Dive Trips — Every Destination in the Logbook, and the Walls of Turks & Caicos
This is the index of every dive trip guide on TheSea.Org: 26 destinations across the Caribbean, the Florida Keys, Central America, Polynesia, Melanesia and the Red Sea, each written from the diver’s side with sites, depths, marine life and seasons. The guides are listed by region below. This page also carries our guide to diving Turks and Caicos, where the islands sit on the edge of walls that drop into the Turks Island Passage, about 7,000 ft (2,130 m) deep, with humpback whales from January to April, the 1790 wreck of HMS Endymion off Salt Cay, and water around 79–85°F with visibility often over 100 ft.
Pick the dive first, then the island. Want shore diving on your own schedule? Bonaire. Wrecks? Grenada, Vanuatu, the Red Sea, Barbados or Key Largo. Big sharks? Moorea, Nassau or Freeport. Walls? Cayman, Roatan, Belize and Turks and Caicos. Small critters? St Vincent and Cozumel. Remote barrier reefs? New Caledonia and Fiji’s Great Astrolabe Reef. Every guide below lists depths and conditions so you can match a trip to your certification and experience.
The guides are grouped by region in the grid below. Within each guide you will find a site table with approximate depths, a diver’s logsheet of key facts, the marine life to expect, field notes on technique and safety, and the best months to go.
Dive trips — by region
- Caribbean: Bonaire, Curaçao, Aruba, Cayman, Barbados, Grenada, St Vincent, St Kitts, Guadeloupe, Nassau, Freeport, Turks & Caicos
- Central America & Mexico: Cozumel, Belize, Roatan
- Florida Keys: Key Largo, Key West
- Polynesia & Hawaii: Molokini, Moorea, Raiatea, Lautoka, Dravuni
- Melanesia: New Caledonia, Vanuatu
- Red Sea: Thistlegorm, Ras Mohammed, Tiran
What is the diving like in Turks and Caicos?
Turks and Caicos is a wall-diving destination. The islands sit on shallow limestone banks whose edges fall away into deep ocean, and the drop often begins in only 40–50 ft (12–15 m) of water. Between the Caicos Islands and the Turks Islands runs the Turks Island Passage, a channel about 7,000 ft (2,130 m) deep, which brings open-ocean water and big animals right up to the reef. Visibility regularly exceeds 100 ft (30 m), and water stays around 79–85°F (26–29°C) all year.
| Area | Type | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| West Caicos | Wall about 6 miles long, 25+ sites | Sponges, sea fans, eagle rays, reef sharks |
| French Cay | Wall from ~40 ft dropping past 6,000 ft | Reef sharks, schooling hammerheads, mantas; nurse sharks breed in summer |
| Grand Turk | Wall close to shore | Easy boat rides, whales in season |
| Salt Cay | Walls from ~40–50 ft | Humpback whales Jan–Apr, HMS Endymion |
| Providenciales (Northwest Point) | Walls and reef | Day trips from the main resort island |
When can you see humpback whales in Turks and Caicos?
From about January to April, North Atlantic humpback whales pass through the Turks Island Passage on their way to and from their breeding grounds on the Silver Bank to the southeast. Salt Cay and Grand Turk are the best bases; operators run regulated whale-watching and, where permitted, in-water encounters. On wall dives in season you can often hear them singing.
What is the HMS Endymion wreck?
HMS Endymion was a British fifth-rate warship of 44 guns that struck a reef south of Salt Cay in 1790. She stayed afloat for three days before sinking, and her entire crew survived. Today the site, known as Endymion Rock, has anchors and chain as its main visible remains, at a maximum depth of about 40 ft (12.5 m). The five-masted schooner General Pershing wrecked on the same rock in 1921, and its remains lie nearby. The site is protected; removing or damaging anything is illegal.
Turks and Caicos also holds the Molasses Reef wreck between French Cay and West Caicos, probably a Spanish caravel from around 1513 and described as the oldest excavated European shipwreck in the Western Hemisphere. Nothing of the ship is visible now; its artifacts are in the Turks and Caicos National Museum on Grand Turk.
