Ryan Burden asked:


One of the Caribbean’s best-kept secret holiday destinations, the Turks and Caicos Islands are ringed by white-sand beaches and set like jewels amid warm turquoise waters.

Located at the southeastern tip of the Bahamas, 575 miles south east of Miami, Florida, the Turks and Caicos Islands are a vacation paradise famous for their stunning water color, endless wide beaches, world-renowned snorkeling and scuba diving, humpback whale migration, deep-sea and bone fishing, as well as, all types of water sports, golf, shopping and cultural activities.

Fishing & Diving

The Turks and Caicos Islands are fortunate in having some of the only unspoiled reefs left in the Caribbean. With 1,000 square miles of coral reef, the Islands are well-known among scuba divers for spectacular wall dives, turtles, manta rays, humpback whales and the oldest known shipwreck in the western hemisphere.

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a year round bonefish heaven and deep-sea big-game fishing is awesome as well.

Beaches

For those visitors that are not fishing or diving enthusiasts, you can look forward to wondrous, lazy days of sun, sea and sand.

The Turks and Caicos Islands boast some of the most exquisite beaches in the entire Caribbean. Grace Bay Beach on Provo where courting couples find the perfect setting for a wedding is a 12-mile-long stunner voted best beach in the world on two occasions by readers of Conde Nast Traveler.

Best of all is that you can find many deserted beaches, small secluded coves and bays, which provide sheltered areas to swim, snorkel, sail and explore without the crowds except a pelican or two!

The rich and famous have known this for years with a long list of celebrities slipping away to the secluded shores of the Turks and Caicos for endless days of quiet relaxation.

Bruce Willis and Keith Richards have homes here and Justin Timberlake, Penelope Cruz, Ashton Kutcher, Julia Roberts, Michael Douglas and many others have visited.

Accommodations

Whether you’re a young single, a couple or parents with kids you’re sure to find accommodations to suit your tastes and needs.

The Turks and Caicos Islands offer choices ranging from quaint inns to small boutique resorts, a few larger hotels with all inclusive options and luxury resorts with fantastic spas considered some of the best anywhere in the world. Renting a condo or a villa is also a popular option.

Many Islands To Explore

Providenciales is the most populated island with most of the hotels and tourist facilities, but Parrot Cay, Pine Cay, North Caicos, Middle Caicos, South Caicos, Salt Cay and Grand Turk are particularly alluring for those looking to get off the beaten path. On these islands you’ll find tiny towns, small personable hotels and pristine solitude.

Cockburn Town on Grand Turk is the Island’s capital with a truly fascinating, one-of-a-kind museum. Cliffs and ancient caves await your exploration on Middle Caicos and you can watch the annual humpback whale migration right from the beach on Salt Cay.

Quick Facts

The Turks and Caicos are officially English speaking with a population close to 30,000 people made up of both “Belongers” (citizens) and expatriates. Most live on the main tourist hub of Providenciales or “Provo” as it’s commonly called. The official currency is the US dollar and major credit cards are accepted, as well as, travelers checks.

Traveling to the Turks and Caicos is typically more expensive than developed tourist destinations like Cancun or Nassau, Bahamas, but then that’s typical of most Caribbean islands. However, the Turks and Caicos Islands are much less crowded and developed (for now) then most other Caribbean islands.

Known internationally as a leading tax haven and financial center for investments and business, tourism is still in the early stages. However, recent development trends are fueling fast growth in the Turks and Caicos economy and real estate market where condos and vacation homes are experiencing rapid appreciation.

Travel & Transportation

Direct flights from New York, Boston, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Miami make traveling from the United States easy, and allow visitors to be relaxing on the beach within a few short hours.

All US Citizens traveling by air to the Turks and Caicos Islands must have a valid US passport. Canadians can enter with a birth certificate and photo id.

Transportation is readily available through local agencies and major car rental companies at the airport and around town. It’s best to book your rental well in advance especially if visiting during the peak winter season. Many resorts offer shuttle service from the airport. Taxis and small buses also serve the island.

Start Planning

The Turks and Caicos Islands are truly magnificent. If you want to get away from it all, you’ll certainly enjoy lounging on the beautiful white sand beaches.

For more adventure, the numerous national parks, nature preserves, sanctuaries and historical sites give you plenty of options for interesting excursions. Of course, the bone fishing, big-game fishing and scuba diving will have you coming back for more.

Plenty of inns, hotels and resorts are available perfect for young singles, couples or parents with kids. If you’d like to visit a Caribbean island that isn’t crowded or over-developed then the Turks and Caicos are your best bet.

