Salt Cay Divers - Salt Cay, Turks and Caicos Islands

FIRST HUMPBACK IN-WATER ENCOUNTER OF THE SEASON!

2012-01-31T17:22:00.005-05:00

Salt Cay Divers had its' first in-water encounter for the season. We had 28 French people charter flights in from Provo to go on a whale watching excursion. They chartered their own boat, the Afri Cat, and had our boats go out and spot for whales. When Richard spotted them, there were two huge whales and the proud mama showing off her new born. Lee, our researcher/ naturalist, was on the boat and was able to gently slide into the water and guide the French snorkelers so they could get a fantastic in-water view of these whales.
Cowdung did a fantastic job and manuvering the boat so as to respect the Humpbacks space and not to disturb them.
Lee Munson, our newest staff member, is conducting a study to detemine if whale behaviors change when snorkelers are in the water with them. They sure didn't seem to mind at all. Come take part in our research and you might be lucky enough to experience encounters like we had yesterday. Season is just beginning, so come on down and join SCD for an adventure of a lifetime!PLEASE CHECK OUT THE VIDEO ON YOU TUBE OR SALT CAY DIVERS FACEBOOK PAGE.

LOOK AT THIS BABY!

2011-11-19T07:50:00.002-05:00

Thanks Greg for he spectacular picture of the Humpback mom and her baby. Imagine yourself in the water experiencing this! Come on down for our whale season Jan- March. We can arrange accommodations, all wate activites eco-adventures and much more. Hope to see you in 2012!

LION FISH HUNTING

2011-11-19T07:42:00.002-05:00

Great picture of Richard catching dinner for the guests. This could be you! Come Lion Fish hunting and catch your own dinner. Keep thes gorgeous fish off the reef and on your plate.

ZUMBA COMES TO SALT CAY

2011-11-18T18:26:00.003-05:00

Before you go out on that morning dive or snorkel with Salt Cay Divers, come join us for a fun workout doing ZUMBA classes. Classes 6am at Coral Reef Bar and Grill. Yes, we are a small island, but consistently looking for ways to add more flavor to your adventures while on Salt Cay. As a reminder, every month Salt Cay Divers will be offering 15% off "something" in celebration of our 15th year in operation.
Still plenty of space to surprise your loved ones with a trip to Salt Cay. Warm , sunny, and fun way to spend your holidays. Hope to see you at our dancing and divng activities soon.Debbie

EXCITED!!!

2011-10-20T23:27:00.002-04:00

I am so excited! Salt Cay Divers was asked to represent the entire Turks and Caicos Islands at the Wider Caribbean Mammal conference. This request was due to their excellance in providing whale watching excursions in the Turks an Caiicos Islands.
For the past 15 years, Salt Cay Divers has been providing education and whale watching encounters with the Humpback whales as well as encounters with Dolpins.
The conference is with a group of Caribbean experts representing 42 different countries. This group is developing "Guidelines" for the encounters and observations of the Humpback whales, Dolphins and Manatees in the Wider Caribbean Islands.
The conference is being held in Panama City, Panama. This week we will go out on a field trip to experience Dolphins and Humpback whales seen in the Pacific to experience how the Panamanians provide Mammal oberservations in their country.
Salt Cay is still one of the few countries that allow in-water encounters with the whales.The group is strongly encouraging us to maintain the degree of excellence we have provided in the past by followng the guidlines set by this advisory committee. We have created a "code of conduct" for all operators and are hopeful that all will comply with the guildlines to insure safety and sensitivity in observing these magnificent creatures in the wild.
We need to ensure we do not harrase or interfer with the behaviors of the Dolphins and Humpbacks by following strict guidlines for encounters and observation of these mammals.
Our ultimate goal is the protection of these animals and safety to our tourists wishing to have the experience of a lifetime.
I am taking a special course where I will be identified as a Naturalist for the Humpback whales,allowing me to provide educational information and training on Humpback whales to all of our guests prior to departure on our excursions.
This is an added benefit to our guests as we will have the only identified Naturlist on island.Additonally, all of our staff will receive the same training so we all are able to provide education and information to our guests.
If you have not made reservations for this season, Jan-mid April, please contact Salt Cay Divers for all your travel plans. Hope to see you in Salt Cay soon. Debbie

WE'RE BACK !

2011-10-07T18:07:00.003-04:00

Hello to all you divers, snorkelers and soon to be whale watchers. The staff is slowly returning to Salt Cay after their much deserved vacation. We are gearing up for a spectacular season!
Salt Cay Divers staff are currently remodeling boats, buildings and insuring all our equipment and rental gear is in tip- top shape for all of our guests.
Your comfort,safety and insuring you have a fun-filled vacation is most important to us. Our ocean is still averaging about 82 degrees F with gorgeous,calm,flat seas. As the waters cool down, our visibility increases to about 80 ft. These are perfect conditions for new and seasoned divers.
Salt Cay Divers will reopen November 1st. 2011 for all of our water and land activities. As a reminder, American Thanksgiving is coming up soon and we are running a spectacular special you can view on our website. Come do something different with your friends and family members and surprise them by joining us for some excellent diving and snorkeling.Relax by the ocean and enjoy fresh fish,conch and lobster. OK, I will even fix a turkey for those wanting a more traditional meal.
Our divemasters/instructors, Ollie and Richard will both be back along with Beto and Enye.Salt Cay Divers has been providing quality services in the areas of all water and land Eco activities for the past 14 years and in November, we celebrate our 15 year anniversary!
In reviewing our guest.s exit interviews from the last several years, over 93% of our guests commented that not only were Richard and Ollie one of the best but "The Best" divemasters they ever dived/trained with anywhere in the world! This is coming from very seasoned travelers.
All of the staff pride themselves on customer service, our safety record, providing opportunities for adventure,and striving to offer our guests a vacation they will remember and return year after year.
We all would like to thank each of you by offering different monthly 15% off specials throughout 2011- Sept.2012.
I am sure you will agree that staying with a KNOWN, quality dive operation insures you will have an adventuresome, safe, quality vacation. Want to try the unknown? Lets go discover a new dive site and we will name the site after you. Or go on our Lion fish hunts, catch your own dinner and Coral Reef staff will prepare it for you.
Thanks for the last 14 years and looking to spending our 15Th season with you in Salt Cay.

PARTY GOING ON

2011-08-15T18:49:00.004-04:00

Whoever thinks they have to go to Grand Turk or Provo to have a fun party, clearly wasn't in Salt Cay Sat night! People of all different nationalities and ages were there experiencing different cultural music, dancing and just plain fun.
The people are what makes a happening and it was going on and on and on, I really had to leave and get some sleep at 3am. Hope you are all here for our next Salt Cay Divers party. Missed you. Debbie

LION FISH FEAST

2011-08-15T18:33:00.003-04:00

Divers keeping busy keeping Lion fish off Salt Cay's reefs. As many of you know, Lion fish have no predators as they don't belong in these waters. They have destroyed lots of areas in the Bahamas and Caymans by eating all the baby fish. We are teaching people how to spear fish and then going on dedicated Lion fish hunts. You spear the fish and Coral Reef Bar and Grill with clean them or teach you how to safely clean them, then cook them up with one of our favorite Lion fish recipes.
Come join in on the fun. Articles are being written about spearing the Lion fish then feeding them to the groupers and sharks in hope they will develop a taste for them. Not sure if the sharks like them, but it's the best tasting fish Ihave ever had. Be sure to ask our dive staff about Lion fish dives. Come help Salt Cay Divers keep our reefs free of Lion fish. Keep them out of our waters and on your plate. Hope to see you down here soon. Debbie

CONGRATULATIONS RICHARD!

