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Dive Review of Drive Provo/Sibonne Beach Hotel in
Turks and Caicos/Providenciales

Drive Provo/Sibonne Beach Hotel, Mar, 2008,

by Larry Sensenig, IA, USA (Reviewer Reviewer 6 reports). Report 4097.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 3 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 2 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments While in Providenciales my wife and I (along with another couple) stayed at the Sibonne Beach Hotel. This intimate “boutique” hotel was adequate, but not fancy. Room amenities included cable TV, mini-fridge, hair-dryer, air conditioning, coffee maker, direct-dial telephone and an in-room safe. The inner court yard was a garden of mature plants and trees. A small pool was on the property. Associated with the hotel was the Bay Bistro Restaurant. This restaurant made it handy to grab a complimentary continental breakfast before diving. Evening meals were very good, but as reported by other Undercurrent readers, the restaurant staff seemed to be slow and some had an attitude. The Sibonne is right on Grace Bay Beach, which was one of the best beaches I have ever been on. Other restaurants I would recommend are the Bella Luna, Grace’s Cottage, and Hemingway’s. All of these restaurants were within walking distance of the Sibonne Beach Hotel. The Gecko transportation system was no longer available on the island (it went bankrupt). Dinners at these restaurants were excellent, but remember that food prices on the island are typically higher than in the U.S. Dive Provo provided the diving for the trip. Dive Provo staff were professional, friendly, helpful and fun to be around. Boats were well maintained with post-dive showers and camera rinse tubs available. Staff provided sandwiches, snacks and drinks after the first dive of the day. A typical dive day started around 8:00-8:15am with a shuttle bus stopping at the hotel. After several more hotel stops, the bus went to the Drive Provo dive shop. Once all divers were checked in and supplies loaded, it was back on the bus and off to the marina on the other side of the island (the bumpy dirt road is another story). After being assigned a boat (no shoes are allowed on the boat) you quickly took off to your dive site. All sites were approximately 50 – 60 minutes away from the marina. Some of the trips were challenging (some divers felt nauseous) because of the choppy water, but other trips were smooth. All dives began with a briefing. You could follow the dive master or you were free to follow your own profile. Water temperature was a consistent 79º F. Water visibility was always at least 75-100 feet. All sites were wall dives with some of the healthiest coral reefs I have experienced. In addition to the fish mentioned below, you would always come upon abundant schooling fish, such as smallmouth grunts or French grunts. At West Caicos we saw barracuda, green eel, a yellow sea horse, lobster, crab and a black tip shark. At French Cay there were grouper, several turtles, along with a couple of reef sharks. At Northwest point we saw grouper and the ever elusive sand eel. On the return trip from French Cay we ran into a pod of 10-12 dolphins which put on quite a show. Overall, I really enjoyed diving in Providenciales (there are no cruse ship – at least not yet), but they are building many new hotels all over the island (even on the once deserted West Caicos island). Would I dive here again? Most definitely! Would I dive with Dive Provo? Without a doubt.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Grand Cayman, Cozumel-8X, Jamaica, Bonne Terre Mine, MO, Table Rock, AR, Lake Okoboji, IA
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas calm, choppy
Water Temp 79-80°F / 26-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 5
Water Visibility 75-100 Ft/ 23-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Stay above 100 feet. No shoes on boat.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 4 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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