Chris Chew asked:


The islands of Fiji are well known for its spectacular scenery and world class attraction for sea sports such as big game fishing, snorkeling, sailing and scuba diving.

Fiji is a favorite scuba diving location for many scuba divers from all over the world and its highlights include a fantastic variety of colorful soft corals, more than 1200 species of fish, 12 species of whales and dolphins.

There are also many scuba diving resorts in Fiji which cater to all kinds of budgets and divers. Alternatively divers can choose live aboard dive boats or if you are a tourist on vacation in Fiji do not know how to scuba dive, you can take up lessons there or simply go snorkeling off the pristine beaches.

The Fijian archipelago is encircled by a huge reef and therefore there are many shallow lagoons to swim, snorkel or frolick in. There are also thousands of scuba dive sites to choose from. Most dive locations are easy to get to with plenty of resorts offering scuba diving scattered around the Fijian islands.

The water temperature is just perfect for scuba diving with at its coldest at only 25C. On warmer days, it is about 30C. Water visibility in Fiji is excellent with superb visibility of up to 40m or 120ft is a norm rather than exception.

Mamanuca dive sites in Fiji is easily be accessible by boat from the Nadi Airport area on the main island of Viti Levu. Several resorts in the Nadi offer full diving facilities and there are numerous day packages for snorkeling and scuba diving. The diving landscape in Mamanucas consist of shallow lagoons with hollows and bommies and excellent marine life. There are some interesting caves to explore, especially in Sawa-i-Lau in the Yasawa Group.

If you are in Fiji for a scuba diving vacation, you must dive in the world famous Astrolabe Reef on Kadavu in the Southern Islands. This dive spot has excellent hard and soft corals and abundance marine life. There are more soft corals along the north and south coast with some interesting caves to explore. Majestic drop-off can be found on the western tip of Kadavu.

Another excellent dive spot is the Beqa Lagoon to the north of Kadavu boasts of beautiful soft corals, reef bommies and passages. This dive location is famous shark feeding activities with many species of sharks including hammerhead sharks.

The Rainbow Reef in Northern Islands is another world famous scuba diving destination. If you are diving in the Rainbow reef, you will enjoy diving the Great White Wall and advanced drift diving through channels.

These are just some of the many fabulous scuba diving sites in Fiji.

David Cowley asked:


If you grew up dreaming of searching for sunken treasure, you’re not alone.  Many young men and women have had dreams just like that, of searching the ocean floor for remnants of some sunken ship that was loaded down with gold coins and gem encrusted goodies.  That elusive treasure chest of priceless riches is everyone’s dream prize, and whether or not you need to fight off some pirates to get it is yet another matter.  But in all seriousness, if you are truly interested in finding some sunken treasure, where can you go?
Real hunting for sunken treasure is not as fictional or fantastic as you might think.  There are many scuba centers and guided tours that allow a tourist to scour some of the best sites where treasure might be found.  And while many of these scuba centers are located in exotic places like off the coast of the Bahamas or in the Gulf of Mexico, some sunken treasure can be found in much more accessible areas such as off the coast of the Jersey shore and California. 
These organized tours for sunken treasure are not as fruitless as you might immediately assume.  Many have reported that their tourists have recovered actual treasure that can be traced back to sunken Spanish ships and merchants that ran trade routes from Europe to the Americas.  Most companies that operate sunken treasure tours are very careful to check historic records of the routes of these ships and any known records of their location when they sunk.  They check these against ocean current directions and weather reports and make maps of possible locations where the ship’s treasures would now be located.  Of course there are no guarantees that you’ll ever find sunken treasure when you go on such a tour, but their guides are hoping that their tourists will find something - this is good for repeat business, of course.
Hunting for sunken treasure means knowing how to scuba dive.  Most tour companies will give you lessons, but if you’re serious about making treasure hunting a hobby, you may want to consider taking classes near your home.  You can typically find a class that is offered out of your local high school or YMCA, or anyplace with a pool.  This way you can get very skilled at diving and won’t need to rely on just a quick intro course.  And of course if you have the money at your disposal, you may want to search for your own sunken treasure and simply hire a boat to take you to your desired location.  This can get costly as you invest in sonar equipment and diving apparatus, but this is your decision to make of course.
One of the more popular treasure hunting enterprises is run by the decedents of Mel Fisher out of Key West Florida.  If you are willing to invest in the business they will allow you to dive on the Nuestra Senora De Atocha and Santa Margarita Spanish galleons that were sunk by a hurricane on September 6, 1622.  All treasure uncovered during the year are shared by all investors of that year.
Not many people actually get rich from finding that elusive sunken treasure, but it can be a fascinating hobby that will keep you occupied for years to come.
Happy Treasure Hunting.

