Page 332 - The British Big Four
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There are no high-rise structures, no crowds, no riffraff and no solici-   CORAL GABLES - A gentle slope to the wall allows divers to pick their
tations on our beaches “to have your hair braided”. And thus, Turks        depth. Sand chutes stop just below the top of the wall and give way to
and Caicos Islands have preserved a coveted, relaxed pace that vaca-       large stacks of coral, home to grunts, snappers and groupers.
tioners and residents alike have searched the world for and found on       EAGLE RAY PASS - Another site in this area is Eagle Ray Pass. A
Provo. Unspoiled. Beautiful. Inviting. Providenciales is the Caribbean     sand gulley leading off from under the mooring takes the diver out to
as it was meant to be.                                                     the top of a sloping wall. This site has a tremendous selection of corals
AMPHITHEATRE – Depth 85 feet. At about 85 feet, there is an un-            down to a sand bottom at 100fsw.
dercut on the wall which goes back into the wall at 10-15 feet. A large    GRACELAND - This site has a large sand chute under the dive boat
orange elephant ear sponge sits on the top lip with black coral and        and a swim-through leading to the wall at 50fsw. The wall has many
orange rope sponges found below the undercut. Lobsters, schooling          buttresses and indentations with a good possibility of reef sharks
horse eye jack and flamingo tongues are common on the soft corals on       swimming in the depths off the wall.
the top of the wall.

AQUARIUM - This Turks and Caicos diving site is located off of Grace       GROUPER HOLE - Located off of Grace bay so it’s a nice short boat
Bay, not too far from Grouper Hole. You’ll find spur and groove for-       ride. The site gets its names from a long narrow crevice in the middle
mations here with sand chutes going through the reef to about 90-          of a sand chute. You’ll come upon a large coral head in the middle of
100 feet. The wall starts at around 60 feet and slopes to 150 feet or so.  the chute. This is a pretty easy dive with the sand chute leading to a
As it name implies, you will see lots of fish here. Enormous schools       sloping wall. As you would expect from it’s name, chances are very
of grunts and snappers form an almost continuous school on top of          high you will see some groupers hanging out. Before the marine park
the wall at the Aquarium. The wall is an exaggerated spur and groove       was formed, grouper feedings took place at this site. You can also ex-
type formation with some spectacular sand chutes that run on down          pect to see some barracudas, tangs and lobsters among others. Depth
through the reef to a depth of around 100fsw.                              at this site ranges from about 50 feet to just over 100 feet.

BLACK CORAL FOREST - Depth 110 feet. Divers will find large                HOLE IN THE WALL – Depth 55-90 feet. A hole in the top of the reef
areas of plate coral and deep water gorgonians and see a ledge at about    drops vertically from 55 feet and exits from the face of the wall at 90
200 feet leading off into the blue. Lots of black coral here including     feet. Space is limited to one diver in the chimney at a time. Growths
wire and pinnate and schools of grunts and parrotfish are often seen       along the inside walls are brittle and sharp. Lots of plate coral, school-
on the top of the wall.                                                    ing fish and lobsters.
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