On a wall that starts at 40 ft and ends thousands of feet down, there is no bottom to stop you. Set a maximum depth before you jump, check your computer often, and watch the blue as much as the wall: that is where eagle rays, reef sharks and, in season, a humpback will appear.
What marine life lives in Turks and Caicos waters?
Expect giant barrel sponges and sea fans on the walls, spotted eagle rays, Caribbean reef and nurse sharks, turtles, groupers and barracuda, with hammerheads and manta rays possible at French Cay. Humpback whales pass from January to April. For the islands above water, see our Turks and Caicos Islands travel guide.
Which dive trip should a beginner choose?
For a first dive trip, pick calm, shallow, clear water with easy logistics: Bonaire’s shore diving, Cozumel’s gentle drifts, Grand Cayman, the Florida Keys, St Kitts’ shallow River Taw wreck, or the Mamanuca islands from Lautoka in Fiji. Save the deep wrecks (the Coolidge, the Bianca C, the Thistlegorm’s holds) and the current-swept passes for when you have more dives logged.
- Turks Island Passage: ~7,000 ft (2,130 m) deep
- Walls begin: ~40–50 ft
- Humpbacks: January to April
- HMS Endymion: Sank 1790 · max ~40 ft
- Water: 79–85°F
What is the best dive trip for beginners?
Bonaire, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, the Florida Keys and the Mamanuca islands in Fiji all offer calm, clear, shallow diving with easy logistics.
Where are the best wreck dives on this list?
The SS President Coolidge in Vanuatu, the Thistlegorm in the Red Sea, the Bianca C in Grenada, the Hilma Hooker in Bonaire and the Spiegel Grove in Key Largo.
Is Turks and Caicos good for diving?
Yes. It is known for walls that begin in 40–50 ft of water and drop thousands of feet, visibility over 100 ft, and humpback whales from January to April.
How deep is the Turks Island Passage?
About 7,000 ft (2,130 m).
When is whale season in Turks and Caicos?
About January to April, when humpbacks pass through the Turks Island Passage.
How deep is the HMS Endymion wreck?
The site off Salt Cay has a maximum depth of about 40 ft (12.5 m); anchors and chain are the main visible remains.
Where can I dive with sharks?
Moorea for lemon sharks, Nassau and Freeport for Caribbean reef sharks, Tiger Beach off Grand Bahama for tiger sharks, and Roatan and the Caymans on the walls.
What is the water temperature in Turks and Caicos?
About 79–85°F (26–29°C) year-round.
- Visit Turks and Caicos Islands. Wreck diving: HMS Endymion, General Pershing, Molasses Reef wreck; Salt Cay diving: wall depths, Turks Island Passage, whale season.
- DeeperBlue. Turks and Caicos scuba diving: West Caicos, French Cay, temperatures and visibility.
- Visit Turks and Caicos Islands. National parks: protected-area list, acreages, 1975 National Parks Ordinance, fishing fines (accessed 8 Nov 2026).
- Marine Conservation Society. Coral disease in Turks and Caicos: SCTLD first found 2019; Turks and Caicos Reef Fund treatment results (accessed 8 Nov 2026).
- Divers Alert Network. Flying after diving: 2002 workshop guidelines, 12 h / 18 h preflight surface intervals (page updated 14 Apr 2026).
- PADI. ReActivate refresher and Open Water FAQ on gaps between dives (accessed 8 Nov 2026).
- Wikipedia. Turks and Caicos Islands; Salt Cay; West Caicos; Silver Bank; Molasses Reef Wreck; HMS Endymion; Stony coral tissue loss disease.
Blane Perun has been exploring Earth’s oceans and marine life for over 25 years. Founder of TheSea.Org in 1999, underwater photographer, coral aquaculture pioneer, and explorer of 80+ countries.
About Blane Perun →