In preparation for our honeymoon trip to Australia, Carisa wanted to get me scuba-certified. I admit to having been a little apprehensive about the whole thing, as I am - at best - a poor swimmer. Still, I’m a confident and strong snorkeler, and scuba seemed the next step if I was going to scratch my underwater photography itch. So, we did our course work and pool work through Mass Diving (highly recommended), and we booked a trip to Turks and Caicos to do our checkout dives.

Our destination in Turks and Caicos was Salt Cay (pronounced “key”), a remote little blip of an island measuring about 2 miles long and having a little over 60 year-round inhabitants. To get there, we flew from Boston to Miami, then Miami to Providenciales, then Providenciales to Grand Turk, and then finally Grand Turk to Salt Cay. If you can imagine in your mind a quiet, tropical backwater where time and worries blow away on gentle ocean breezes, then you pretty much have a good idea of what this place is all about. Well that and really great diving.


Can you believe it? Me!

Of course, having only dove in a YMCA pool prior to this, I didn’t have much to compare it to. But still, I thought it was really great regardless, and Carisa - who has a little experience diving elsewhere - also gave it high marks.

The birding was fun, too, as you can see from the rest of the photo library. But I think coolest of all (along with the diving) were the people on the island. Comprising a mixture of native Belongers, immigrants from other Caribbean countries, and ex-pats from the States and the UK, the unifying traits among the island’s inhabitants were openness and friendliness. Everyone waves at everyone as they pass. People stop and chat with complete strangers. Even the dogs are super friendly.

We also ate surprisingly well for being so far off the beaten path. Special thanks here go to Porter Williams and Miss Nettie.

So bottom line is we had a truly wonderful and restful time while we were there. We felt like we had slipped a little off the map and out of the normal flow of time. It was a very nice feeling.