Snorkeling at Coral Gardens on Bight Reef

Today was all about the green sea turtles. We went to a protected reef and snorkeled along a snorkel trail. Turtles were out eating in the sea grass. It was so fun to watch them. This turtle is named for the color of its fat not the color of its shells. The turtles are mostly herbivorous and enjoy eating sea grass. They keep the sea grass healthy by keeping it cut. Green sea turtles migrate long distances and can live to be 80 years old. The green sea turtle is listed as endangered so if you are ever snorkeling or diving with one give it space to come up for air and never harass it or try to touch it. It was a pleasure to share the water with these turtles today! 

 

Scuba day on Northwest Point

I can not even begin to explain how amazing my two dives were today. We dove at one of three top spots on the island called Northwest Point. Our first dive was at The Crack. After our decent, we got to swim through a crack in the coral and got to our lowest depth of 86 feet. After we got through we explored along the reef and two sharks discovered us. We also saw a big barracuda and a huge lobster! The fish and coral were amazing! After our surface interval, we moved to a second spot called the Coral Stairway. Our deepest point here was 56 feet. In addition to lots of fish and a school of barracudas, I had two reef sharks that hung out with us. They were so elegant and strong. Overall, I'm thankful to my friends Steph and Deb who encouraged me to get certified. Our dive masters Jane and Mickey with Flamingo Divers were professional and friendly and helped me feel comfortable on my first open ocean dive.  This was an amazing experience! 

Pre-dive shot of my dive buddies! 

Going through the crack with my friend Steph watching!

Reef shark off the wall!

Amazing coral!

Reef shark right behind us! 

Close up of my shark friend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Princess Alexandra National Park

Today was a beach day and the morning was all about snorkeling. We walked down to Princess Alexandra National Park. This 6532 acre park is located off the north coast of Providenciales. This area had the most beautiful coral I have ever seen. The fish were amazing as well. Towards the end of my first snorkel I saw a big reef shark. It was my first shark to see in the wild. I didn't get a picture because I was so shocked! It was a successful day! 

 

 

 

Safely arrived in Turks and Caicos

We have safely arrived in Turks and Caicos. We headed over to Shark Bite Cafe for a quick bite. I ate my first conch fritter. Tasty! A conch is basically a large sea snail. After I ate I went snorkeling at the beach outside of our house and actually found a conch shell on the sea floor. Planning to get in the blue water again soon! 

View of the ocean from my bedroom!

 

 

 

Flamingo Divers

I am planning to dive four times while on the island. I have two other friends I'm traveling with who are also certified. We have chosen to dive with Flamingo Divers. We are hoping to dive French Cay, West Caicos, and Provo's Northwest Point. These are wall dives and there should be lots of sealife including rays, sharks, and dolphins. The dive master takes pictures as we dive so I hope we will get lots of pictures!

  

History of Turks and Caicos

You may be wondering where Turks and Caicos is located. I have included a map below for your reference. The islands are approximately 650 miles southeast of Miami. They are officially a British Overseas Territory. The islands were first settled sometime between AD 500 to 800 by the Taino people who came over from the island of Hispaniola. In 1521 Spanish conquistador Ponce de Leon sighted the island and soon the Spanish began capturing the native people and used them as slaves to replace the slave population in Hispaniola. By 1513 the population of the islands waned and remained that way until the 17th century. During the 18th century pirates used the islands as a hiding place and soon after the British began developing salt production on the island for export. Slavery was banned in 1807 in Great Britain and became illegal in its British colonies by 1833. Today the islands are known for their tourism, beautiful sand beaches, and blue water. I am so excited to see the islands in person and learn more about the history and the beauty of this location.

Summer Adventures 2016

Hi all, I'm back! This summer adventure starts with a trip to the Turks and Caicos located in the Carribean. In anticipation of this trip, I got scuba certified at El Mar Dive Shop in Mesa. In addition to my pool dives, I have been diving 4 times at Lake Pleasant. I am excited to get in to the warm blue waters filled with tropical sea life.