Sunday, December 03, 2006
Friday, December 01, 2006
Grand Turk
December 1, 2006
Another wonderful day on Grand Turk! The first morning dive was at Rolling Hill. The site was beautiful but there was a very strong current. For the first half hour we dove along the wall against the current. It was very hard work for me and my legs got real tired.
The second part of the dive was much easier since we had the current take us back to the boat. Our dive master gave us a signal and to my delight a large hawksbill turtle was heading my way. He came right up to me and if I wanted to I could have touched him. I don't usually pet animals on a dive and after posting yesterday's grouper video got some negative feedback from members of the YouTube community. I am the last person that would ever want to stress wildlife.
I was really tired after this adventure so instead of going on the second morning dive, I relaxed by the beach that was opposite the dive shop. When David returned from the second dive we went to Governors beach. We couldn't do an afternoon dive because we're flying home tomorrow and need to rid our bodies of nitrogen.
December 1, 2006
Another wonderful day on Grand Turk! The first morning dive was at Rolling Hill. The site was beautiful but there was a very strong current. For the first half hour we dove along the wall against the current. It was very hard work for me and my legs got real tired.
The second part of the dive was much easier since we had the current take us back to the boat. Our dive master gave us a signal and to my delight a large hawksbill turtle was heading my way. He came right up to me and if I wanted to I could have touched him. I don't usually pet animals on a dive and after posting yesterday's grouper video got some negative feedback from members of the YouTube community. I am the last person that would ever want to stress wildlife.
I was really tired after this adventure so instead of going on the second morning dive, I relaxed by the beach that was opposite the dive shop. When David returned from the second dive we went to Governors beach. We couldn't do an afternoon dive because we're flying home tomorrow and need to rid our bodies of nitrogen.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Grand Turk
November 30, 2006
Another beautiful day in paradise. I was nervous this morning because the sky was gray and it was raining but it blew over in time for our morning dive. We went to Ampitheater – This bowl-shaped dip in the sand starts at 85 feet and curves into the Caicos Passage, where whales, sharks, and manta rays often swim by. It won't be whale season for two months but we did see beautiful coral and fish.
After our morning dive David chose the Susan Silverman schedule, so we went back to the beach and relaxed. After lunch we went on our afternoon dive. We dove at Coral Gardens and it was wonderful. There were two friendly resident groupers that allowed dives to pet them. We also saw a school of dolphins and that was a real treat!
David is still working on his photos so stay tuned.
November 30, 2006
Another beautiful day in paradise. I was nervous this morning because the sky was gray and it was raining but it blew over in time for our morning dive. We went to Ampitheater – This bowl-shaped dip in the sand starts at 85 feet and curves into the Caicos Passage, where whales, sharks, and manta rays often swim by. It won't be whale season for two months but we did see beautiful coral and fish.
After our morning dive David chose the Susan Silverman schedule, so we went back to the beach and relaxed. After lunch we went on our afternoon dive. We dove at Coral Gardens and it was wonderful. There were two friendly resident groupers that allowed dives to pet them. We also saw a school of dolphins and that was a real treat!
David is still working on his photos so stay tuned.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Grand Turk
November 29, 2006
Another beautiful day in Grand Turk! After our morning dive at Black Forest, David decided to skip the second dive and try out the Susan Silverman routine. After rinsing our dive gear we drove to Governor's Beach. I was incorrect in saying that Grand Turk has no white sandy beaches. We were the only people on the beach and it was relaxing and beautiful. The ghost crabs provided constant entertainment.
We had lunch at The Sand Bar and it was delicious. Our afternoon dive was scheduled for 2:30, so we had an hour left to relax at the beach opposite the dive shop.
Our afternoon dive was lovely. We dove at the Anchor dive site and saw an abundance of beautiful fish. David used my camera and I'll be posting the pictures on Flickr once he is finished editing.
We're going to be having dinner tonight at the Osprey Beach Hotel. Mitch, from another dive shop provides entertainment there on Wednesday nights.
November 29, 2006
Another beautiful day in Grand Turk! After our morning dive at Black Forest, David decided to skip the second dive and try out the Susan Silverman routine. After rinsing our dive gear we drove to Governor's Beach. I was incorrect in saying that Grand Turk has no white sandy beaches. We were the only people on the beach and it was relaxing and beautiful. The ghost crabs provided constant entertainment.
We had lunch at The Sand Bar and it was delicious. Our afternoon dive was scheduled for 2:30, so we had an hour left to relax at the beach opposite the dive shop.
