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
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
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Good | Good |
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
- Dive Sites — Dive Provo — Dive Provo
More dive sites in Turks & Caicos
Wall
Twin pinnacles beside a coral-carpeted slope off French Cay
A canyon from the wall top that opens onto a wide sand chute
Wall
A V-shaped notch in the wall where nurse sharks rest on the reef top
Artificial reef
A former game-show set now coated in sponges and tube worms
Wall
Pillar coral by the mooring and small reef sharks on the wall
Wall
A crevice cutting down the wall from 15 m to 30 m
A vertical crack you exit into blue water at 29 m
Wall
Black coral under an overhang at 21 to 27 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Wall
Yemayá
María la Gorda · Cuba
A chimney fracture in the wall from 12 m down to 33 m
Black coral and gorgonians on two separate wall sections
Wall
Paraíso Perdido
María la Gorda · Cuba
Shoals of jacks, tuna and barracuda on a wall from 18 m
A three-step wall with different growth on every ledge