Tours of the Turks and Caicos Islands
Local Operator Makes You Catch Your Own Lunch on Providenciales Snorkeling Excursion
It’s one thing to eat what the locals eat, but to actually go out and catch it yourself is something else altogether. One excursion company on the island of Providenciales ensures that its tours of the Turks and Caicos Islands are as authentic as possible by giving guests the opportunity to truly snorkel for their supper.
Situated off Grace Bay Beach, Caicos Dream Tours offers charter excursions featuring snorkeling, beach cruising and fishing around the Turks and Caicos Islands. It ranks #1 on TripAdvisor’s Top Boat Tours and Water Sports in Providenciales.
What makes this company very special is its personalized service and attention to detail.
If you’re staying at the Villa del Mar, Caicos Dream Tours offers complimentary pick up by van with transport to the excursion check in point down on the beach between the Alexandra and the Regent Palms resorts. Upon return after the excursion you will be dropped off directly on Grace Bay beach, weather and beach conditions permitting, or brought back by van.
Caicos Dream Tours will outfit you with excellent snorkeling gear, settle you in the boat and take you away for hours of adventure, fun and great memories. They will provide you with fins, mask and snorkeling vest.
For those of you new to snorkeling, the snorkeling vest is a specialized form of lifejacket which provides buoyancy with freedom of movement allowing you to relax and enjoy your snorkeling experience. All you need to know about equipment and snorkeling will be taught by your very experienced crew who will also educate you about the conch as well as tour you around the marine wonders.
Full and Half Day Excursions
There are half day and full day excursions with Caicos Dream Tours. But what about this snorkeling for your supper that was mentioned earlier? Well it’s actually a little earlier in the day, but it’s guaranteed to be the freshest, most authentic meal you’ll ever have. The Snorkel and Conch Cruise takes you along Grace Bay where you’ll snorkel along the reef and the Caicos bank and at Half Moon Bay. 
Here you’ll get to experience one of the highlights of the trip, the chance to catch a conch, a local mollusk that is a delicacy sought the world over.
While it may appear that conch may be easy to locate in the clear blue waters off Providenciales, you should know that conch are slow moving gastropods and that as they age, they accumulate a disguise of sea grasses – check out the picture below of first mate, Tank, with a freshly harvested conch! This heavy accummulation makes the conch almost impossible to distinguish among the coral beds and gently swaying grasses. But once you know what you are looking for, you’ll be a savvy conch hunter in no time at all!
Once you have your conch aboard, you somehow have to extract the tasty, sweet meat without damaging either the shell or the succulent treat within it. How does this happen?
Cleaning The Conch
The crew on your Caicos Dream Tours boat are pros. They know the islands like the back of their hands and live and breathe the local culture and cuisine. With practiced technique they will carefully remove the meat, and use the conch’s claw to thorougly rid the shell of its debris. Then they will prepare a beautiful and zesty conch salad with tomatoes, lime juice, and chilli peppers.
As an added bonus, the crew will make sure you get your exquisite conch shell to take home with you as a souvenir of this special day.
Conch Sustainability
Caicos Dream Tours crew are trained on only harvesting conch of a certain age and size. Juvenile conch hardly ressemble their adult counterparts and even when they do, there are certain telltale characteristics to help identify conch that is both mature and ready for harvest. Sustainability is key to help not only the conch thrive in the calm, clear Caicos waters, but to ensure that tourism in the the Turks and Caicos Islands continues to endure.
So ingrained is the culture of sustainability within the islands, that the Turks and Caicos boasts the only Conch Farm in the world!
Delicious Accompaniments
In addition to savoring the delicious conch salad, guests will indulge in hearty, gourmet sandwiches, light snacks, beer, rum punch, soft drinks and water. Guests who opt for the full day tour are treated to a magnificent barbeque lunch including seafood (lobster when in season) and BBQ chicken lunch complete with baked potatoes, corn on the cob, garlic bread and conch salad.
Book Your Excursion
Whichever excursion you choose to book, the Caicos Dream Tours’ professional crew, including Captain Keys below, will ensure that you will not only have fun exploring the beauty of the islands, but that you will leave with a whole new appreciation of what makes the Turks and Caicos so special. Bookings can be made online with ease and security.
This is a snorkeling and dining experience that is raved about by tourists the world over. But no article or photos could describe it as well as someone who has experienced it. The reviews say it all!
Summer at Villa del Mar
Contrary to popular belief, summer is a splendid time to visit the Turks and Caicos Islands. Get away from the oppressive heat and humidity back home and enjoy the ever present trade winds along Grace Bay Beach. Cooling breezes, a relaxed pace, and a sensational summer escape at a great deal are just a flight away. Villa del Mar’s 4th Night Free special offer is available until December 1, 2015.
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Update: November 15, 2015
Since publishing this article, the great folks at Caicos Dream Tours have informed us that changes to Turks and Caicos conch harvesting regulations means that only the staff from Caicos Dream Tours are now able to obtain conch during the Snorkel and Conch Tour. Stay close to the fabulous crew and watch the adventure unfold before your eyes!