Gregory Smyth asked:


The Maldives is a group of twenty six atolls, and the country is comprised of over 1100 islets - and when you understand this, it makes the fact that on luxury vacation in the Maldives you enjoy the privacy of your own entire island, a lot more credible! The hundreds of islands of the Maldives range from about 2.5km to just 150m across, and you can stay in luxury on your own desert island in any number of places. Understandably, tourism accounts for around 28% of the Maldives’ GDP, and there is a larger concentration of luxury hotels on these islands than just about anywhere else in the world. This is why we have compiled our guide to the cream of the crop.

When looking at staying in the Maldives, it is important to note that the facilities at the hotel you choose to stay at are the only ones you have access to for the duration of your trip - unless you choose a resort that also offers boat hire, in which case you can transport yourself around the islands. This makes it incredibly important to make sure that the luxury resort in the Maldives can take care of all of the equipment for your stay. Will you want to go scuba diving? Do you want to fish, and will you need to rent gear for that? What else do you want to do? And how well planned are you when you pack your suitcases?!

If you are looking to get away from the world, the Maldives is one of the best and most luxurious and beautiful places to do it. You will want to make sure that your hotel caters to few people - generally the upper end of the price scale when it comes to luxury accommodation in the Maldives means that the resort is smaller.

One of the closest luxury hotels in the Maldives to Male International Airport is the Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru. You reach the resort by speedboat, which you will find to be intimate and eco-friendly. At this resort you can scuba dive, wind surf, sail a catamaran, canoe, play beach volleyball, and also go big game fishing. The accommodation at this Maldives luxury resort is in bungalows. Thee are 48 of these, and they feature an open terrace per villa, a private landscaped garden and private sundeck. The recessed sitting area and four poster bed make you feel in the lap of luxury for every minute.

Holiday Island is another excellent Maldives luxury resort, located on Dhiffushi island in the southern Alif Atoll. This is a more secluded island than Vabbinfaru, up to 2 1/2hrs from Male by speedboat, although you can reach it in 30 minutes by seaplane. The accommodation at Holiday Island features antique furniture and paintings by local artists, helping to support the local economy in areas other than tourism. There are 142 beautiful seaside rooms with luxurious amenities. There is also a wealth of activities here, including diving, wind surfing, catamarans, parasailing, wakeboarding, ringo riding, submarine diving, aerobics and tennis, just to name a few.

Shangri-La’s Vililingi Resort in the Maldives, due for completion in the end of 2008, is set on a three kilometer long island with almost two kilometers of white sandy beaches. The accommodation will range from tropical treehouse villas to private ocean retreats, and there are three natural lagoons on the island as well as the ocean to make use of. The luxury accommodation will be appointed in five distinct styles, and will have ipod charging docks and units, among other luxuries.

If you are travelling to the Maldives, it pays to do a little research, as it isn’t possible to walk to the next hotel over if you aren’t satisfied! Go for the Maldives luxury spas for an unforgettable experience.

Cara Goldsbury asked:


Can teens really have fun at a place like Walt Disney World? Absolutely! Actually, be prepared to have the time of your life. It’s a safe place to assert some independence from your parents, a place you’ll never forget. Here are some of the best experiences for teens at “The Most Magical Place on Earth”:

Have a Splashing Good Time at Disney’s Water Parks

For a blast of a time, head to one of Disney’s two water parks. Blizzard Beach has a melting alpine resort theme where chairlifts carry swimmers instead of skiers. It’s a place for daredevils to challenge wild, rushing water and death-defying slides including the Summit Plummet, a 120-foot slide reaching speeds of 60 miles per hour. Those a bit less adventuresome will love Typhoon Lagoon, a tropical fantasyland offering a wave pool with the tallest simulated waves in the world as well as a chance to snorkel among tropical fish, leopard and nurse sharks, and picturesque coral at Shark Reef.

Live it Up at Downtown Disney

After the parks close hop a bus from your Disney resort for a night on the town at Downtown Disney. Highlights include Disney Quest with five floors of interactive games, a 24-screen AMC Theater, a Cirque du Soleil show, and over 60 shops and restaurants. Favorite dining choices for the younger crowd are Planet Hollywood and Rainforest Café. And definitely consider House of Blues where teens are allowed to attend some of the almost daily concerts in their live music venue next-door.

