Diving is an experience of a lifetime. There’s something magical about exploring an underwater world filled with wildlife. This is also a relatively easy activity so most travelers don’t have to spend much time learning instructions. In order to have the best diving experiences, you need to choose the right destination. Turks and Caicos Islands might be the right spot for you. These islands form the Lucayan Archipelago along with Bahamas and offer a collection of beautiful diving spots. Here are some of the most attractive diving places on these islands:

1. Salt Cay

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Salt Cay is a near perfect diving destination. It’s a fairly remote area so the water is relatively undisturbed by human activity. This has allowed the coral reefs and marine life to flourish for a long time. Beautiful corals aren’t the only thing Salt Cay has to offer. It’s perfect for some humpback whale watching as those noble giants pass this strip of the sea on way to their breeding grounds. Salt Cay also has an old British warship wreck complete with an intact anchor and canons. Needless to say, there’s plenty to see during a diving excursion.

2. Grace Bay and Princess Alexandra National Park

Grace Bay’s main attraction is its 14-mile long barrier reef. Divers are greeted by clear waters, stunning natural beauty, and a wide array of wildlife. The area has a unique environment with small walls and steep canyons, which creates a great habitat for aquatic life. Divers can see snappers, pregnant reef sharks, barracudas, etc. If they’re lucky, a magnificent manta ray might swim by. This area is located on the Northern side of Provo and is within easy reach of Turtle Cove.

3. West Caicos

This is the perfect diving destination for inexperienced divers. It has a six-mile-long wall with nearly 25 different dive sites around 100/150 meters away from the shoreline. The reef is at just 35 to 45 feet so most amateur divers can reach it without too much strain. This is why new divers flock towards West Caicos. Don’t let the ease of diving fool you because West Caicos is as beautiful as any other site on Turks and Caicos. There’s plenty of thriving marine wildlife like reef sharks, turtles, and rays.

4. Grand Turk

This is one of the most popular diving destinations here and is home to Columbus Landfall Marine National Park. It’s one of the biggest marine protected areas in Turks and Caicos Islands, which is why it attracts a large ground of travelers regularly. There are 25 moored dive sites along with several other unmoored and shore sites for visitors to explore. The area has a large underwater arch with abundant marine life and natural beauty. Some dive spots are easy with reefs and sand beds at 30 to 50 feet while others are challenging with over a thousand feet drop. This dive site is suitable for people of all skill levels. The reef extends for more than a thousand feet away from shore so there’s a lot to explore.

5. French Cay

French Cay is just as versatile as Grand Turk and is located near Provo. It has several dive sites, with the easiest at 40 feet of water and the hardest dropping to around 6,000 feet. The east-to-west orientation of the wall allows for maximum sunlight penetration so coral reef and wildlife thrive here. You can find eagle rays, manta rays, reef sharks, hammerhead sharks, etc.