Turks and Caicos (Sea Dancer), April 1999

Author: John Simion

The following is a trip report on the Sea Dancer in Turks and Caicos (T&C) from 10-17 April 1999.

Getting In and Out of T&C: I had no problems with the American Airlines flight from Miami to Provo. T&C immigration is fairly efficient, although the center two lanes have two immigration officers each, and therefore move twice as fast as the outside two lanes. Customs is a mess and no one seemed to know what to do (HINT: Americans coming to T&C on vacation have nothing to declare). However, a uniformed airport employee identified me as a Sea Dancer diver, grabbed my bags, practically ran through Customs, and brought me and the bags outside to the Sea Dancer representative. Then my bags disappeared altogether, which caused further alarm. Actually, there are two vans used by the Sea Dancer, one for bags and one for people, but nobody told me that. We ended up with 16 people squeezed into a 15 passenger van. In sum, I would have appreciated more advance instructions about what to expect, but the bottom line was that everything arrived safely to the boat.

One minor irritant: The instructions from Peter Hughes said that boarding was from 3:00-5:00, and the boat would be leaving at 5:00 to go to the dive sites. Because of this, I went to great lengths to make it to Provo on the 3:08 arrival, including an overnight layover in Miami. Other passengers also had to arrive early, and they stayed in Provo at even greater added expense. However, the boat nevertheless waited for several divers who arrived in Provo at 6:30, and therefore spent the night in the harbor. Had I known this would happen, I would have arrived on the 6:30 flight and thereby avoided both traveling on Friday and the expense of a motel room. I'm not complaining about staying in the harbor, because we were diving at 8:00 the next morning, but providing better information about arrival policies would have been appreciated and wouldn't have cost Peter Hughes anything.

The Sea Dancer returned to port early on Friday afternoon. There is not a lot to do after returning to port. Some people went to town, but I just went to a nearby beach and then returned to the boat and packed my things. The crew is busy preparing for the next group. Most people left on the 8:00 flight on Saturday morning. To get to the airport on time, we had to get up at 5:15 a.m., which is not a time that I am fully functioning. The departure procedures are efficient and uneventful, except that T&C gigs you for $15 departure tax, and the plane was on schedule.

The Boat: Before I selected Sea Dancer, I read several reports in this discussion group that said to expect a fun trip, but that the Sea Dancer was old and worn out. I don't agree. It's true that the Sea Dancer is fairly old, but it's well-maintained. I saw no rust. Carpeting, seat cushions, and bunks were either new or in good condition, and the outer decks had a non-slip coating that seemed to be new. Everything was clean. I don't know what more you want in a dive boat, especially for the price.

Being a natural-born cheapskate, I shared the cheapest cabin aboard ($1095/week). The cabin was too small for my roommate and I to be upright in the cabin at the same time, but you learn to work around it. My bunk was comfortable and long enough for my 6'-4" frame, and after five dives a day, I had no trouble sleeping.

The dive deck is adequate, but could be improved. We had a full load of 18 divers aboard, and everyone had a station -- but there were times that I couldn't find a place to sit down and pull on my wetsuit. I've recommended to the crew that they add a dressing bench near the wetsuit rack. Also, it would help if there were plastic pull-out trays for dive gear under each station, as the Sea Fever (Miami) uses. I appreciated the fact that the crew could fill my tank right at my station after each dive. Just unhook the first stage, and when you come back, Presto!, you're ready to dive. I also appreciated the dive platform on the back of the boat, which allows divers to enter the water in pairs with the much-appreciated assistance of the crew. This prevented the logjams I've encountered on other boats.

The Diving: Diving was great, and made even better by first-rate dive briefings that were uncannily accurate. These guys could tell you exactly where to find a specific fish, they were that accurate; e.g., "Go west to the wall, turn right to the sand chute, go down the sand chute to 80', turn right, Crabzilla is on a plate coral," and sure enough Crabzilla would be there. You felt like you were being introduced to personal friends of the dive crew. I especially enjoyed meeting "Tangito," the friendly grouper, and "Chubby" the reef shark. Almost every dive had something special. We encountered sharks and eagle rays on the first dive, and frequently thereafter. We also saw dolphins, turtles, and all types of reef fish, including some types of wildlife that were unusual to me, such as reef squid and slipper lobsters. The lobsters and crabs in T&C must be on steroids; they're absolutely huge and not shy at all -- we found large lobsters out in the open on almost every morning dive.

I was easily able to make 24 dives in this week. The water temperature was a little cool. I used a 3 mm full suit, and that should be considered the minimum. One night I missed a night dive because I was just too cold, and one lady got DCS and had to be taken back to Provo for a day, which caused us to miss another dive. Visibility varied from good to great (70'-150'). Seas were extremely calm. Depths can easily run to 130' or deeper if you aren't watching, but you don't have to go that deep in order to enjoy the dives. We only went to the deep parts for a minute or two, and then slowly began working our way back up the walls. The walls here can be dramatic, almost like cliffs in many places. The best dives were along West Caicos, in areas also accessible by day boats out of Provo. The corals and sponges were generally in good condition, although it really irks me that other divers had broken off pieces off huge barrel sponges northwest of Provo. The Sea Dancer crew made clear that if any of us did that, we would be off the boat in a heartbeat, and I didn't doubt it. It is a shame when people destroy something for a souvenir rather than just take a picture.

Surface Intervals: The crew of the Sea Dancer was outstanding. Captain Nigel obviously knows and loves his job. Everything was very well-organized and worked right. Captain Nigel is also an excellent host and the kind of person you just naturally like to talk to. Brad, Kacy, and J.T. were our dive instructors. At least one dive instructor was with the guests on every dive, and the others were busy helping out on board the boat. They were a big help, and definitely earned their tips. Stan cooked great food all week long. Of course, it helped that I love hot, spicy food. Some others were complaining that it was too hot, but don't listen to them, Stan! Iris was our hostess, and served us and kept everything orderly. The whole crew made us feel just like family.

There isn't a lot to do during surface intervals. You can eat, get a sunburn on the sundeck, crash out in your cabin, read a book, watch a video, or take a scuba course. Most people just read and talk. If you want to read a book and stay out of the sun, the only place to do it is in the dining area. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of extra space when the boat is full. Some people might think that the surface interval is dull, but you can turn it into an advantage by getting to know your fellow divers in a way you never could on a land-based vacation.

Summary: Great trip! The few gripes are relatively petty in comparison with the great diving, a great crew, and at $1095, a great value.