Cool Off at One of Disney’s Resort Pools

When your parents are wondering which resort to book for your Disney vacation, be sure and put your two cents in and steer them toward one with a great pool. Disney’s very best uniquely themed pools include the Yacht and Beach Club’s Stormalong Bay, a 3-acre mini-water park, the Swan and Dolphin’s lush, grotto-style lagoon pool, the boulder-strewn wonderland at the Wilderness Lodge with its very own erupting geyser, and the Volcano Pool at the Polynesian Resort with its luxuriant waterfall, smoking peak, and perfect views of Cinderella’s Castle.

Plan Some Watersport Fun

Disney’s Contemporary Resort is the place for water-ski, parasail, wakeboard, kneeboard, and jet-ski action under the guidance of a professional instructor. There’s nothing better than a bird’s-eye-view of the Magic Kingdom as you parasail high above the Seven Seas Lagoon. And the action down below on Bay Lake is a blast! For reservations call 407-WDW-PLAY up to 180 days in advance, and be sure to bring a parent along to sign a waiver to participate if you’re under age 18.

Pilot Your Own Boat

What could be more fun than renting a Sea Raycer, a 2-seater mini-power boat perfect for zipping around Disney’s waterways and lakes. It’s a great pastime for teens with a valid driver’s license (those under 18 must bring along a parent to sign a waiver). You’ll get the most bang for your buck at one of the resorts near the Magic Kingdom (the Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, or Wilderness Lodge) where you’ll find miles of recreation on the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake.

Scuba and Snorkel at Epcot’s Living Seas

Scuba dive or snorkel in The Living Seas 5.7-million-gallon saltwater aquarium amid a variety of sharks, rays, fish, and turtles. Epcot’s DiveQuest Program along with the Seas Aqua Tour using a Scuba Assisted Snorkel unit (snorkelers swim on the surface with a built-in flotation device while breathing compressed air from a regulator attached to a small tank) are two of the most exciting behind-the-scenes tours offered in all of Walt Disney World. Dives include all equipment, but be sure to bring a bathing suit. DiveQuest is open to certified divers, but those ages 14 and under need to dive along with a parent or guardian. The Seas Aqua Tour is open to participants under age 18 as long as they are accompanied by a participating adult. Call 407-WDW-TOUR for reservations.

Surf’s Up at Typhoon Lagoon

“Hang 10″ before park opening hours in the 2.75-million-gallon wave pool (some waves as high as 6 feet tall!) under the guidance of professional instructors with surfboards provided. Guests must furnish their own transportation to the park since Disney buses are not up and running that early in the morning, and those under age 18 must have a signed waiver from their parents to participate. Call 407-WDW-PLAY for reservations.

White-Knuckle Riding at Richard Petty Driving Experience

Lying next to the Magic Kingdom is this speedway where white-knuckle rides in a NASCAR Winston Cup–style race car are offered. If you are at least 16 you can participate in the Ride-Along Program where you’ll ride shotgun at speeds of up to 145 mph for three laps around the track with an experienced instructor (riders 16 or 17 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian). Even more exciting, those ages 18 and older can drive the car themselves after an introductory class. If you just want to observe you can do so for no charge. Call 800-BE-PETTY for advance reservations.

Head for a Theme Park

Last but certainly not least are the theme parks. If you’re staying on Disney property it’s a cinch to board a monorail or a Disney bus and head out to the parks on your own.

At the Magic Kingdom you’ll find all the old nostalgic favorites like Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean. And don’t forget to head straight to Splash Mountain, an unforgettable ride that ends in a plunge over a 5-story waterfall! Epcot’s main attractions for fun-loving teens are Soarin’ a fun hang-gliding experience in front of an IMAX size screen, Mission Space, a hair-raising rocket into space, and Test Track where you’ll speed through hairpin turns and then barrel outside onto a high-speed banking loop at over 60 mph. At Disney-MGM Studios you’ll be floored by Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, both a thrill a minute. Then there’s the Animal Kingdom where a trip around the African savanna at Kilimanjaro Safaris, back in time 65 million years at Dinosaur, and a trip to the Himalayas at Expedition Everest are quite the adventure.

Super thrill seekers should plan a day at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure where attractions like the Incredible Hulk Coaster, Dueling Dragons, and The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman will leave your heart pounding.

So do you still think Disney is just for kids? I bet you can’t wait to pack your bags. And don’t forget to thank your parents on your return home for taking you to one of the most exciting places on the planet.

Andrew Gibson asked:


Many holiday makers go on a vacation scuba diving as they find it an extremely relaxing sport. One of the advantages of going on a scuba diving holiday is that there are so many interesting destinations to visit. It does not matter if you are a beginner in the sport of scuba diving as it is regarded as a very beginner friendly.