Our afternoon dive was lovely. We dove at the Anchor dive site and saw an abundance of beautiful fish. David used my camera and I'll be posting the pictures on Flickr once he is finished editing.
We're going to be having dinner tonight at the Osprey Beach Hotel. Mitch, from another dive shop provides entertainment there on Wednesday nights.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Grand Turk
November 28, 2006
We weren't too tired in the morning considering that a donkey outside woke us up a few times with some very loud and strange sounds. There was coffee in our suite so we had granola bars and coffee before our dive. Part of our package at the Island House includes use of a car, which is very handy. There was no need to show a drivers license or pay for insurance. All we need to do is replace any fuel which can't be very much considering the size of the island. We also have to remember to close a gate when leaving so that cows don't come in and eat the vegetation. Their not concerned about donkeys.
The Island House made arrangements for us to dive with Oasis Divers. I don't dive very often so it usually takes me a day or two to get comfortable. The water was around 82 degrees with good visibility. This is my third time in Grand Turk and after diving in many places around the world, I still think Grand Turk is one of the best. The coral was in good condition and there were fish galore. We saw a huge hawksbill turtle that was apparently very comfortable with divers. If I wanted to I could have touched him. David took photos and I'll be posting them after he fixes the lighting with Photoshop.
This was a two tank dive but after the first dive I was tired and decided to rest and do a one tank afternoon dive. David did the second dive.
When he returned he had a sheepish grin on his face. He managed to flood his camera and it was beyond repair. He's been talking about buying a new one and didn't seem very upset. He told me that either he didn't seal the housing properly or it got rattled on the boat. For the rest of the trip he's going to use my digital camera. I don't mind since I'm the world's worst underwater photographer.
I did the afternoon dive and it was totally amazing. The site could have been called Turtle City since I saw at least four hawksbill turtles. Toward the end of the dive the divemaster made a clicking sound to get our attention. I turned around and to my delight a school of bottlenose dolphins came swimming my way. WoW!
When the dive was over David was waiting for me. I felt bad that he missed the turtles and dolphins but couldn't keep it a secret. His dissapointment couldn't have been anything like mine when I skipped the dive where he saw a whaleshark. That happened over twelve years ago and he made it up to me last April in Utila.
Our dinner tonight wasn't very memorable, but that's not what we came to Grand Turk for. If you want a place with white, sandy beaches, nightlife, great restaurants, entertainment, sailing, jet skis, water skiing, gambling, and shopping, then don't bother coming to Grand Turk. If on the other hand, you want a very quiet island, modest accommodations, and incredible diving, this is the place for you!
Tonight's sky was beautiful, so if David is correct again we should have beautiful weather tomorrow!
November 28, 2006
We weren't too tired in the morning considering that a donkey outside woke us up a few times with some very loud and strange sounds. There was coffee in our suite so we had granola bars and coffee before our dive. Part of our package at the Island House includes use of a car, which is very handy. There was no need to show a drivers license or pay for insurance. All we need to do is replace any fuel which can't be very much considering the size of the island. We also have to remember to close a gate when leaving so that cows don't come in and eat the vegetation. Their not concerned about donkeys.
The Island House made arrangements for us to dive with Oasis Divers. I don't dive very often so it usually takes me a day or two to get comfortable. The water was around 82 degrees with good visibility. This is my third time in Grand Turk and after diving in many places around the world, I still think Grand Turk is one of the best. The coral was in good condition and there were fish galore. We saw a huge hawksbill turtle that was apparently very comfortable with divers. If I wanted to I could have touched him. David took photos and I'll be posting them after he fixes the lighting with Photoshop.
This was a two tank dive but after the first dive I was tired and decided to rest and do a one tank afternoon dive. David did the second dive.
When he returned he had a sheepish grin on his face. He managed to flood his camera and it was beyond repair. He's been talking about buying a new one and didn't seem very upset. He told me that either he didn't seal the housing properly or it got rattled on the boat. For the rest of the trip he's going to use my digital camera. I don't mind since I'm the world's worst underwater photographer.
I did the afternoon dive and it was totally amazing. The site could have been called Turtle City since I saw at least four hawksbill turtles. Toward the end of the dive the divemaster made a clicking sound to get our attention. I turned around and to my delight a school of bottlenose dolphins came swimming my way. WoW!
When the dive was over David was waiting for me. I felt bad that he missed the turtles and dolphins but couldn't keep it a secret. His dissapointment couldn't have been anything like mine when I skipped the dive where he saw a whaleshark. That happened over twelve years ago and he made it up to me last April in Utila.
