morning and afternoon rides for those of all experience levels. Riders take the quiet roads, secluded canals, and beaches in Long Bay Hills during a 1½-hour ride, including 45 minutes on the beach. Reservations required. Monday through Friday only. Call 1-649-231-6350, or 1-649-946-5252. Off Dolphin Lane in Long Bay. Email Camille@tciway.tc. PO Box 276, Long Bay Hills, Providenciales.

GOLF
Provo Golf and Country Club is a first-class golf facility designed by Karl Litten. The 6,500-yard, 18-hole, par-72 championship course has a rating of 71.2 and a slope of 124. Amenities include the Fairways Bar & Grill, lighted tennis courts, and a pro shop. The Fairways Bar & Grill is a “truly unique eating experience overlooking Provo’s greenest gardens.” Open 7 days a week for breakfast and lunch, 7am-3pm, and open for dinner Tuesday-Saturday, 6pm-10pm. Bar snacks served all day. 1-649-946-5833. Located just a short 10-minute drive from Five Little Cays House.

TENNIS
Hard courts at the Provo Golf & Country Club are open to the public for a small fee. 1-649-946-5833. Located just a short 10-minute drive from Five Little Cays House.

ECO-ADVENTURES
Provided by two companies in Turks & Caicos, one on Providenciales (“Trax Eco Adventure”), and one on Middle Caicos (Big Blue Unlimited’s “Middle Caicos Eco-Adventures and Activities”)…

Trax Eco Adventure:
Provides fun outdoor activities and environmental education for kids aged 5-17. Your kids will love their stay in Turks & Caicos if they adore kayaking, environmental art, archaeology, ornithology and entomology, water sports, aviation in action, and more. Let your kids explore Turks & Caicos with experienced guides Sally Burgess (Ba.Sc., Ba.Ed., Hons.) and Jacqui Conway (BTEC, Childhood Studies), who bring Provo’s beaches, lagoons, 190 species of birds, millions of exotic plants, the third largest coral reef system in the world, bat caves, migrating whales, the world’s only conch farm, and cave carvings to life like no one else can. Armed with kayaks, snorkel kits, compasses, binoculars, and paints and sketchpads, kids gear up for an island-wide adventure in education. They’ll enjoy kayaking ocean cliffs, hiking/climbing to the top of area peaks, caving, sailing, horseback riding, swimming, snorkeling, dancing with Turks & Caicos natives, as well as learning about local and global environmental issues. Call 1-649-241-1860, or 1-649-242-0930. www.traxecoadventure.com. info@traxecoadventure.com.

Big Blue Unlimited’s Middle Caicos Eco-Adventures and Activities:
Offers award-winning eco-tourism adventures including, among other things, mountain biking, hiking, nature walks, kayaking, model sailboat racing, handcraft demonstrations, bird watching, and cave exploring. On Middle Caicos only. Big Blue Unlimited was the winner of the first Turks & Caicos Eco-Tourism Award (in 2002). Take a spectacular flight on a twin-prop from Providenciales to Middle Caicos, where you’ll meet up with your guide at Daniel’s Café, receive a trip briefing, and then enjoy a delicious, complimentary breakfast before heading out on your trip. Lunch can be eaten at Daniel’s Café, in a local home, or on the beach. Package Specials include, among others, Big Blue’s “Hike and Handcraft Special” (Wednesdays), where you’ll hike a portion of the magnificent Crossing Place Trail, refresh yourself with a swim in beautiful Mudjin Harbor, learn about the creation of local handcrafts, and explore the maze of passages in the Conch Bar Caves; or its “Bambarra Beach Day Adventure” (Fridays), where you’ll walk to Mudjin Harbor, play dominoes and volleyball on the beach with locals, race model sailboats, listen to music, have drinks, eat plenty of delicious seafood, and explore the maze of passages in the Conch Bar Caves; or its “Full Island Tour” (everyday), where you’ll enjoy a handcraft demonstration, visit historical sites including the Conch Bar Caves and the Haulover Plantation, and swim at Mudjin Harbor and Bambarra Beach; or its “Kings Road Mountain Bike Circuit” tour, where you’ll enjoy breathtaking views on a 12-mile route that winds along the island’s original (but now abandoned) road, and ends up at the island’s highest peak, for a beautiful, 360-degree vista of the island and its surrounding turquoise waters; or its “Crossing Place Trail Hike,” where you’ll enjoy a 4.5-mile trek that traverses majestic coastal ridges, dramatic bluffs, and hidden sections of white sandy beach; or its “Bush Medicine Walk,” where you’ll learn about how trees, plants, bark, and leaves are used in the Turks & Caicos Islands for medicinal purposes, as well as about local medicinal folklore and indigenous plants of interest; or its “Bay Islands Nature Reserve Kayak Trip,” where you’ll observe firsthand the rare rock iguana in its natural habitat as you kayak the remote inner channels and creeks of Middle Caicos; or its “Traditional Sloop Building Demonstration and Model Sailboat Racing Trip,” where local boat builders will show you their wares before you captain your own replica sloop; or its “Handcraft Demonstration Adventure,” where Middle Caicos women give you an introduction to the tradition of making baskets, purses, and other handcrafts out of indigenous palmtops and fanner grass; or its “Bird Watching Excursion,” where you’ll observe snowy and cattle egrets, tropical birds, hummingbirds, and great blue herons at the renowned Ramsar Site, and then get transported by boat to the internationally known Man O’ War Bush to see a remote frigate bird colony; or its “Conch Bar Caves National Park Tour,” where you’ll visit remnants of the Taino Indian reservation in 200,000-year-old caves full of limestone passages and stalagmite/stalactite formations, which are home to four species of bat; or its “Haulover Plantation Visit,” where you’ll see (after a 2-mile hike through spectacular ruins) what was once the most thriving plantation region in Turks & Caicos, but which is now the most remote village settlement in the islands, and a dip in the brilliant blue waters at Bambarra Beach. All Big Blue tours are ecologically designed to support the local economy, preserve Turks & Caicos’ natural beauty, and respect the local way of life. Call 1-649-946-5034, or 1-649-231-6455 to arrange your Big Blue activities. www.bigblue.tc. bigblue@tciway.tc.