2011-08-13T13:04:00.003-04:00

Salt Cay Divers is pleased to announce the promotion of Mr. Richard Agraba to the position of Manager. Richard has agreed to return to Salt Cay Divers for his 4th season in his new position beginning October.
Richard has a lot of new plans to make your diving, snorkeling and whale watching trips one of the most enjoyable experiences you have ever had.
Just a few comments from our guests regarding Richard's performance.Chris and Steina" we have logged a 1000 dives all over the world and Richard is clearly the best instructor/ divemaster " we have ever had" Nicole" He is so safety minded, yet lets you dive your own profile based on your computer not time limited."Sara" He makes diving so enjoyable cause he points things out and finds the smallest creatures I have ever seen."
Ollie and Richard, along with the rest of our team, will be excited to provide you the quality personalized service you deserve. Come dive with the BEST Salt Cay has to offer.Hope to see you soon. Debbie

THERE'S A PARTY GOING ON!

2011-08-11T17:41:00.002-04:00

Coral Reef Bar and Grill in conjunction with Salt Cay Divers is having a party 13th Aug 2011. Come help us celebrate the end of the season. Staff are all going off for a well deserved vacation.
We will be closed 19th August until 2nd of Oct 2,then opening up for business on 3rd Oct 2011.
Hop on one of the last minute specials and get your self here to party down in Salt Cay. We will provide free shuttle service from the airport:) Would love to have you all here. Hope to see you in Oct for our outrageous fall specials.
Thank all of you for your ongoing support. Have a great rest of the summer. Enjoy, Salt Cay Divers/ Coral Reef staff.

THANK YOU FREEDOM DIVERS

2011-08-06T17:32:00.006-04:00

Sara and the group exploded onto Salt Cay.Such a fun group with lots of energy. Dive,dive,dive and they did just that. They occupied all of the Tradewinds Guest Suites and ate most all their meals at Coral Reef Bar and Grill.
Salt Cay having less than 100 full time residents on island, Freedom Divers represented more than 10% of our population. "Truly, it is like owning a little piece of paradise for a whole week".Posted are just a few of the hundreds of pictures the group took. A special thanks to Sara who organized the trip. We sure enjoyed all of you and hope to see you real soon.

SALT CAY AT ITS' FINEST

2011-07-14T16:21:00.003-04:00

For those of you who have always wanted a book full of spectacular photos of Salt Cay and dozens of local residents,Far Albion has just arrived and is for sale in Splash Boutique. Olivia Savoure Marvel, in conjunction with Husson publishers have produced a book of photographs that truly capture the essence of what Salt Cay and its people are all about. Sixty-five US dollars will get you your own book to enjoy and share with others.

DANCING AT ALL AGES

2011-07-14T14:31:00.003-04:00

Laura, Athena,Olivia and Debbie all dancing students of Professional dance instructor "Willy"

After a day of diving/ snorkeling, come join the dance classes where you can learn Cha Cha, Salsa, Rumba and Bachata .

It doesn't matter if you can dance, it is just fun!

Come join us at Salt Cay Divers' Coral Reef Wednesday and Saturday 6:30pm

NO PICTURES PLEASE!

2011-06-26T07:59:00.003-04:00

Freedom Divers out of St Louis, Arizona and Virginia were partying last night at Coral Reef Bar and Grill. Gary did a spectacular job entertaining the group of over 50 divers and locals who were in the mood to sing and dance the night away.
Papa Newton, doing a wonderful job of DJ, joined Gary along with members of Salt Cay's own shake and rake band playing drums, saws and harmonicas into the wee hours of the morning.
By the end of the night Ms. Yvonne was table dancing , Tim on mic leading the group in and Eagles tune and yes, Carl of Freedom Divers, had his Stevie Wonder look on while playing the bongos.
While some of the group was dancing, we had other divers out doing a night dive. They said it was spectacular seeing an octopus, sleeping shark, huge turtle and lots of shrimp that seemed to glow in the night. Something for everyone on Salt Cay.
Thanks to all for coming out and showing our visitors such warm hospitality. Hope to see some new faces and returning guests in Salt Cay real soon.

Caicos Express Airways Expands Services to Salt Cay

2011-06-14T09:56:00.002-04:00

In an effort to make it easier to get to Salt Cay, Caicos Express Airways has added a Saturday flight. The flight will depart Provo (PLS airport code) at 8:30am or 4PM. Perfect to catch all commercial flights arriving and departing the islands. Departures out of Salt Cay will be 9:15am or 4:45pm.
This expanded service is available effective December 10th 2011 and will run until 28th of April 2012. This is just in time for the hoilday season and of course our Humpback whale season.I would be more than happy to make reservatons for you in conjunction with your dive, snorkeling, whale watching or Eco adenture. Thanks Caicos Express. Your continued committment to Salt Cay rocks! Hope to see you all in Salt Cay this winter if not before. Debbie

ECO-ADVENTURES

2011-05-28T14:37:00.003-04:00

Richard, Willy and I have been attending some fantastic Wetlands and bird training seminars for the last few months in an effort to provide our tourists more opportunities for Eco-adventures right here on Salt Cay. We got to go on field trips and identify the different plants and "mangrove monsters" we have living on our island.
Salt Cay is now on the short list being considered to be a UNESCO World Heritage site. Did you know that Salt Cay has the most Heather of anywhere in the world!
I just found that out along with learning so much valuable information about birds with the internationally known Birders Dr. Mike and Ann Pienkowski.
Nine years ago Mike and Ann went to several of the near-by cays and counted birds during their nesting season. We went to Great Sand Cay last week and there were thousands of birds nesting. Galapagos didn't have anything on this spectacular outing. It was truly an amazing day. We identified several different species and they taught us how to count the birds as well as giving us extensive information on their behaviors.
Come join us on Salt Cay and Great Sand Cay for some exciting new adventures.
A huge thanks to Mike and Ann. Hope to see you back again in the very near future.

YA GOTTA LOVE SALT CAY!

2011-05-28T09:57:00.002-04:00

This is Jeff who is showing off his tattoos of both our Salt Cay Divers logo and a gorgeous map of of Salt Cay. Jeff and his wife Julie returned last week to do another week of diving. They got to see our resident Spotted Eagle rays,which they had not seen before.They also got to swim with Dolphins!
Julie says she has a tattoo too, but was not going to show us where hers was hiding!
Thanks so much for coming to dive with us again. See you next summer! Debbie

Doesn't Get Much Better

2011-01-24T12:25:00.003-05:00

Today several people went for an excursion to Great Sand Cay, an uninhabited island about 7 miles from Salt Cay. This Government owned island is a Bird Sanctuary and is protected by law. This is one of the most beautiful islands I have seen in the world. The sand is so thick, you can sink up to your knees. The island is known for rare birds and huge iguanas.
Salt Cay Divers is providing tours to the island and include a picnic, snorkeling, island tour and of course Humpback whale watching, during season.
The guests had a fantastic time hiking and saw big iguanas and several osprey. When we hiked around to the creek side we spotted several sharks in very shallow water.
Next they went snorkeling in water that has been described as "swimming in silk" and then had a great lunch that Enye prepared.
We all boarded the boat and on our ride home when Richard spotted Humpback whales, mom and her calf. They were only a few hundred yards from our boat. The baby kept jumping out of the water and mom trying to keep her down. The fun is just beginning.

Once we got back to Salt Cay our finale was going to Coral Reef Bar and Grill. Debbie was having her Conch Festival night. The meal started out with Conch fritters,
next conch ceviche, conch chowder and cracked conch with a traditional beans and rice called peas and rice. What a spectacular meal. We strongly recommend you take this excursion and definitely go to the conch festival. Truly doesn't get any better. We had a Glorious Time and will be back M&R England

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2011-01-02T11:26:00.008-05:00

First of all, thank everyone who has been so wonderful this past year. We appreciate all of your ongoing support and hope to see all of you in 2011. Wishing you,your family and friends the best this world has to offer you.
We had a party to end the year and start the new one Salt Cay Style!
Coral Reef Bar and Grill in conjunction with Salt Cay Divers had their third annual New years Eve party.
Traditionally, most all the people on the island go to church for service to bring in the new year with a blessing,then the festivities began!
Our very own Rake and Scrape band, headed up by Dwight, played live music with saws shovels, rakes, Spicket on harmonica, and of course Shine and Cowdoung on drums.Amazing how good the music sounded with such simple tools.
There was our local Police officer doubling as our DJ ,since he was on vacation. He has a spectacular collection of music from all over the world.
There was dancing until who knows what time, only I know I only got two hours of sleep before it was time to open up for sensible people who went to sleep and now wanted to eat and dive!
Happy New Year to everyone.Be safe , be happy and be in Salt Cay. Debbie