Many scuba divers choose to rent holiday villas or holiday cottages close to where they have chosen to dive. This enables then to safely store all of their diving gear and also gives them the freedom to sample the local culture.

Diving has grown into a major travel activity with some divers planning their entire vacation around their diving schedule. Other scuba divers mix their diving activities with spending time exploring the local countryside using their holiday villa as a base.

Africa is now a very popular diving destination with many divers going on vacation to Tofo in Mozambique. They like to dive there as it has good coral diving and an abundance of sea life. Whale sharks, manta rays and humpback whales are quit common in this area. Holiday cottages are popular places for divers to stay in Tofo.

South Africa is also a popular diving destination with many divers going on vacation there to dive with the sharks. Many divers choose to rent a holiday home by the sea and then go on safari before they end their vacation.

Australia is thought to have some of the best diving in the world. Many divers go there to dive the Great Barrier Reef, but now have to be careful as there has been damage caused to the reef through over diving. There are many other superb dive locations in Australia and many divers move about this vast country on multi center holidays. This is now possible due to the growing number of holiday homes and cottages that are now available for the scuba divers to rent.

North America is another extremely popular diving holiday destination. The Florida Keys has some great diving and cheap holiday home accommodation. Many divers come to the Florida Keys and bring there family with them on vacation. They are able to rent a holiday villa with swimming pool and get into the gentle pace of life down on the Keys.

One of the good thing about scuba diving holidays is that is a sport that can be enjoyed by young and old alike. As a result many families are now going on scuba diving vacations together. This has been made possible by the rising number of holiday homes now available for rental throughout the world. There is now holiday home accommodation available to suite almost every budget. You can rent a simple self catering apartment, a comfortable holiday cottage or a luxurious villa with a pool.

Scubaworld asked:


Many of the worlds top diving destinations claim to offer a truly unique form of diving, however few are able to substantiate it as easily as the Maldives. From the moment you first enter the water in the Maldives, you are surrounded by an almost magical underwater kingdom. A myriad of colourful reef fish, incredible corals exist alongside a wide variety of larger marine life including manta rays, whale sharks and many, many others. In fact, it is estimated that over 26 different types of shark can be found in the dive sites in the Maldives including the whale shark, the tiger shark and the hammerhead shark.
It is the unique geography of the Maldives that allows it to offer such incredible diving. The tops of an ancient submerged mountain range, the coral reefs and atolls of the Maldives now stretch across some 500 miles of the Indian Ocean from north to south.
The scuba diving in the Maldives tends to fall into two distinct categories, kandu diving and thila diving. Thila diving tends to focus around large coral formations or reefs which top out just under the surface of the water. These thilas allow divers the opportunity to dive or drift with the currents across and around these large reefs, often providing spectacular views of the prolific marine life and coral formations just below the surface. There are a number of excellent dive sites in the Maldives, which offer this thila type of diving. Some of the better known thila dives include Maaya Thila on North Ari Atoll, and Okobe Thila, together with its resident population of huge Napoleon wrasse.
The second type of diving for which the Maldives is well known is kandu diving, where divers can drift with the currents along the channels between the islands or reefs. In a typical kandu dive, the divers will enter the water just outside of the lagoon, allowing the currents to carry them into the calmer waters to be found inside of the atoll. With these currents drawing nutrient rich water into these channels from the open ocean, these kandu dives often provide the best opportunities to spot the various species of rays, sharks and other pelagic marine life which can be found throughout the waters of the Maldives.
Marine life throughout the Maldives is prolific, with an incredible array of tropical reef fish to be found throughout the region. Bannerfish, parrotfish, butterflyfish and surgeonfish mingle easily with the larger Napoleon wrasse and triggerfish which can be found here. Fans of the larger marine life will also find rich pickings in the waters surrounding the Maldives, and a wide variety of sharks and rays can be found throughout the hundreds of beautiful dive sites in the Maldives.
The climate in the Maldives does vary slightly between the north and the south atolls, with the Northern regions experiencing more extreme temperatures, and the southern atolls experiencing a slightly heavier average rainfall throughout the year. Water temperatures in the Maldives tend to remain consistent, ranging from 27 degrees to as warm as 30 degrees. The region experiences two monsoon seasons, which run from December to March, when the Maldives experience the warmer prevailing winds, and the wetter monsoon season which runs from May through to November.
If you are considering diving in the Maldives, it is highly likely that your resort will have an affiliated dive centre on the island. Recent years have seen an increase in the reputation of the region as one of the worlds best dive sites, and today there is a highly developed and extensive network of dive centres in the Maldives.