Turks & Caicos, the area around Driveway

Turks & Caicos · Turks & Caicos Islands · Wall · Sand slope

Driveway

A sand chute from 15 m to a coral ledge at 30 m

Area photo: SNORKELINGDIVES.COM · CC BY 2.0

Under the boat, in about 12 m of water, a sand area with scattered coral heads funnels into a sand chute, and the chute runs down through the reef from 15 m to a ledge at 24 to 30 m where the wall drops vertically. The ledge carries good growth of plate and star corals, with sharks, groupers and black durgons around it.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Driveway: typical dive 12–30 m (40–100 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit12 m30 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

21.6664° N, 72.4497° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

West Caicos has consistently good surface conditions, a vertical wall and excellent visibility, which is why it stays popular all year. Under the boat, in about 12 m of water, lies a sand area with scattered coral heads leading into a sand chute. Follow it down: it extends through the reef from 15 m and does the navigation for you, so nobody has to hunt for the lip of the wall on the way out.

The chute bottoms out on a ledge at around 24 to 30 m, and past the ledge the wall drops vertically into the depths. That ledge is the ground worth working — it has excellent growth of plate and star corals — and it is also the deepest part of the dive, so it comes first. Marine life here includes sharks, groupers and black durgons. Climb the chute again to finish, and use the shallow sand and coral heads under the boat for the safety stop.

Marine life and season

  • Reef sharks
  • Groupers
Month-by-month season rating for Driveway
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

More dive sites in Turks & Caicos

Wall

Amphitheater

An undercut amphitheater in the wall, lipped with black coral

to 26 m · max 27 madvanced

Wall

Aquarium

Near-continuous schools of grunts and snappers on the wall top

to 30 madvanced

Wall

Black Forest

Black coral under an overhang at 21 to 27 m

21–27 mintermediate

Wall

Eagle Ray Pass

A sand gully out to a coral wall dropping to 30 m

to 30 madvanced

Wall

Football Field

Wall top at 15 m with a lobster-covered sand flat at 21 m

15–21 mintermediate

Wall

French Cay

A south-facing wall that drops past 1,829 m (6,000 ft)

to 13 mintermediate

Wall

Grand Turk Wall

Ten minutes from the beach, the reef ends and drops to thousands of feet

9–12 mintermediate

Wall

Half Mile Reef

A sheltered bowl in the wall with two huge elephant ear sponges

to 26 madvanced

Similar dives elsewhere

Wall

Big Rock

Utila · Honduras

A large seahorse in the garden eels at 18-24 metres

4.6–24 m · max 39.6 mintermediate

Wall

Chinaman's Wall

Belize Barrier Reef · Belize

Eagle rays off a sponge-hung wall on Turneffe's east coast

20–25 mintermediate

Wall

Bloody Bay Wall

Little Cayman · Cayman Islands

A lip at 5.5 m over a face that falls away effectively vertical

5.5–30.5 mintermediate

Wall

Bonnie's Arch

Grand Cayman · Cayman Islands

A coral arch on the wall, named for a Cayman photographer

to 30 madvanced