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My Favorite Snorkeling Tour in Turks & Caicos

After Australia and Belize, Turks and Caicos has the third largest barrier reef in the world so snorkeling trips are a pretty popular thing to do on Providenciales. 

The reef isn’t accessible from the beach, so you’ll have to go by boat, but there are plenty of snorkel tour operators that do pick-ups from the hotels along Grace Bay. 

We did a half-day snorkeling trip with Island Vibes and it was ah-mazing! Most day trips will also combine snorkeling with a stop at Little Water Cay for a conch demonstration, iguana viewing, and lunch.

With Island Vibes, we got picked up on the beach just down from our resort (there are breaks in the buoys every little bit where the boats come ashore). There were probably 15-20 people on board but it never felt too crowded. 

Our first stop was our only snorkeling spot (I’ve been on other snorkeling trips where they’ll take you to 3-4 spots) but all of the snorkeling on Provo happens on this reef so it’s really the only (and best) spot to go.

Let me tell you, I wasn’t disappointed by the snorkeling. We spent about 45 minutes to an hour on the reef (we stayed as long as we wanted to) and it was the best snorkeling I’ve yet to do anywhere (Hawaii and other spots in the Caribbean included). The reef was colorful and vibrant with a large variety of coral and we saw so many different kinds of fish. And it wasn’t crowded at all. 

After we wrapped up snorkeling, we headed to Little Water Cay for a couple of hours. We were able to get off the boat and explore the island. We saw the iguanas and found a large starfish on the other side of the island. 

They also did a conch demonstration on the beach and made us fresh conch ceviche to try once we were back on the boat. 

After we left the island, we cruised around a little bit (the boat had plenty of room to spread out) and stopped for a while offshore to have lunch (sandwiches and rum punch) and a little ocean party. The boat had a slide plus you could jump off the top deck into the ocean. 

What to Bring

You’ll want all the beach/water things: swimsuit, hat, sunglasses, coverup, sunscreen (reef safe!), sun shirt/rash guard

I think a camera is a must. If you have a waterproof camera or GoPro great, but I think a waterproof case on your phone works just as well. You’ll also want a strap as well. 

Bring a towel and if you’re super sensitive to being cold like me, I like to bring a dry shirt and shorts to put on after I’m done snorkeling and a beach blanket to wrap up in if it gets cold in the wind. 

Other posts about this area:

Turks & Caicos Travel Tips

15 Things to Do in the Turks & Caicos

Horseback Riding with Provo Ponies in Turks & Caicos

Paddleboarding the Mangroves in Turks & Caicos

 

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