- Animal
- Time of year
- Area, Country or Location
- Type
- Experience
- Can see
Beginner
Intermediate
Expert
Shore Day Trip Live Aboard
Family Friendly
Country: Turks and Caicos Area: Turks and Caicos
Water Temp: 23 - 30°C (73 - 86°F)
Visibility: 15 - 40m (49 - 131 ft)
Nurse Sharks Mating - Apr to May, Rare bird nesting - May to Jun
The best kept secret of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Salt Cay is the ultimate getaway, total adventure and relaxation at its finest. No crowds, no cruise ships and no casinos and a diver’s paradise.
Book A Dive Center OnlineSalt Cay is part of the group of islands that makes up the Turks and Caicos Islands. Located at the southern tip of the Bahamas most people see these islands as being located in the Caribbean Sea they are actually part of the Atlantic Ocean but this doesn’t affect the beautiful sunshine and warm waters!
The most remote island in the Turks and Caicos, Salt Cay is an uncrowded paradise; you can walk on the white powder sandy beaches and rarely see anything except your own footprints! It’s like how the rest of the Caribbean used to be 50 years ago. All the locals are very friendly and love having people visit so they make you feel very ‘at home’.
Salt Cays remoteness and lack of crowds has benefited the ocean as the diving is still pristine and reefs are still teeming with fish. The Turks and Caicos are surrounded by an extensive coral reef system which provides some excellent dive sites and marine life. This is actually the third largest barrier reef in the world which provided fantastic reef and wall diving. Although often overlooked for more popular or well known dive destinations, this may be to the islands advantage as this means the dive sites aren’t super busy every day, and it is perfect for those who want to escape the stress and busyness of a crowded city.
The climate of the Turks and Caicos Islands is mostly dry, sunny and pretty constant throughout the year, with no monsoon or rainy season which gives a perfect year round diving season. The low season is April 15 - Dec 14th so if you dive during this time you can get some very good deals!
The water temperature varies from its coolest towards the end of winter through to April and is at its warmest may through to the start of winter.
Around Salt Cay and the Turks and Caicos Islands there are programs and promotions to kill all Lion fish, which protects all the smaller fish from becoming obsolete.
It is now illegal to remove any Turtle eggs from the Marine Park, as well as no fishing allowed near dive sites or the specific marine park area.
Content, Dive & Marine Life Information and Photos kindly supplied by Salt Cay Divers.
Most questions are answered by our
diving community within 24 hours
Salt Cay has shore diving, but you must have transportation for getting gear to North beach. Lovely coral heads are in shallow reefs ranging from 25 ft to 40 ft. To reach any wall diving from the shore will mean a 200 yard swim. In these sites you can see Southern Stingrays, Spotted Eagle Rays, Nurse sharks, Barracudas, a variety of snapper, ocean triggers, sea horses, Octopi and lobsters as well as Gorgeous soft corals, sponges, and a huge array of tropical fish.
During night dives some of the creatures you can see are Squid, shrimp, glow worms and lobsters.
Local dive sites are just a 5-10 min boat ride from the dock. There are 14 dedicated moored sites for boats, preventing damage to the reefs.
All reefs start at around 30 ft and then the wall drops down to 150 ft, then levels off and then drops to a 7,000 ft trench called Columbus Passage. This passage is where the Humpback whales migrate through in the winter months.
Turks and Caicos is one of the few destinations in the world where you can have the chance of swimming with Humpback Whales. These whales pass by from January to March on their migration to Silver Banks in the Dominican Republic to mate and calve. These encounters are special as so few people will ever get to swim with a whale during their lives.
Any level of diver from beginner to experienced can dive around Salt Cay, there are rarely currents, the reefs start out shallow and the walls allow all divers to go to the depth that their skill and comfort level allows. Turtles are seen on most every dive site; occasionally Hammerhead sharks pass by in summer months. We have a family of Spotted Eagle Rays you can see year round and Sea horses, Drum, Trumpet fish, groupers and angel fish are seen on most sites.
There is also the wreck of the Endymion which hit an uncharted rock and sank in 1790. This historical ship is resting in 40 ft of water. The wreck is un-salvaged and still has 18 canons and 9 huge anchors.
Most questions are answered by our
diving community within 24 hours
The islands have two international airports with one of them on the island of Providenciales and the other on Grand Turk. These airports have connections to many cities all over the US. A lot of visitors also arrive at the islands on cruise ships, as this is on a Caribbean cruise route and most stop at Grand Turk. It is also possible to island hop between a lot of these islands by either boat or sea plane.
From Provo, Salt Cay is a short 25 min flight .Caicos express flies a direct flight Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. There is also a ferry that runs between Grand Turk and Salt Cay on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays and a 5min flight running Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Once you are there the most popular mode of transportation is a golf cart or bicycles.
Most questions are answered by our
diving community within 24 hours
There are three restaurants on island. The Coral Reef Bar and Grill and Porter’s Island Thyme have full service bars, dancing and music. Pat’s Place has beer and wines available with their meals.
Most questions are answered by our
diving community within 24 hours
Some of the other activities besides diving on Salt Cay are Bone fishing, deep water and local line fishing, Hiking and kayaking through mangroves where you can view a variety of rare birds and ducks.
Other less energetic activities include exploring the historical island of Salt Cay where you can learn about the Salt Industry where Salt Cay was one of the major producers of salt for over 200 years. There are historical tours of the salt ponds and our Landmark historical White House and Brown House still boosting antiques from the 1800’s.
You can also visit near-by uninhabited Cays for feeding and swimming with the Sting rays or go to Bird and Iguana Sanctuary.
Whether visiting totally for its exceptional diving and unique animal encounters, or also for a relaxing break away from the crowds, the Turks and Caicos Islands are a destination that should be seriously considered by divers for a holiday. Definitely before the islands become popular with the mass holidaymakers and its unspoilt peacefulness is tarnished.
Most questions are answered by our
diving community within 24 hours
Gratuities are usually not automatically added. So if the dive master or crew does an excellent job, tips are greatly appreciated. The same applies to the waiters and waitresses in the cafes.
This location does not have any dive reports yet.
Why not be the first to write one?
Share it on Twitter 
Share it on Facebook 
Dive Centers
Write a report