Whales spotted on north point on Salt Cay

2010-12-22T10:01:00.003-05:00

It must be freezing up north as our wonderful Humpback whales were just spotted yesterday off Salt Cay's north point. This is very early arrival for them.I believe these are the "scouts" sent down early to send directions to their fellow whale buddies on migration paths to the Silver Banks.These scouts will guide the whales through the Columbus Passage which sits right in front of Salt Cay.
I received a call from Hilary telling me the whales were heading south and to be on the look out for them. Sure enough, about 15 minutes later, huge spouts of water shot up and two mangnificinet whales backs came out of the water. They didn't put on a breeching show but still a gorgeous sight.They are saving the main show for when more guests arrive.
Still plenty of time to get your reservations to Salt Cay for our Humpback whale, snokeling and diving season. I can't wait to be diving and hear them singing again.
Each year their songs are so beautiful. Sounds like a concert on most every dive.
Hope to see you in Salt Cay for 2011! Debbie, Ollie and the whole Salt Cay Divers gang wishing you all a very Happy New year.

Turtle Saga Contines

2010-12-15T11:44:00.002-05:00

Well our turtle came back to Salt Cay again. Heather spotted the turtle back in the pond and let me know that either she didn't leave or she came back. So I called Jewels,the Director of our Environmental and Coastal Resources Department to ask her advise on what to do.
She was extremely helpful and told me not to flip it over, keep it's head wet with cloth and also that would shade her eyes and get it to the ocean as fast as possible.
So I called a crew to assist me in saving this gorgeous turtle. Richard, Enye, Santos, Wiley, Paul and Heather all came and lifted the turtle into the back of my truck. She weighed about 200 pounds and was 3.5ft x 4ft long. It was a Hawksbill turtle and perhaps came on shore to lay eggs and maybe got confused because when we found her she was looking for the ocean in the opposite direction of where the ocean is located.
So we carefully loaded and I drove it to the Tradewinds where the beach entrance was a direct shot out of the harbor. We all felt so happy to see the turtle back where she belongs. The way she took off once she hit the water was exciting to see.
Check out our pictures on Salt Cay Divers face book page.Another happy ending!

Adventures in Salt Cay

2010-12-13T18:08:00.003-05:00

Today was really a fun adventure. Several of us took off to do a search and rescue on a mooring ball that had disappeared from the Aquarium dive site. Heather was wonderful and told me she had spotted the ball earlier on the north shore. So we decided to make an adventure out of it. Paul and Heather snorkeled in to the shore because the swells were too big to get the boat in too close. We spotted the line and ball, they swam in and retrieved it.
These mooring markers are very difficutlt to get down here so thanks so very much to everyone for their help in saving it.
Next we all went out to the "Plane" or some people call it the "Parades End" to dive. Lots of sand had covered the plane ,which we sank in July, and already fish are making it their new home. There was a huge Southern Sting Ray that seems like the Plane might be his new home too as this is the 4th time spotted there.He has about 4-5 ft wing span.
Next , Paul had earlier spotted turtle tracks that led to the pond up north by the Pirates cemetary. This pond sometimes has some water, but most of the time not. He saw a large Hawksbill turtle flapping around in what seemed to be a lot of muddy, slushy water. After our dive, we all went to look at the turtle to see if it was OK. It would take a huge breath of air, then bury it's head in the water. It's entire bak shell was exposed, but it was like if his head was covered, no one could see her.She would stay like that for about 15 min then repeat the same action. The turtle did not look in distress, but we have never seen a turtle do this before. Most likely the turtle came on the land to lay it's eggs in the sand. You could see lots of different turtle tracts coming in from the beach. The turtle just seemed to not want to leave this muddy little hole of water. Why???
Paul went to try and pick it up and we were going to carry it to the ocean, but them once we saw it was not "stuck in the mud" we decided since she didn't look in distress, we would let nature take its course. Sure enough, the turtle was gone in the am with fresh tracks leading back out to the shore.So a happy ending to another adventuresome day on Salt Cay. If anyone out there has seen or understands this behavior, we would love to hear about what the turtle might have been doing.
For those of you spending the holidays in Salt Cay, we will see you all soon. For those of you not booked yet, still lots of time for a surprise holiday gift.
How special to come bring in the New Year diving on our beautiful walls and staying on our historical little island.
You can bring in the New Year with Salt Cay's own Rake and Scrape band playing live, at Coral Reef Bar and Grill on New years eve.
For those of you who will not be here, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and the very best to all of you and your family for a healthy , happy and prosperous new year. Hope to see you all in 2011. From all the Salt Cay Divers staff.

Thanks to Will and Leslie

2010-11-28T12:22:00.002-05:00

Will and Leslie came back to Salt Cay to dive with us for another glorious week. Will went on his first Lion Fish hunt and was able to get one of those nasty, but beautiful fish off our reef. Please see their gorgeous pictures, which are posted on Face book page of Salt Cay Divers.
The new game plan for photagraphers is to photograph these colorful Lion fish, then kill them and we will prepare them for you at Coral Reef cafe.
While Will and Leslie enjoyed the taste of the Lion fish, they were too busy enjoying their freshly prepared cracked conch. "It takes a lot of these fish to make a meal, but the are tasty!"
Thanks for coming back and spending your vacation time with us.
See you next year.

Sea Wall Update
The seawall is still progressing nicely. Looks like we are going into December so the Novemeber people that entered the contest of "Pick the date the wall will be finished" will have to forgo the prize to the December people who selected December dates of completion.We will announce the winner once the wall is completed.

Calling all artists. Want to donate your artistic skills? Salt Cay Divers will furnish the paint if someone volunteers to paint some ocean scenes on the inside of the wall.Mary where are you? You did such an excellent job at Tradewinds Guest Suites!
Let me know if anyone is interested and I will seek approval to have some nice drawings on our brand new sea wall!. It would be a lovely addition for finsih off our new wall.
Hope to see you all in Salt Cay soon. Debbie

Holliday Agenda

2010-11-13T10:39:00.002-05:00

The holiday festivities began early this year as we broke in the karaoke machine last night! Our Saturday night karaoke night is back on and will be in full swing for the rest of the season. Our machine was recently loaded with lots of new tunes. Aple, Lolli,Patrice and our gorgeous police officer were all neck in neck with their singing scores.
All I had to do is offer a free drink to anyone hitting 100 and not more than 5 minutes later, Salt Cay's Patrice belted it through the roof!
Then of course an honorable mention must be given to Michele,who swore no one would ever catch her singing at karaoke. Michele you're busted! Not only singing, but dancing too. Pat(welcome back girlfriend) and our newest arriving diver,Cynthia was back up singers for the group.
Then at 11pm the dancing started. People of five different nationalities all came together singing Bob Marley's One love.
Potential guests are asking me all the time, what is the night life like on Salt Cay. Well spontaneity is the name of the game here. It makes for the some of the best parties I have ever been to.
Thanksgiving: Dinner will be served at Coral Reef Bar and Grill with all the traditional Turkey fixings.
New Years Eve: Papa Newt is our singing dancing DJ to spin in the tunes for the New Year
New's Years Day: Third annual "Taste of Salt Cay." will be held. Make your favorite recipe and bring to the party. Prizes will be awarded in three different categories.
Come join us for some excellent diving, snorkeling and partying

It's Getting Easy to get to Salt Cay!

