Providenciales Clear and Glass Bottom Boat Tours
Clear kayak tours have become quite popular in the Turks and Caicos, due to our crystal-clear ocean water and abundant marine life. For those who would prefer a more leisurely experience or may be less able to paddle a kayak, a clear boat tour can be a great choice.
Clear or glass bottom boats are small acrylic boats, and passengers are able to see through the boat into the clear water below. The vessels are typically powered by a silent electric motor, but some of the larger examples use small outboard engines. The boats have seating and usually a shade canopy, and some also include complimentary cold beverages.
Clear boat tours are great for those that don’t want to paddle their own kayak, and also offer better stability. The tours are suitable for all ages.
Excursions usually operate from the Leeward region of Providenciales, and travel for a short distance along Leeward Going Through Channel before entering the mangroves. Along the way, it’s common to see some impressive yachts and boats as Blue Haven Marina is passed.
Some tours also include a visit to Little Water Cay, which is the famous Turks and Caicos Islands Rock Iguana sanctuary. This large endemic lizard is quite docile, and can be seen close-up.
Clear Boat, or the Semi-Submarine?
There are two types of boat tours that offer an underwater view, but they are quite different. Both are quite fun for most ages. The clear boat tours typically operate small acrylic boats, and visit locations such as the calm tidal channel at Mangrove Cay.
Another option and likewise fascinating excursion is the semi-submarine tour. This larger vessel offers a more immersive experience as passengers are essentially below the water’s surface, and excursions tour the bay reefs off the north shore of Providenciales, rather than the shallow mangrove channels where the smaller clear boats typically operate.
Both tours typically operate in sheltered and calm areas, with short and scenic routes between the dock and destinations.
The Sights and Wildlife
Clear boat excursions will usually visit the calm and beautiful tidal channels at Mangrove Cay in the Princess Alexandra Nature Reserve. These channels are home to a range of interesting wildlife and flora.
Bordering the channel are red mangroves, which are unique and important plants that protect coastlines and shelter a range of wildlife.
Sightings often include green turtles, hawksbill turtles, upside-down jellyfish, starfish, small reef fish, and sometimes juvenile lemon sharks and nurse sharks. There’s also birdlife, including small seabirds, pelicans, and larger egrets and herons.
The channels in the nature reserve are quite shallow in places, and tours will cross seagrass beds and sandbars, which makes for interesting transitions.
