Turks & Caicos, the area around Amphitheater

Turks & Caicos · Turks & Caicos Islands · Wall

Amphitheater

An undercut amphitheater in the wall, lipped with black coral

Area photo: SNORKELINGDIVES.COM · CC BY 2.0

A Northwest Point wall that drops vertically into an amphitheater formation, undercut by three to four and a half metres back to a sandy bottom at 26 m. A large elephant ear sponge with black coral along the top lip is the landmark, rare orange rope sponges grow deeper at about 27 m, and horse-eyed jacks are abundant over the mooring.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Amphitheater: typical dive to 26 m (to 85 ft), deepest point 27 m (90 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit26 m27 m maxtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

21.8550° N, 72.3252° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

There is large pillar coral under the boat and an abundance of horse-eyed jacks over it, so the descent is not dead time. The walls at Northwest Point are vertical and begin shallow, around 11 m, and they are known for their formations, gold and purple tube sponges among them, which sets the tone for what the face carries once you go over the edge here.

The wall drops vertically into the amphitheater itself, a formation undercut by three to four and a half metres back to a sandy bottom at 26 m. The prominent feature is a large elephant ear sponge with black coral growing along the top lip of the undercut, and at about 27 m there are orange rope sponges, which are rare here. Work the undercut first while you have the bottom time for it, then come up the face and give the shallow top of the wall the rest of the dive.

Marine life and season

  • Trevally & jacks
Month-by-month season rating for Amphitheater
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodFairFairFairFairGoodGood

Season follows Turks & Caicos: January–April brings calm seas and the humpback whale migration through the Turks Island Passage; September–October is peak hurricane season.

Sources

  1. Dive Sites — Dive Provo — Dive Provo

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