2010-10-30T12:31:00.003-04:00

Hey all you East Coast people,Continental Airlines has announced they start flying to Providenciales (PLS, airport code), in February 2011!. Now it is easier than ever to get here. They will be flying direct out of Newark airport to Provo in just 3 1/2 hours.
Jet Blue begin direct flights out of JFK, and Boston in Feb, American has direct flights out of JFK, Boston and Miami, Delta direct out of Atlanta , US Air direct out of Charlotte and West Jet direct out of Toronto!
There is a reason all the airlines are coming here. We have some of the best beaches in the world, best diving, no crowds and Salt Cay clearly has the best snorkeling of all the Turks islands right from the shore.
Make your reservations now to be a part of our Humpback whale season. Salt Cay has been known as "whale headquarters" due to our 7,000 ft trench sitting right in front of Salt Cay.
The trench is known as the Columbus Passage and on any given day, snorkelers and divers can hear the Humpbacks singing their beautiful songs as they migrate through Salt Cay on their way to the Silver banks. The whales come in so shallow you can clearly see the whales while you are sitting at Coral Reef bar and grill sipping that ice,cool drink.
Still not too late for a special holiday gift for a vacation of a life-time.
Check flights now for the best deals available. once you get to PLS, Salt Cay Divers can take care of everything for you. Book your flights, accommodations all water actiivites and any thing you might need for your stay in Salt Cay.
Happy Hallowean to all you goblins out there. Debbie

Mantas!

2010-10-24T10:38:00.003-04:00

Yes, Mantas have been spotted two days in a row by Richard and two of his divers, Chris and Trista. One Manta was on north west wall at about 50 feet, just spinning and doing summer salts for about 5 min. The Manta had about a 10 ft wing span. Then yesterday there was a smaller Manta. Of course it has to be the "mom and baby" It makes for such a nice story. About 6 ft wing span and on top of the reef, just gracefully swimming by.
This is a bit late in the season for Mantas, but hey we will take them anytime! We are waiting the arrival of the Whale sharks that visit in Novemeber.

Sea Wall
The sea wall is coming along nicely and has been providing the guests at Coral Reef Bar and Grill a lot of entertainment watching the men working at night.
We started a contest to see who can guess the date of completion for the wall. Not when they actually leave, but finish the wall.We hope they will be staying on to fix our roads while they have the equipment here.
Beautiful little Salt Cay is getting more beautiful, thanks in part to our dedicated D.C., Ms Dickenson.Our harbor will be safe from heavy seas once the wall is completed. Thanks so much to Dale and the entire crew for working so hard to complete this project.
Several of the Salt Cay men were able to secure jobs which is wonderful. They can take pride in knowing they helped build something that will protect their island.
Don't forget to ask about our Anniversary special. Come help us celebrate in Salt Cay. Hope to see you soon. Debbie

Wer'e back!!

2010-10-19T11:07:00.002-04:00

One by one the Salt Cay Divers, Coral Reef Bar and Grill and Tradewinds staff are returning to Salt Cay. They are all rested from their time off island and ready to provide all our guests with some quality services and stories of their adventures.
The boats have all been painted, new gear for our dive shop is in place and lots of new hats,shirts and ear rings are in Splash boutique.One new addition is one of our local residents has decided to sell his paintings.Quite nice, hope you stop in and see them.
The most exciting news for our island is our sea wall for the harbor is getting rebuilt.This wall is essential for the potection from rough seas for all of our island's boats as well as ocean front properties. The harbor will be also dredged, which means we will have several feet of water under our boats instead of trying to back out over the sand.
Lion fish hunting/eating will continue this season as we plan to have it on the menu at Coral Reef. They are delcious and the Environmental and Coastal Resources Department is promoting a recipe book with Lion fish recipes from all over the Turks and Caicos. If anyone has a delcious recipe they would like us to try with our Lion fish,please email me:scdivers@tciway.tc.
As previously mentioned ,November is our 14th year in business. Ollie and I would like to thank each and everyone of our guests and friends for supporting us over these years.
I would like to personally thank you, so you need to come to Salt Cay!.
Please note our special is still on for all of November and the staff fix a "mean" bird for Thanksgivings dinner.
The ocean is flat and waters nice and warm. Still about 82 degrees. Moon jeliies started arriving earlier than usual, but they are gorgeous. Cooler water creatures, like the giant morey eels, will be here soon.
Do yourself a favor and surprise someone with a holiday gift to Salt Cay. We have some excellent packages we have created just for special occasions.
Hope you come help us celebrate our anniversary.Best to all Debbie

2010-10-07T07:56:00.002-04:00

Shake it Up!

Salt Cay and Grand Turk $999.00pp
Two islands Dive package includes: Salt Cay and Grand Turk

Oct 1st – Dec 14th $999.00pp
High season Dec 15th- April 14th $1025pp

On Salt Cay

Spend 4 nights at Tradewinds Guest suites
Round Trip airport transfers
All Government taxes
Comes with bikes for exploring the island
3 days of two tank boat diving with Salt Cay Divers
Take ferry to other island

On Grand Turk
Spend 3 nights Bohio Dive resort
Two days of two am tank boat dives
All government taxes

JET BLUE STARTING SERVICES TO PROVO!

2010-09-10T10:48:00.005-04:00

Jet Blue just announced it will begin services to Turks and Caicos Islands, 7 days a week, direct flight from JFK and on Saturdays from Boston.The flights will begin in February. You can start making reservations early October so please start planning now.
We are hopeful that our Humpback whale season will prove to be as spectacular as last season. Once you get to PLS (airport code for Providenciales), I can arrange the short 25 min flight to Salt Cay as well as your accommodations,all water activities and assist with meal planning.
Don't forget our November anniversary special. US Air, Delta and American are all dropping prices for the fall! Staff are all on vacation at Salt Cay Divers for a few more weeks, excpet for Ollie. He was busy being interviewed. Please see the excellent article on tripulu.com.
Salt Cay ocean is gorgeous,so be spontaneous and book a last minute trip.Waters are warm, visibility gorgeous and lots of sea creatures.Hope to see you all soon. Debbie

NEVER SAY GOODBYE

2010-08-21T11:14:00.002-04:00

Never say goodbye only, until we meet again.
Coral Reef Bar and Grill hosted a send off party for the staff with Salt Cay Divers, Tradewinds and Coral Reef.There was music and dancing from Haiti, Dominican Republic, Reggae and yes, even some good ole country.
I feel very fortunate to have these staff members working as a part of our team. They need some relaxing time off to be with their families.
Richard is going back to the Phillipines, but yes, he is returning, so all of you that love to dive with him, he will be back!
Davie and Antonia are off to the DR, but Enye is holding down the "fort" until September 6th.Then Enye off to Haiti
Salt Cay Divers will remain open and people visiting durning this time will have the opportunity to dive/ snorkel with Ollie! Just email us us and let us know when you are coming.Yesterday, Manta Rays in the area! Not only did the divers see them on scuba, but while snorkeling too.One of the best places on island to snorkel, Bluff point,lovely beach and easy access right from the beach.
Coral Reef Bar and Grill opens back up on Oct 6th. 2010.
Be sure to check out our Fall specials. Our Anniversary celebration is in Novemeber. Would love to see all of you then! Happy Diving

Salt Cay Divers celebrates 14th Anniversary

2010-08-05T18:07:00.000-04:00

In November 2010, Salt Cay Divers is celebrating 14 years in the Scuba/ hospitality industry.

In an effort to make your vacation and holiday plans a “breeze” we will continue to assist you in creating your dream vacation.

Providenciales (PLS) is our port of air entry in the Turks and Caicos Islands .All you need to do is get to “Provo” and we will take care of the rest.

Salt Cay Divers is able to pre-book and pre-pay your flights from Provo direct to Salt Cay. We will arrange a taxi pick up once you arrive, schedule your snorkeling, dive package, and whale watching adventures. We can take you to near- by uninhabited and habited islands to dive or snorkel or swim with the sting rays.

We have partners on island that will take you teach you Bone and Line fishing, how to collect and clean conch, kayaking and any water sports activity you might be interested in exploring.

For those guests wanting to prepare some of your own meals, our staff will stock your kitchen upon request or we can even arrange for them to prepare your meals in your “home”. If you are interested in a meal plan, we will arrange that for you as well.

Just tell us your price range, things important to you regarding accommodations and activities and we will make all your reservations. No need for hours on line and expensive phone calls, just contact us and we will handle all the details for you.

We would like to thank all of our previous visitors for their ongoing support. For the entire month of November 2010, we are offering both returning and new visitors a buy one dive/snorkel package and get the second one for half price.

Come celebrate with us on Salt Cay!!

