Hello Jenn,

The diving in the Turks is fantastic.  You will not be disappointed.  Lisa and I took our classes prior to traveling when we were there in 2004.  We dove with Caicos Adventures and they were awsome!!!  They do offer beginner courses that you can take when you get on the island, however I would recommend that you sign up before hand.  Club med also offers scuba classes as well.  you will always have the opportunity to dive with dive master.

My recommedation would be to get certifiied before you go to the island. Since you will only be there for a week, you will be limited to the amount of diving you can do.  It would be a shame to get to the island, and only be able to dive for one day.  

Most sports Chalets hold classes on a regular basis.  you can also find out what is available at any of your local dive clubs.  

Club med may also have a resort dive class.  This is usually done in one day and then you can go and dive with an instructor, however you are very limited as to the depth of your dive I think it is 30 feet so you really will not be able to experience the reefs as well. 

Lisa and I are going both weeks with Olivia so we can get the most of our diving while we are there.  You are absolutely going to love the island!

I cannot wait!!!!  

 Feel free to contact me anytime if you have questions.

Heidi

Hi Heidi,

My partner and I would love to go scuba diving, we've never gone before and think this would be the best opportunity to do so - since we hear the reefs are unbelievable!

I was just interested in some advice about scheduling a time to go.  Are you reserving a time before you get there on Nov 1st or are you doing it when you get there?  Also, are you doing it through Club Med or through another scuba vendor down there? Will we need to take classes first, or can we just go down with an instructor?

Since we'd be first timers any recommendations you could give us would be great, we don't want to miss out on diving while we're there.  Thanks so much!!!  Vacation is almost here!

 Jenn

Hello Everyone,

 I know there have been questions out there regarding the conditions of the reef since the hurricane.  

I checked in with Caicos Adventures and they have stated that the reefs are undamaged.

The visibility is still a bit cloudy but they expect it to return to the normal great visibility by the end of the month. 

They have been great at keeping me updated.  So it looks like diving conditions will be good while we are there.

  Thanks Heidi,

  You are probably right about Club Med being more conservative. Well I hope I run into you there so I can find out how the first week was for the diving. Perhaps I'll e-mail Caicos Adventures and see if they come out to Club Med. Often the resort doesn't like that...like in Cozumel. I'm not going to fret about it because our main interest is just hanging out with all the girls....but we sure like diving too. When we go south we usually go to bed fairly early so we are ready to dive in the morning but somehow I think we will miss out on too much if we do that!!! So...may only dive once or twice. We have decided to stay the extra two days at the end. We thought about going for the first week too but we are going to Key West for two weeks in June to dive so......

Hi Anna,

 When Lisa and I were in the Turks before we did not travel with Oliva and we stayed and the Sands at Grace Bay.  It was wonderful, however I am looking forwad to another Oivia experience.  We chose Caicos adventures based on their reputation and all the recommedations I received.  They were excellent. The boat was never crowded. They were very safe.  You can choose to dive with a guide or on your own if you are comfortable with that.  We chose to go with a guide and I cannot complain one bit.  They were great. Pointed out everything. 

In addition, Caicos adventures kept our gear for us, washed and rinsed it  and then also set it all back up for us the next day.  All we had to do was get on and off the bus.
I think most of the club meds have a dive club, but they are all pretty conservative and do not take you necessarily to the best dive sites.

I dove with Club med in Columbus Isle.  I found them to be equally safe, however the guides were very conservative and we did not get to see quite as much. 

I am not sure if they pick up at Club med or not, that is something I have to find out still.
Since we will be there for two weeks we will probably try out the Club med dive shop to see how they are.

 Heidi

  Hi Heidi,

I was wondering if Caicos Adventures was part of Club Med. If not, doesn't Club Med have a dive shop? If so, was there a reason you didn't use it? My girlfriend and I will be diving while we are there and are looking for a safe and reliable dive operator.

     Thanks, Anna

They have a pretty open boat, it is never packed so it easy to get the reservations.

I will probably make a reservation the week before but not sure I may wait until I am on the island. Keep in touch with us and I will let you know what we plan.

Heidi

Hey there, Thanks, that would be great!  I will take look at Caicos adventures.  Do you need to make reservations in advance?  If so let me know what you plan. Dana

Hello Dana,

 Caicos Adventures was great when we dove wtith them a couple of years ago.
Lisa and I were both new divers at that time and they were great.  The diving is awsome you will love it.

We will both be there and diving with Caicos adventures again.  You are more than welcome to dive with us.

 I wish it was here already!!!

Hey there Ladies, this will be our 4th Olivia trip, the 1st all inclusive.  We are looking so very forward to this trip!  I have just complete SCUBA classes and will be completing my open water dive in May.  My girl decided she likes sitting on the boat better than diving J so I am planning on contacting a dive shop for a dive trip, if anyone else needs a buddy, I am looking.  (Maybe your girl and my girl can sit on the boat togetherJ)

7months and counting, Dana and Louann