All You Need to Know About Turks and Caicos’s Beautiful Bight Reef Coral Gardens
If you’ve been to the Turks & Caicos islands before, you know that they have great beaches and great snorkeling. If you haven’t been there yet and are planning to go soon, you’re in for a treat. Here is what coral gardens snorkeling experience offers in Turks and Caicos !
Coral Gardens is the most popular place to snorkel in the Turks and Caicos islands. It is on the central north coast of Providenciales (the most populated island in the TCI). This reef is in Princess Alexandra National Park, a protected area that includes Grace Bay Beach, the Bight Beach, Leeward Beach, Smith’s Reef, and a large part of Providenciales’ northern barrier reef. Snorkelers love Bight Reef, which is also called Coral Gardens, because it is easy to get to and there is a lot to see under the water. Read more: best snorkeling resorts in the Caribbean.
Beaches Turks Caicos Kayak Cays
Those who want to get close to all kinds of marine life and learn more about the wide range of coral species will be able to do so. Those who just want to chill out on the white sand beach with a coconut in hand and look at the ocean will also be able to do so.
Insider Tip
Beaches Turks & Caicos is the most popular all-inclusive resort in Turks & Caicos. It is a 10-minute walk from Coral Gardens on Grace Bay Beach and is the perfect place for a memorable island vacation.
Coral Gardens has a lot to love.
Bight Reef is part of the Alexandra Marine Reserve, and snorkelers and scuba divers like to go there. It is also called Coral Gardens, and divers who are just starting out love how close the reef is to shore. Bight Reef is a great place for new snorkelers to start.
The reef is roped off to keep people from getting hurt, but snorkelers can dive around the rope to see it. Many people who snorkel in Hare love how clear the water is and how many different kinds of fish they can see. At Bight Reef, the main coral ridge starts right off the beach and goes out about 350 feet. The reef’s outer edges are about 15 to 20 feet deep, and the water is so clear that it won’t be hard to see sea life.
Love scuba diving? During their stay, PADI® certified guests at Beaches Turks & Caicos can scuba dive for free (up to two tanks per day) with the help of the dive staff and professional gear. You are not yet PADI® certified? Get certified at the resort for an extra fee, and you can dive for free for the rest of your stay.
What To look forward to at Coral Gardens
Reef Bright Coral Gardens Fish Turks Caicos Parrot
Around Bight Reef, it’s common to see turtles like green turtles and hawksbill turtles. Southern brown stingrays and sometimes spotted eagle rays are also found there. You might also see damselfish, parrotfish, goatfish, horse-eye and bar jacks, butterflyfish, queen triggerfish, Nassau groupers, schoolmasters, queen angelfish, barracudas, trumpetfish, squirrelfish, yellowtail snapper, porcupinefish, sergeant majors, filefish, trunkfish, wrasse, and more. Nurse sharks, which aren’t dangerous, have also been seen here. Most of the time, they are found on the ocean floor.
There are usually spiny lobsters, coral shrimp, and spotted moray eels around, but you have to look in cracks and crevices and sometimes on ledges to see them.
Spiny Lobster Bight Reef Coral Gardens Turks and Caicos
Lastly, there are many different kinds of hard and soft coral to see here. Some of the most beautiful are on the deeper eastern side of the reef.
The sea life here is used to snorkelers and divers, so some of them may swim up to you to get a better look. Try staying still for a few minutes to see what kind of fish come to you.
How To Get To The Coral Gardens
In the Turks and Caicos, Bight Reef (Coral Gardens) is near the coast of Providenciales. It is on the western side of Grace Bay and is easy to find once you get close to Lower Bight Road, where there are signs. Look for signs that say “Princess Alexandra National Park Beach” and you’ll be on your way.
Coral Gardens is about a 10-minute walk from Beaches Turks & Caicos.
When you get to the beach, you’ll see red marker buoys that will help you find the reef. There are also signs with information about snorkeling and how to use the beach in this area. If you’re staying in Grace Bay or Bight, you can get to Bight Reef by walking down the beach.
Expert Tip
Beaches Resorts guests can get to Bight Reef by walking west on the beach. If you are standing on the beach with the ocean in front of you and the resort behind you, go left. The walk takes 10 minutes.
Spend part of the morning or afternoon at the beach, and then go back to the resort to eat and drink at one of its 21 restaurants (it’s all included and there’s no limit!). If you’re a guest and need snorkeling gear, you can stop by the dive shop before you go out and get everything you need for free. All of this is part of the resort’s water sports program.
Bonus: You and your family can all get certified to dive at Beaches Resorts.