Hope to hear from you soon,

Debbie

FALL SPECIAL

2010-07-15T17:06:00.002-04:00

Salt Cay Divers in conjunction with Tradewinds Guest Suites and Coral Reef Bar and Grill have teamed up to offer you an all inclusive special. Life just got easier!
$175.00pp/ day
One night accommodation at Tradewinds Guest Suites located directly on the gorgeous sunset side of the island.
RT airport transfers
All Government taxes
Bikes for exploring the islands
2 am tank boat dives
Tanks weight and belts
Two meals per day at Coral Reef Bar and Grill
*$100/ day for non divers
**Based on double occupancy and availability
Special starts August 1st and runs through Dec 15th 2010.
Hope to see all of you real soon on Salt Cay

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

2010-07-03T11:51:00.002-04:00

Lion fish wanted, dead not alive.
Salt Cay Divers will be hosting a training session the 7th of July, 7am in front of Salt Cay Divers facility.
Richard will provide information and a demonstration on the safe spearing and capture of Lion fish. This is a practice session, gearing up for the big event on 17th of July.People from many islands in the Turks and Caicos will participate in spearing and capturing as many Lion fish as we can get.
Coral Reef Bar and Grill staff will prepare the Lion fish for a taste testing event for all Salt Cay particpants at 7pm on the 7th of July.
If you are not in Salt Cay yet, come on down, plenty of room and opportunity to participate in this important event. Hope to see you soon. Debbie

Lion Fish Wanted Dead Not Alive

2010-06-20T10:56:00.003-04:00

July 17th 2010 the DECR is having an event to help educate people about the importance of killing the invasive Lion Fish. There is a misperception that Lion Fish can not be eaten, when in fact, they are delicious.
DECR is producing a Lion Fish recipe book to sell. Proceeds will go toward the ongoing education and awareness programs about Lion Fish in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Salt Cay Divers is offering all divers to dive for Free on the 17th.All we ask is you participate in the spotting, killing or capture of the Lion Fish. Following will be a taste testing feast at Coral Reef Bar and Grill. Mark your calendars, make your flight reservations and come help us keep these harmful fish off our reefs.Hope to see you soon. Debbie

DOLPHINS EVERYWHERE

2010-06-15T18:42:00.002-04:00

DOLPHINS! SOME SAY 9 OTHERS SAY 12, BUT A WHOLE LOT OF ACTION UNDER THE WATER AND ON TOP. THE DOLPHINS WERE PLAYING WITH OUR DIVERS UNDERWATER FOR AT LEAST 10 MINUTES.LYNN AND FRANK, TWO OF THE DIVERS, WERE GRINNING FROM EAR TO EAR WHEN TELLING OF THEIR ADVENTURE.FROM THE BEACH, DONNA AND DON WATCHED THE DOLPHINS SPINNING AND PLAYING FOR 30 MINUTES ON THE LEEWARD SIDE OF SALT CAY.
IT MUST BE SUMMER AS WE ARE SEEING DOLPHINS MOST EVERY DAY, MOSTLY BOTTLE NOSE, BUT TODAY, SPINNERS TOO.IT IS ALWAYS A THRILL TO BE IN THE WATER WITH SUCH INTELLEGENT AND GORGEOUS CREATURES.
RICHARD

PLANE DIVE SITE/SUCCESS AT ITS' FINEST

2010-06-09T15:08:00.004-04:00

It was a success! After hours of hard work from Richard, Beto, Tony, Don,and Ollie, we were able to move the wrecked plane that had landed in our salinas about a year ago to its new resting place.
I was able to negotiate with the owner, Paul Gardiner,if he would give us the plane to create an artificial reef, we would be responsible to move it.Thanks so much Paul.
The plane had to have its wings filpped up as the narrow streets of Salt Cay would not allow it to "fit" through the streets. Once that was done, Don brought his back hoe and trailer to the site to sit the plane on to carry it to the dock.
Don was masterful in his manuvering under the power and phone lines to get the plane through the maze.Fortunately Beto and Richard used a kayak paddle to push the telephone lines out of the way.
We parked the plane on the ramp at Deane's dock until morning when the officers from Department of Environmental and Coastal Resources from Grand Turk came over to examine the plane.
They needed to insure it was safe to sink. This meant cutting all the cables out, remove the engine, all oils and gas, nothing hazardous to contaminate the ocean or could hurt anyone once it was sunk.Officer Fernado said we did a great job and approved it to sink.
Ollie took the Salt Cay Divers Big Boat and pulled the plane off the trailer and to the new dive site located about 1/4 mile from Lucky Lady, the boat we just sank last week.
This site was selected as it is in about 45 ft of water, lots of sand and the bigger fish come around the end of the reef at that location.
Donna did an excellent job at capturing the shots of the plane moving through the streets and then through the water until till it reached its new resting place.
We were fortunate enough to have three guests on board who were extremely helpful in the actual sinking of the boat. Geoffrey, Jilian and Pierre scuba dived or free dived the plane while it was sinking.
Geoffrey and Jilian also "had" to free dive down to sit in the one seat we left there, just so they could say they did! Thanks so much to all for their contrubutions to this new artificial reef in Salt Cay.
Now we just need you divers to come experience the plane. In keeping with Salt Cay tradition,another naming contest. Please submit your name of the new dive site to scdivers@tciway.tc. When you arrive you will receive a free dive on the site you named.
Also a very happy happy birthday to Ollie. We wanted to sink this plane on his birthday to make it a memorable occasion. See you all soon. Debbie

It's Official

2010-06-07T18:20:00.003-04:00

Thank you all who entered the contest for naming our most recent dive site. We recently raised and then sunk the Lucky Lady again into her final resting place.
The new artificial reef is named "drum roll... Lucky Lady.
We are told that changing a boats name is bad luck and felt that the Lucky Lady really is lucky as she is providing lots of divers and snorkelers a new place to come and enjoy the underwater activities of sea life at its finest.
Congratulations to Jeffrey for helping the judges realize the name should not be changed. So give the wreck a few months and it will be an excellent dive site. The fish are already finding the wreck to be a really nice, upscale home.
Dolphins everywhere today...Must be June.Debbie

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-31T11:35:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was Mother's day for mothers from the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Having staff from both these countries, we celebrated with a huge feast and lots of dancing. The fiesta went on till the wee hours of the morning. We even had a dance contest, but oops, no one explained the rules to me that you were not allow to stop dancing, even for a second, or you would be asked to leave the competition.
Antonia and Beto won the contest. A very fun time was had by all. Debbie

WHALE SHARK

2010-05-31T11:12:00.003-04:00

Paul , Kelly Jason and Yurgo were just returning from a dive when they spotted what looked to be a thousand birds. Richard slowed the boat down as he saw something "huge" in the water. All divers slowly, well kind of slowly, got in the water and discovered a Whale shark sitting right beneath the boat.
The Whale shark stayed with them for what seemed to be a lifetime and then gracefully swam off.
Paul got some amazing video and one still shot, which is being loaded onto our blogspot and you should be able to view it soon.
This was the first time any of the divers saw a Whale shark in all of their years of diving. The great news is it happened right here on little old Salt Cay walls!
In earlier years, Whale sharks have been spotted here in or around November. This sighting is very early for a Whale shark to be in these waters, but we are excited regardless of what time of year they come.
Hopefully the shark will stay around the area for a few days so we can have more exciting adventures diving with them.
Last night we enjoyed another batch of Lion fish deliciously prepared by Davie at Coral Reef cafe. Jason was quite good at spearing the fish and Paul great at spotting them.Together they removed another 8 Lion fish off our reef.
Paul found the smallest Lion fish I have ever seen. It was about the size of a pin head.
Thanks to the Kelly group for joining us in Salt Cay. Debbie

