South Caicos Water Sports & Activities
South Caicos—A Pristine Marine Environment
The quiet island of South Caicos offers unparalleled conditions for several water sports. Due to the island’s limited tourism market, the number of water sports businesses on South Caicos is limited, yet the island truly excels for a few activities, and is an amazing destination for the dedicated enthusiast of these sports.
Bonefishing
The extensive and spectacular Caicos Banks is a world-class bonefishing and flats fishing environment, and the island of South Caicos is perfectly situated to access the best shallows.
Bonefish, tarpon, permit, and barracuda are found throughout the channel and flats of the Turks and Caicos, and although our fishing grounds are not quite as extensive in size as those of Andros Island in the Bahamas, our overall quality is definitely on par.
Reef and bottom fishing are likewise excellent, and South Caicos has been the leader of the small-scale commercial fishing industry in the Turks and Caicos for decades.
Scuba Diving and Snorkeling
South Caicos has always been known for its excellent scuba diving, and the island has new dive shop to support resort guests.
South Caicos is adjacent to the 6000-foot (1830 m) deep Turks Island Passage that separates the Turks Islands from the Caicos Islands. An upwelling water movement from this passage provides a constant flow of nutrients to marine life on the eastern reefs of East Caicos and South Caicos, which is reflected in the vibrant coral and teeming fish.
The incredible underwater environment surrounding South Caicos has supported the School for Field Studies (SFS), which has attracted students from around the world.
Great snorkeling reefs can also be found off many of the island’s coasts.
Kayaking and Paddleboarding
The shallows and sound to the north and west of South Caicos are incredible for the paddling sports, especially for long-distance and full-day adventures.
There’s a plethora of locations to explore, with beautiful and interesting natural and historical sights. Bell Sound, the sheltered lagoon adjacent to the northwest of South Caicos, hides a catamaran sailboat wreck, a crashed Curtiss C-46 Commando airplane, colorful tidal channels, sandbars, and a number of small sharks, turtles, and stingrays. Moxy Bush and the channels cays are also havens for frigatebirds and ospreys, which can often be seen soaring above.
A great full-day route is to follow the lee side of the cays between South Caicos and East Caicos, which includes Plandon Cay, Middle Creek Cay, McCartney Cay, and Hog Cay.
Kiteboarding
Last but not least is the exciting water sport of kiteboarding. Several elements create a great kiting spot, and South Caicos has them all. The island is located on the far eastern edge of the Caicos archipelago, so the regular south-eastern trade winds are uninterrupted, there are great wave and flat water sites, and there’s plenty to simply explore.
None of the top kite spots in the Turks and Caicos, including the popular Long Bay Beach on Providenciales, can be said to be crowded, yet the pristine coasts of South Caicos are on a level of their own. You’ll have all the water you could want to explore and no other kites in the way.
East Bay Beach offers a consistent and safe setting, is easy to launch from, and there are some scenic rocks and cays in the area to kite out to.
The western side of Bell Sound is a great flat kite water spot, with a great combination of open shallows and slightly deeper turquoise channels.