WHALE- AND JOJO THE DOLPHIN-WATCHING
From January through March, Turks & Caicos is one of the few places on earth where you can snorkel near herds of humpback whales that have recently calved. The graceful whales particularly favor the Silver Banks, an area of seamounts that rise between Salt Cay, Grand Turk and the Dominican Republic. A boat trip to the banks during whale season is truly an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Check out “J&B Tours” for guided trips (J&B’s offers 27’-52’ boats for private charters) at the Leeward Marina at 1-649-946-5047, or visit J&B’s website at www.jbtours.com. jill@jbtours.com.

Or, if whales are too big for you, try looking for JoJo, a seven-foot male bottlenose dolphin that has cruised the waters surrounding the Turks & Caicos Islands, primarily Provo, for over 12 years. Over the years, JoJo’s shy demeanor has diminished and he has become active with humans in the water. Look for JoJo along spectacular 12-mile Grace Bay Beach.

OTHER AREAS OF INTEREST
The Hole
In the Long Bay section of Providenciales, off Seasage Hill Road in the southeastern part of the island, “The Hole” is a naturally existing limestone chimney over 40 feet across and 80 feet deep with a saltwater bottom.

National Parks and Reserves
The Turks & Caicos Islands offer a wealth of untouched nature reserves full of tropical wildlife, birds, and flora. The Turks & Caicos government has set aside 33 specific protected areas, over 325 square miles of National Parks, Nature Reserves, Sanctuaries, and Historical Sites. For more information contact the Department of Environment & Coastal Resources, Grand Turk, 1-649-946-2855.

Sunsets, Sunrises, and Star Gazing
The crystal-clear, pollution-free skies of the Turks & Caicos Islands allow for wonderful star-gazing. Sunrises and sunsets on Provo are startlingly colorful.

The World’s Only Conch Farm
Provo is home to the only conch farm in the world, where you can watch the Queen Conch (a large marine gastropod that lives in the waters of the northern Caribbean) grow.

Glow Worms
Best observed in the evening during the mating season in the current ebbing under the shallow waters of the Caicos Banks.

Art Galleries
Local Turks & Caicos artwork can be enjoyed and purchased at “Anna’s Art Gallery & Studio,” and the “Bamboo Gallery”…

Visit Anna’s Art Gallery & Studio for local art, art classes, a Caribbean mini-bazaar, and local handcrafts. Children’s portraits by commission. Located upstairs at the Turtle Cove Inn between the Sharkbite Bar and Aqua restaurant. 1-649-231-3293. www.anna.tc. conrana@tciway.tc.

The Bamboo Gallery is the oldest established art gallery in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Offers a wide range of Caribbean fine art and locally made metal art. Located at The Market Place on Leeward Highway. Call 1-649-946-4748, or 1-649-241-5331. www.provo.net/bamboo. bamboo@provo.net.