There She Goes

2010-05-19T11:40:00.002-04:00

Salt Cay has a brand new wreck to snorkel or dive . The Lucky lady, who was not so lucky, had sunk in our harbor about two years ago. Private funds were raised and donated to pay a salvage operator by the name of Louis, to float the boat so we could sink her again as an artificial reef and dive site.
We have excellent snorkeling right from our shores, so the idea was to sink her in a place shallow enough for snorkelers to be able snorkel ,yet deep enough for a shallow dive site.
Many people come here whose mate might not dive, but they do snorkel. Now they can both come and snorkel and/or watch their mate dive the same site.
Special thanks to "Shine" who donated the boat to sink, Mike and Bob, who started the salvage exploration, Tony, Beto,Enye, Boo, Jimmy,Enrique,Don and a special thanks to Richard our dive instructor,who did the preparation and the diving to secure the boat and make sure it floated to get it out of the harbor. The Environmental and Costal Resources department had a small skiff and staff along side to insure no corals or reef were being damaged in the process.
Ollie did an excellent job driving the boat out of the harbor to then allow her to slowly sink to her new resting place.
Thanks to our District Commissioner, Carolyn, for her support of this project, Vershina and Sharon who took pictures and recorded it for historical purposes .This was the first boat that was intentionally sunk in Salt Cay for a dive site. Staff at Salt Cay Divers are very excited about this new site and look forward to taking people to dive or snorkel our local wreck.
CONTEST
The wreck site has not been named so of course ...there has to be a contest.
There will be a team of three local people to judge the entires and the winner will either get a free dinner for two at Coral Reef Bar and Grill OR when you arrive, or if you are already here, a free dive/ snorkel on the newly named dive site.Submit your entires to scdivers@tciway.tc Once the winner has been decided, I will post the new sites name.
Lion Fish hunting dives are still ongoing to keep our reefs free of these fish. They are delicous and we are coming up with some fantastic recipes for the next batch of Lion fish.
Summer time is almost here and the colder waters of the winter season are moving out and the waters warming up.Dolphines and mantas soon will be here.
I was able to get permission from the owner of a small twin engine plane that landed in Salt Cay, but opps, due to mechanical problems missed the runway. There were no injuries but it did leave us a plane to make another artificial reef .
Anyone with any salvage,dive experience wanting to join in on the salvage operation of helping us sink the plane is welcome to assist us.
Please check our website for our summer specials. Thanks for your onging support. Debbie

Springtime in Salt Cay

2010-05-04T11:50:00.003-04:00

Thank you to all the people who visited us this past winter. I am sure you will agree we had a spectacular Humpback whale season. We had more in-water encounters than the previous two years and Michael described it a "spiritual adventure" snorkeling with the whales.

Now springtime is here and we have had two weeks of flat seas and calm waters. With the warmer waters bring the colorful ,tropical fish, eels, sharks (friendly ones) and yes, the Manta Rays.

Acivities

With this gorgeous weather a group of us headed off to great Sand Cay, a near-by unihabited island know for it's gorgeous beaches. It is a Bird Sanctuary and is home to thousands of birds. In May you can see the birds making nests and hatching their eggs. May also brings the mating season of hudreds of Nurse sharks occuring in just three feet of wate. Both events are spectacular. We had a fun day shelling, fishing and snorkeling.

Saturday was a wonderful engagement party hosted by Tim and melinda Patterson. The enitre community turned out and we danced till the wee hours.

Forutunatly ,Richard and the divers didn't party too long and went off diving the next day early in the morning. The purpose was Lion fish hunting. The good news is they couldn't find any. This is good as we are doing our best to stay on top of the Lion flish population.

The best receipe for this is Richard,*(divemaster), teaches you how to hunt the fish, you spear them, Richard cleans them, Antonia cooks them and you eat them. Now that is truly a success for keeping your stomachs full and the reef clean of the Lion fish.

Raise the boat/Sink the boat

For those of you who have been here, you would have seen the Lucky Lady , who wasn't that lucky ,sunk in our harbor.Several of the winter residents attempted to raise the boat, but were not successful.

Now Louis is here who swears his 20 years of expereince will allow him to float the boat. I sure hope so since I now have permission form our Environmental and coastal resource Department to sink the boat for an artificial reef.

I would love to hear from you. Should the boat be sunk in shallow water 35 ft, to allow both snorkelers and divers to explore or should we sink the boat deep for a deep wreck dive and if so, how deep?
Please email me with your comments scdivers@tciway.tc . I will announce the outcome once the location has been determined.

Spring/summer special

Only $799 per person...Starts today!

8 days 7 night lodging at Tradewinds Guest Suites

10 tank boat dive

Unlimited shore diving

Tanks weights and belts

All Government taxes

RT airport transfers

bikes for exploring the island

Welcome drink at Coral Reef Bar and Grill.

**Mention you saw the special on this blog and get 10% off your first meal at Coral Reef.

Now that the Humpbacks are gone for the season, I hope you come experience what special adventures our island has to offer in the summer months. See you soon. Debbie

Diving with the Humpback Whales

2010-03-11T09:20:00.005-05:00

Humpback whales have been making their way past the island of Salt Cay since early January this year on their annual migration to the Silver Banks. Whale watchers and divers are treated to many sightings off both the East and West sides of the island and in the waters around Salt Cay and Sand Cay.

This video was taken by Leslie Rediger while snorkeling during a whale watching charter with her parents, Keith and Yvonne, last week off the island of Salt Cay. During their trip, they caught some absolutely wonderful videos of dolphins and humpback whales! Thank you Rediger Family for sharing this with everyone.

Salt Cay Underwater Safari

2010-03-10T11:56:00.009-05:00

January was the month for lionfish hunting in the waters around Salt Cay. Dive Master Richard and the Scheller Tribe (Arnie, Sonia, Mat, Jessie and George) spent many underwater hours with their hawaiian slings, protective gloves and a specially designed bag for capturing the lion fish they found. Approximately 25-30 lion fish were taken from the reef during this Underwater Safari by the Scheller Tribe.

A Lionfish is any of several species of venomous marine fish in the genera Petrois, Parapterois, Brachypterois, Ebosia or Dendrochirus, of the family Scorpaenidae. The lionfish is also known as the Turkey Fish, Scorpion or Fire Fish. They are notable for their extremely long and separated spines, and have a generally striped appearance, red, green, navy green, brown, orange, yellow, black, maroon, or white. (from Wikipedia).

Lionfish are predators of all the reef fish and have very few natural predators themselves. They are known to increase in number and wipe out large numbers of other fish if not kept under control. With this in mind, Arnie & Sonia Scheller and their family assisted Divemaster Richard from Salt Cay Divers in lessening the lionfish population around Salt Cay.

Lionfish are not usually agressive toward humans and will keep their distance when given the opportunity. Their sting is not deadly but extremely painful. With caution Richard and the Schellers proceeded to bag these beautiful but poisionous lionfish and protect the reef fish around Salt Cay.

Extreme care was taken both in grabbing the lionfish with the hawaiian sling and then in placing the lionfish into the bag so that no one would get stung by these venomous fish.

If you are an experienced diver and interested in helping protect the reef from the voracious lionfish, contact Debbie at Salt Cay Divers.

The Schellers return the end of March and Salt Cay Divers thanks them and looks forward to their continued efforts battling the ever increasing population of lionfish off the island of Salt Cay.

2010-01-27T15:02:00.002-05:00

What an adventure!! Mike and Heather were kayaking this am and saw some whale tail action on the north end of the island.
They kayaked north past the sailboat and then heard a whistle, turned around and Chris from the boat was pointing behind them. They sat still in the water and three adult humpbacks come right up to them within 20 ft. They sat very quietly in awe of what they were experiencing. What an adventure, Heather exclaimed as goosebumbs were all over her body.
I asked if they had their camera , but of course, NO! Ok, from now on they are bringing their camera. Come on down. They are here! Debbie

Humpback whales are here

2010-01-21T14:46:00.004-05:00

They're back! Ollie took a group down to a near-by unihabited island, Great Sand Cay and two large whales came right under the boat. Some guests were able to snorkel in the water with them for about 5 minutes. Then as quickly as they appeared, they swam off as if they were on a mission.

They were so beautiful, my niece who just happened to be visiting and on the boat, said with tears in her eyes. "It was the most thrilling adventure I had ever had with creatures in the wild".

Several other sightings have been made by locals on the island, Mike H. and Dave , while out fishing and then the people on the sailboat just told me their boat served as a conductor for the songs and they could actually hear the whales singing through the hull this morning.