Our dinner tonight wasn't very memorable, but that's not what we came to Grand Turk for. If you want a place with white, sandy beaches, nightlife, great restaurants, entertainment, sailing, jet skis, water skiing, gambling, and shopping, then don't bother coming to Grand Turk. If on the other hand, you want a very quiet island, modest accommodations, and incredible diving, this is the place for you!
Tonight's sky was beautiful, so if David is correct again we should have beautiful weather tomorrow!
Grand Turk
November 27, 2006
My husband and I arrived yesterday and we were not off to a good start. We flew from JFK to Provo on American Airlines. From Provo we took Sky King flight to Grand Turk. It was cloudy and raining which didn't make us happy campers considering we were having unseasonably warm weather on Long Island. The flight was bumpy but I didn't mind since it was only twenty minutes. The captain made an announcement when were were ten minutes into the flight but neither of us could understand him and I'm sure happy we couldn't. I thought he might have been apologizing for the bumps or asking us to join the Sky King frequent flyer club. We landed and saw an American Airlines airplane on the ground. This really annoyed my husband since American Airlines told him when he booked our flight that they do not fly to Grand Turk. If we knew this we could have been spared the bumpy tiny airline and saved money.
Once we got in the terminal we finally realized that we weren't in Grand Turk but were back in Provo! The announcement that we couldn't understand was that the plane was having mechanical failure and had to return to Provo to be serviced! The American Airlines airplane was the one we flew in from JFK!
We had an hour to kill before the next island hopper so we decided to have lunch in Provo Airport. The food was lightyears better than anything I ever ate at airports in the states so that was a pleasant surprise. I had a yummy veggie burger and David had conch chowder and grilled bread. It was time for our second flight to Grand Turk.
When we arrived in Grand Turk only half our luggage arrived. The next plane was going to arrive in two hours so we weren't too concerned. It was still windy, cool and rainy so the beach was not going to happen. So much for waking up at 4:30 AM to catch an early flight.
We took a taxi to our accommodation at The Island House. We were greeted warmly and given a tour around the island. The tour didn't take very long considering the size of the island is 7 x 1.5 miles. We stopped at the airport and the agent told us that she was just about to call us. Our luggage just arrived! Last time my luggage didn't arrive I was at La Guardia airport and had to wait on a long line to fill out a report. My luggage didn't arrive until the next day. It's nice to be a big fish in a small pond!
Around 6:oo PM the rain finally stopped and we saw the sun. We had dinner outside by the beach and enjoyed the stars. David told me that a starlit sky is a good indication that we would have nice weather and he was right.
November 27, 2006
My husband and I arrived yesterday and we were not off to a good start. We flew from JFK to Provo on American Airlines. From Provo we took Sky King flight to Grand Turk. It was cloudy and raining which didn't make us happy campers considering we were having unseasonably warm weather on Long Island. The flight was bumpy but I didn't mind since it was only twenty minutes. The captain made an announcement when were were ten minutes into the flight but neither of us could understand him and I'm sure happy we couldn't. I thought he might have been apologizing for the bumps or asking us to join the Sky King frequent flyer club. We landed and saw an American Airlines airplane on the ground. This really annoyed my husband since American Airlines told him when he booked our flight that they do not fly to Grand Turk. If we knew this we could have been spared the bumpy tiny airline and saved money.
Once we got in the terminal we finally realized that we weren't in Grand Turk but were back in Provo! The announcement that we couldn't understand was that the plane was having mechanical failure and had to return to Provo to be serviced! The American Airlines airplane was the one we flew in from JFK!
We had an hour to kill before the next island hopper so we decided to have lunch in Provo Airport. The food was lightyears better than anything I ever ate at airports in the states so that was a pleasant surprise. I had a yummy veggie burger and David had conch chowder and grilled bread. It was time for our second flight to Grand Turk.
When we arrived in Grand Turk only half our luggage arrived. The next plane was going to arrive in two hours so we weren't too concerned. It was still windy, cool and rainy so the beach was not going to happen. So much for waking up at 4:30 AM to catch an early flight.
We took a taxi to our accommodation at The Island House. We were greeted warmly and given a tour around the island. The tour didn't take very long considering the size of the island is 7 x 1.5 miles. We stopped at the airport and the agent told us that she was just about to call us. Our luggage just arrived! Last time my luggage didn't arrive I was at La Guardia airport and had to wait on a long line to fill out a report. My luggage didn't arrive until the next day. It's nice to be a big fish in a small pond!
Around 6:oo PM the rain finally stopped and we saw the sun. We had dinner outside by the beach and enjoyed the stars. David told me that a starlit sky is a good indication that we would have nice weather and he was right.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
