Page 325 - The British Big Four
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Nearly all pirates vessels operating in the Atlantic were heavily armed A Formerly known as Belle Island, West Caicos is the last island in the
smaller ships, able to hide on the coast and maneuver better than the Turks and Caicos archipelago to the west and the second largest unin-
larger merchant ships of the day. These craft were effective at hiding habited island in the country. The island has a collective area of about
in the natural coves, shallows and inlets found across the Caicos is- eleven square miles, with generally flat terrain. The large West Caicos
lands. Although West Caicos was used as a temporary stopping place Marine National Park protects a large portion of the waters around
by many renegades, records are only definite on the French Pirate Du- the island. Lake Catherine in the center of West Caicos is the island’s
laien as having an established base on West Caicos. greatest defining feature. This saline 500 acre lake is a protected area,
Located 10 miles southwest of Providenciales, West Caicos is an un- the Lake Catherine Nature Reserve, and home to large numbers of bird
inhabited island offering pristine walls and numerous pelagics. Car- and aquatic wildlife. Due to subterranean links with the ocean, Lake
ibbean, black tip reef shark, and eagle rays are often seen along the Catherine is tidal. These caves have been partially explored by divers
sheer walls. This is your best chance to spot wild flamingos, osprey from the Caicos Cave Project, but a clear connection tunnel to the
and brown pelican. West Caicos is approximately 45 minutes from our ocean is still undiscovered due to difficult currents and the fragile rock
dock. There are six miles of protected leeward side walls, approxi- composition of the caverns.
mately 100-150 yards from shore with more than 2 dozen dive sites. The west coast of the island offers miles of beautiful low iron shore
The wall starts from 35-45 feet, dropping to approximately 6,000 feet. cliffs, and the other sides make up about five miles of pristine beach.
You will see incredible sponges, coral formations, large grouper, Car- West Caicos currently has ruins from several centuries, along with
ibbean reef fish and stingrays. There are great spots to encounter large the unfinished buildings of the Molasses Reef Resort project. t over
pelagic such as sharks, spotted eagle rays and turtles. On some occa- 981 acres (397 hectares), this protected area includes most of the west
sions you will see manta rays and hammerheads. coast of West Caicos. Over a dozen poplar dive sites are found in the
The diving conditions are excellent for all levels, as visibility are rarely West Caicos Marine National Park, including many of the sheerest
less than 100 feet. The island is home to the 500 acre (2 km²) Lake wall dive sites in the Turks and Caicos. It’s common for depths to start
Catherine, a protected wildlife reserve, filled with pink roseate fla- at about 45ft (14m) and fall away into the thousands. See Providen-
mingoes, turtles and other indigenous wildlife. The West Caicos sea- ciales Diving for information on visiting these beautiful reefs. As in
wall drops off to over 7,000 feet. Different sea creatures live in these any protected area in the Turks and Caicos, littering and any type of
depths, from sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, gray nurse and reef sharks fishing are prohibited. Removal of any natural objects or historical ar-
to humpback whales. Lake Catherine is connected to the sea through tifacts is also illegal.
underground passages. Tides in the sea create upsurge in Lake Cath-
erine, which is visible as “boiling” above the cave mouths on lake bed.
The largest such cave mouth is Boiling Hole