Divers have all reported hearing them singing while on the dives at the north end of the island. So they are back! Come on down and enjoy them with us.

Lion fish hunts
Thanks to the Scheller family and friends they have gotten 46 Lion fish off our reefs !Richard, our dive master plus George and the Scheller tribe have enjoyed delicious Lion fish and compare the meat to tasting like Grouper.
Rob and Faye of Boston got some excellent pictures of the Lion fish and will be posting them later this week.
Friday night Coral reef bar and grill will be cooking up the lastest catch of Lion fish and sharing them with the other divers and guests on island.

Upcoming Events
Three days after the full moon we will be offering a night snorkels which offer a close up and person experiences with the glow worms. Be sure and bring some underwater lights and extra batteries for this event.

Sunset Cruise February 14th we will have our 6th annual Valentine Crusie. Wine,cheese and crackers on board in hopes of seeing whale whales and a gorgeous sunset. Please make reservations as this event is usally sold out.

Karaoke Night
Karaoke night resumes every Saturday night right after dinner at Coral Reef Bar and Grill. Come join the fun and have your favorite songs ready to sing.

Rib Night Continues
Delicious baby back ribs are being served up at Coral Reef Bar and Grill every Sunday night.
Several of our residents are so proud of their "perfect attendance" like Mike and Marilyn and Jim and Junie. Reservations are definitly needed so remember to sign up once you are on island.

Domincan Night
Want a bit of Dominican flare? Every Friday night Coral Reef Bar and Grill will be serving low calorie version of Dominican pizza.Crisp, herb and garlic season tortillia with lots of healthy veggies cheese and sauce is now available. Lots of Dominican music and after dinner, yes,dancing. There will be a few resident dancers available to teach you some sizzeling moves!

*Our island is small and relaxing, but that never stopped us from having lots of fun and adventures. Just a few bits of information to keep you all informed of the activities here on Salt Cay.

Special Thanks
So many people have inquired about our staff from Haiti, Philiman and Enye. All of their immidiate families are safe, but lots of distant relatives have not been as fortunate.
So many previous visitors to Salt Cay from all over the world that have met people in our community from Haiti have been so supportive.
We hosted a fund raiser where the local Scrape and Rake band wanted to do something in support of their fellow residents to raise some money to help the folks locally.
With the help of our winter home owners and entire community we raised over $2,000 in one night. Thanks to our local DJ Papa Newton and the band members.
Salt Cay Divers has a drop box to gather clothes, sheets towels that will be sent to Haiti on Air Turks and Caicos. Local members of the Haitian community members formed a committee and made decisions on how to best allocate the money. Initially, people were given money for phone cards so they could call and try and locate their loved ones. This small but necessary act was essential to helping people try to locate their family. The committee will continue to meet to decide how the rest of the money will be spent.
Thank you to everyone for your ongoing support of our Salt Cay community. You were there for us during the hurricanes and now here for our community again. Debbie

Wer'e back!!

2009-10-02T16:47:00.003-04:00

Well it's been a gorgeous summer and most of the staff took off for the month of September. Slowly they are returning along with our wonderful guests. Ollie has been sprucing up the boats, all in great working condition to begin snorkeling and diving trips
The water temperature is 82 degrees and clear visibility of 80 ft plus.
We are excited about the addtion of several new activities for the rest of the year , continuing on into Humpback whale season.
Thanks to the feedback of Mary Lou Gates and family members , they suggested we routinely offer a night snorkeling trip right outside the harbor. We have provided shallow water dives before , but never the snorkeling option.
The group went out and said it was spectacular. Had what they called "bioluminescence night snorkeling trip" Lots of slipper lobster, crabs, shrimp and the corals came alive as if on a night dive.
So just ask your dive masters for the opportunity of a guided tour and we will provide a great adventure.
There will be night dives offered for the glow worm show which occurs 3-5 days after the full moon. Non divers can also do a dusk snorkel and see them too.
We will be having routine sunset crusies for those photagraphers wanting to get shots from the water which are not possible on shore.
Lion Fish Hunt Dives will be offered to those of you wanting to help us rid our reef of Lion Fish. While they are beautiful, they eat all the baby groupers and can destroy a reef in a few years. Fortunately , we do not have too many, but must get every Lion fish we see and crete a new island dish. Their meat is very tender, similar to the taste of a grouper.
Mary Lou also suggeted offering photagraphers the opportunity to go out on the boats to take pictures of the Ospry fishing in the day time. Fanntastic angle and different than the shore shots .
Whale watching excursions will begin the day we shart seeing more than one whale arrive.
Often the Humpbacks send their scouts down earlier. We all get excited and then don't see any whales for another week or so. Once the migration begins, we will be providing whale watching adventures. 2010 is suppose to offer us a "banner year" for the sighting these magnificent creatures.
Air Travel
I am working in conjunction with Caicos Express to provide a Sat - Sat flight departure and arrival. West Jet from Canada is having some excellent specials and fly here on Sat. For you Canadians reading this or Americans close enough to cross the boarder, check into West Jet Airlines.
As soon as we finalize this, I will write it on the blog.
Coral Reef Bar and Grill is still having Sunday "Rib Night" as well as Karaoke night every Saturday.
New recipes for fantastic martinis will be offered up this season. So as not to be outdone by anyone's martini bar, why not send us your favorite recipe and if it becomes a hit, we will name the martini after you.
On Friday nights ,we will clear the tables at Coral Reef dance floor and dance the night away under the stars. Multicultural music ,great Reggae, Spanish music as well as good old Country Western.
We have added a volley ball sand court as well as horse shoes so lots of activities to keep you busy when you are not in the ocean.
For those of you that met Davie , she is expecting baby number 2 sometime in February. Congratualations to her. She swears she will be cooking till she delivers, so come on down and enjoy her Dominican specialties.
For those of you who had the pleasure of diving with Richard, he has signed on for another year and I am so happy as he has great Lion Fish capturing techniquies not to seak of his diving skills.
Enye, Philiman and Antonia will all be back too. Couldn't ask for a greater team.
As you can see, we have been busy expanding to allow you lots of options while visitiing Salt Cay.
Hope to see you down here soon. Debbie

Calm Seas at Salt Cay Divers

2009-04-22T08:54:00.005-04:00

Splash relaxing on a sunny day by Salt Cay Divers Big Boat in the Harbor.

Salt Cay, Turks & Caicos Islands

Click on picture to view it larger

Picture by Ann Hawkins

http://www.annhawk.blogspot.com/

Diving the Endymion near Salt Cay

2009-04-19T08:39:00.004-04:00

Well folks, the weather was gorgeous so Ollie took a group of divers and snorkelers from Salt Cay out to the Endymion wreck. They said the seas were so calm, only took them 30 min to get there.
Once there, the conditions could not have been more perfect. No currents, visibility 100+. They saw three reef sharks, turtles, large groupers (don't tell the fishermen) and spectacular colors of sea fans and both hard and soft corals. (Special thanks to Simon Bateson for the turtle picture.)

There was a huge Baracuda guarding the entrance to one of the swim throughs, but the divers just starred him down and he let them pass. They stopped at my favorite un inhabited island Great Sand Cay, on the way back to Salt Cay.

They said it was just as gorgeous as ever. Next time, it's my turn to go!

Summer is upon us so that means calm seas, Dolphins and Mantas will be here soon.

Hope to see you down here real soon. Debbie

Spring is here

2009-04-05T16:13:00.002-04:00

Well it has been a very cool winter and our wonderful dolphins and Humpback whales gave us quite a few "spiritual moments" . The waters are starting to warm up and the tropical fish are returning.Richard noticed lots of plankton in the water and sure enough within a few days they saw a 12 ft Manta ray. I have no idea why the Manta was in these waters this early in the year. We usually don't see them till June and July.It was a wonderful treat for all the divers. For a few, it was their first time.Spring and summer months are gorgeous in Salt Cay. We would love to see you in Salt Cay. Make reservations and we will give you a 10% discount off your already discounted dive package just by mentioning you read it here.Hope to see you in Salt cay real soon. Debbie

Turtles of Salt Cay

2009-02-21T10:38:00.006-05:00

Our friends, Wendy and Simon have just sent us these lovely pictures of turtles they spotted on one of their dives last week. You can click on the picture to view it larger.