Beaches Turks & Caicos is the most popular all-inclusive family resort in Turks & Caicos, and it is a great choice for families who want to spend a lot of time in and around the water. If you plan a dive vacation at Beaches, you can get everyone in your family certified to scuba dive right away.
Beaches will let you scuba dive for free (up to two tanks per day). Beaches Resorts is run by a company that has given over 100,000 successful PADI® certifications on resort, so you’ll be in good hands.
Beaches in Turks and Caicos Teach Kids How to Dive
Read about the Beaches Scuba Kids Programs, Beaches scuba courses, and online certification to add some scuba fun to your next family vacation. Now that’s an underwater experience the whole family will remember for a long time.
At Coral Gardens, you’ll have a great time snorkeling.
Turks and Caicos beach Snorkel at Grace Bay Beach
Coral Gardens is a great place to snorkel and dive in Turks and Caicos. You won’t regret going there. You’ll love the amazing sea life and beautiful white-sand beaches in this area.
THE BIGHT REEF, also called Coral Gardens, is the most popular place to snorkel in the Turks and Caicos. It is a great snorkeling reef that starts close to the beach.
This is a great place to start your underwater adventures before going to some of the other beautiful beach reefs around Providenciales.
The Bight Reef has a great variety of fish and other marine life, but the coral isn’t as colorful as it is at Smith’s Reef or at reefs that are usually visited on snorkeling boat tours.
Unlike the nearby Smith’s Reef, which is bigger, the Bight Reef is just one main coral ridge that goes out about 350 feet (107 meters) from the beach. At the very edge of the Bight Reef, the water gets as deep as 15 to 20 feet (4.5-6 m).
At the Bight Beach, vendors usually rent out beach chairs, umbrellas, snorkel gear, and other gear for water sports.
Seeing Fish and Wildlife
Trumpetfish are often seen at the bight reef. They have an odd shape.
Green turtles, hawksbill turtles, southern brown stingrays, and even the occasional spotted eagle ray are often seen. The animals at the Bight Reef are usually easier to get close to than those at other reefs in the Turks and Caicos. This is because they are used to snorkelers and know how to act around them. You might even see a nurse shark relaxing on the ocean floor if you’re lucky.
Stoplight parrotfish, blue parrotfish, bar jacks, Nassau groupers, queen angelfish, butterflyfish, barracudas, porcupinefish, trumpetfish, squirrelfish, yellowtail snapper, queen triggerfish, sergeant majors, damselfish, scrawled filefish, schoolmasters, trunkfish, and yellow goatfish are just some of the fish that can be seen at the reef.
Spiny lobsters, banded coral shrimp, spotted moray eels, and sea cucumbers live under the ledges and in the cracks.
You can see both hard and soft corals all over the Bight Reef system, but the most impressive ones are in the deeper waters on the eastern side of the reef.
On the beach, vendors usually rent out snorkeling gear, clear kayaks, beach loungers, and umbrellas. In the dune at the Bight Reef, Jojo’s Café and Somewhere Café are two casual places to eat.
How to Get to Bight Reef
Hotels and resorts on the Bight Beach can be found here:
The Providenciales Bight Reef.
At the Bight Reef, it’s easy to find places to get to the beach and coral. There are two access points right next to each other, each with parking and footpaths that lead to the beach and close to the reef. You can also walk along the beach to get to the Bight Reef if you stay in the Bight or on the western side of Grace Bay.
At the Bight Reef, there are signs with information and reef etiquette on the beach. Red buoys can also be seen close to the beach, so it’s hard to miss the snorkeling spot if you’re near the coast.
How to Get to Bight Reef
Lower Bight Road, which goes between Grace Bay and Turtle Cove, has the paths that lead to the Bight Reef. If you want to find the two lanes that lead to the beach, it’s easier to look for the signs for the Coral Gardens Resort and the Windsong, which are right next to each other. The Princess Alexandra National Park beach access signs aren’t as obvious.
The Penn’s Road access is on the western side of the reef, and the path to the beach here leads directly to the start of the snorkeling reef. The Stubb’s Road entrance is on the reef’s eastern side and is usually a little less busy. Both Penn’s Road and Stubb’s Road have places to park for free.
Beaches Resort Has Everything
If you stay at the Beaches resort, you can walk west for 10 minutes to get to the reef. If you are facing the ocean in front of the resort, go left for about.5 miles down the beach (.8 km).
Wymara and the West Bay Club
If you are staying at the Wymara Resort or West Bay Club, walk about 1500 feet east (to the right if you are facing the ocean) (470 meters).