Pictures compliments of Simon Bateson.

New Friends and Old Friends at Salt Cay Divers and Coral Reef

2009-01-24T12:44:00.009-05:00

We want to send a warm welcome to all of our new and returning staff.

Salt Cay Divers and Coral Reef Bar and Grill has a diverse, multicultural team of employees. We have learned so much about each other's cultures - they are a great group who love to dive, dance and dine with our guests. Their goal is to provide each visitor to the island with a unique experience while in Salt Cay.

New Friends (the Divemasters):

Richard Agraba is PADI certified dive master since 2003. He was born and raised in Davao, Philippines. He attended University and studied Electrical Engineering but his passion for ocean and travel led him to a career in diving.

Richard joins Salt Cay Divers in Jan 2009 and is very excited about being in the Turks and Caicos waters. “The diving is very different than the Philippines and so much variety of corals and different creatures in Salt Cay from what I am use to seeing.” His passions, other than diving, are wind surfing Reggae and island music and he is ready for the return of Saturday night karaoke at the Coral Reef Bar & Grill.

Dave, not David (only his mother can call him that) Goring is a PADI certified dive master and Instructor. He has been training others since 1996. He was born in Bishops Cleeve England calling himself a “country boy”. He arrived in Salt Cay and has been training and diving with divers since Nov 2008. “I love this island. It is so peaceful and quiet, such friendly people, great diving and hearing the whales sing is like listening to a concert under water”.

Dave has quit a wit about himself and told me “the only job I am really qualified to do is the Village Idiot” he says that with a big smile on his face. Quite the opposite as he is extremely talented in teach. He loves to joke, but is very serious about safety and his love of our underwater world. He has travelled throughout the Caribbean and Middle East countries.
Divers have told me he is one of the best dive masters they have ever had!

Old Friends (the Staff):

Enye Guierrier is our all around everything man. Enye hails from Haiti and fixes some of the best cracked conch, peas and rice and cole slaw this side of the Mississippi! Enye has been with Salt Cay Divers for the past 4 years. He recently got married and now they are expecting a child in a few months. Enye loves to cook and enjoys talking with the guests. His passion is for music and dancing. You will see him carrying tanks and assisting guests with their gear, then taking orders for their next meal at Coral Reef Bar and Grill. He hopes to bring his wife and child to Salt cay within the next year.

Deivi De Los Santos provides delicious meals and her favorite dishes to prepare are pastas and lobster. Deivi pronounced DAVIE was born in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. She has a 4 year old son that she will try and bring to Salt Cay this year. Her favorite things to do are cooking, dancing, singing and being a hair dresser. She loves Salt Cay because of the people here. She makes an awesome conch stew that is a must to try!!

Antonia Morales assist in the kitchen and bar area. Her margaritas made with fresh limes are only surpassed by mine. :) She loves to dance, sing loves to clean (imagine that) and enjoys the peaceful Salt Cay. Antonia is a Grandmother of 1 and has one son still living in the Dominican Republic. She was born and raised in Santo Domingo DR and has lived in the Turks and Caicos for the past 4 years.

Philiman Vincent has been with Salt Cay Divers and Coral Reef for the past 3 years. Her specialty in the kitchen is her peas and rice (aka beans and rice) and steamed fish. People rave about the flavors she is able to get with her combination of herbs. Philiman is a mother of two and her and her husband have lived in the islands for he past 12 years. Her daughter Gurdey attends the primary school in Salt Cay. Philiman is a bit more reserved but when the mood hits her she a heck of a good dancer.

With the world-wide economic situation in mind, we have done everything possible to curtail our pricing and continue with the quality we strive to provide both in our water activities and café and bar services.

We all still need to take time and enjoy our life so come join us as soon as you possibly can.

Best regards to all,

Debbie and Ollie

Happy New Year 2009

2009-01-14T07:45:00.007-05:00

Welcome to our two new dive masters Dave Goring of the UK and Richard Agraba of the Philippines. They have a combined 20 years of teaching scuba diving. Richard specializes in kayak instruction and Dave loves to take people on new dives - when we find a wonderful location he names the site after them!

Come on down to see the humpback whales, they are back and hear them singing on most every dive.

Lionfish are being spotted on almost every dive. While they are gorgeous to look at we need to decrease the number of Lion fish as they eat all the baby fish on the reef. We are looking at the safest way to capture the fish without anyone getting stung. We will be having specific Lion fish hunting dives geared to their capture. We have received several recipes to prepare Lion fish as they are considered a delicacy to eat.

Come join us for a fun filled winter adventure.

Salt Cay Divers thanks you!

2008-10-05T17:55:00.004-04:00

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for your outpouring of support, phone calls, emails and generous contributions. Salt Cay was hit with a category 4 hurricane. The fantastic news is there were no injuries or lives lost. The majority of damage was to the roofs and will need to be repaired or rebuilt and that we are expected to be without power for several months. Those who know Salt Cay, know we are a strong community and will bounce back stronger and better than ever!

For all you snorkelers, divers and whale watchers, Hurricane Ike was primarily winds clocked at 150 - 180 miles per hour. We did not experience surges and there was very little impact from the sea - the reefs and walls look in great shape and we hope to resume dive operations as early as December. I went diving today - see my comments in the sidebar of the blog.

The main task of getting the electric back has started and once it's done, we can use that compressor and dive! We have very little communication on island - no phones but I do have internet service. If you have reservations prior to December, we will help you reschedule your vacation or set you up with a partner in Providenciales (the big island) in the Turks & Caicos Islands.

Once again, thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts for all of your concern and your contributions to the rebuilding of Salt Cay!

We look forward to seeing you in the near future!

Debbie and Ollie

Farewell Hilary and welcome to Rich

2008-05-31T13:16:00.002-04:00

It was sad day, when Hilary decided it would be best to move on and explore other parts of the world.
Hilary was with Salt Cay Divers for a year and brought a wealth of knowledge,professionalism and fun to our island.
She will be missed.
Rich has joined us and brings his own unique skills and backgroupd with him.
He is passionate about diving , loves to dive slow and discover lots of small creatures for our divers. He is vey patient and an excellent instructor, so now would be a great time to update your skills or further your dive training.
Ms Pamela and Andrew Watson are our lastest Open water scuba divers. Congratulations to both you you.
Pamela makes a mean vegitarian lasagne. So come on down to Coral Reef Bar and grill as we will be serving it as she shared her recipe!

Whales....Whales....and wonderfully more Whales!!

2008-02-12T16:49:00.000-05:00

Ok so I warned you!! The most incredible experience that I think you can have, the Whales are here and the boys are just having the most magnificent time playing, breaching, singing, rolling around in the ocean like big kids!!

And we can hear them singing on every single dive. We see them from shore and the water. And to top that we have 3 resident Dolphins who simply love to swim past the divers at a very slow pace so that you can even see their eyes.

Life is good, come and join us.........

Thanks for a great stay.....

2008-01-05T11:08:00.000-05:00

Thanks for your help and friendship during our visit to Salt Cay during December, We (Beth, Kin, Kathie, and I) had a great time, which through your help, was better than we could have imagined. Kin suggested I send you a few digital photos which I took while we stayed at Pat and Henry Coe's place. Hope you enjoy them and/or can use them.

Sincerely,

Bill & Kathie

Its not all about Whales though.....

2007-12-22T16:40:00.000-05:00

See on Salt Cay not only do we have the Whales come through between January and March/April we also have Dolphins, Whale Sharks, Manta Rays and pretty much every other Caribbean species that you can think of!

Only two weeks ago I was on a dive and happened to look over my right shoulder to see a Whale Shark go gliding by! What an encounter, still rare in the Caribbean.

Manta Rays are frequent visitors here as are Eagle Rays. Such a diverse eco-system survives here that these guys are generally here all the time. Wonderful coral formations decorate our walls that go off into the Abyss below.