Kitted up and ready, we climb down on to the transom, where Heather hands us our fins. Non-divers cheer from the upper deck of the Sea Dancer. Acknowledging the adulation, we step out into the cool, dark night. I switch on my torch and camera flash, signal to Scott and we begin our descent.
Way below, our torch beams erratically scan the broken edge of the drop-off and the blackness beyond. To our surprise, a large grey shark swims towards our lights. We stop, half hoping it will come in range of my camera, half hoping it won't.
At 2m, my flash goes off, lighting up the surrounding coral, and the shark veers off violently, dazzled by the brightness. We watch it disappear into the gloom.
We photograph stingray, octopus and lobster, but all too quickly it is time to ascend to the decompression bar. The safety stop is not wasted, however, and as we scan the underside of the boat we find the usual friendly barracuda, suspended motionless.
The lights from the deck have attracted clouds of plankton, and large jacks swoop into the beams of light and out again into the darkness.
At the surface, Heather takes our fins and we climb the ladder, where Debby takes off our tanks to refill immediately for the following morning. The motivation to stow our gear and shower is driven by the anticipation of the Sea Dancer speciality - large, warm, fluffy towels, delivered by our favourite dive master. We were in the Turks and Caicos Islands, spending one week on the liveaboard dive boat Sea Dancer, and one week on the island of Providenciales - or Provo, as it is known locally. The Turks and Caicos Islands are rocky and rather "scrubby" in places. Provo is relatively quiet; although hotel development is accelerating, it is probably similar to Grand Cayman about 8 years ago.
Our first dive in West Caicos was a surprise: the water was cold! At the end of the winter (late April) perhaps it had cooled a little, but a shortie wetsuit was only just adequate. The water clarity was excellent: little short of 30m.
Coral formations and topography were among the most spectacular we have seen in the Caribbean - plate coral cascading into infinity and pillar coral to rival that of Bonaire. Elephant ear coral, fan corals and huge barrel sponges all made a fairytale seascape. The fish life was as varied as anywhere in the Caribbean, but especially notable were the grouper and huge crustacea. Whales are often sighted in the early part of the year and we were lucky enough to spot schools of dolphins on the surface.
Our first week on the Sea Dancer was a revelation. A converted oil-crew vessel, the boat offers simple but comfortable accommodation for up to 20 guests at varying prices. The main drawback is the truly ferocious air conditioning, which to visitors from the cool UK climate is decidedly unwelcome.
The cuisine is excellent: delicious island food, together with the most tempting snacks, with plenty of fresh fruit and salads for the health conscious.
The crew of the Sea Dancer are an excellent team, and were informative, professional and good fun. Most notable, however, was the supportive atmosphere for anybody experiencing difficulties. This made the difference between an average dive holiday and a memorable one. From the unforgettable dive briefings to the fashion show, their own personal friendships and rapport enriched the liveaboard experience.
The Sea Dancer underwater photography course, run by Debby Ryan, was excellent value at $250, including camera ($200 if you have your own).
We used a Nikonos V camera and the full range of lenses from 35mm to macro. The main fulfilment came from seeing the developed results after each dive and, from Debby' s advice, being able to adjust technique to improve the quality of photographs on subsequent dives.
At the end of the course all the photographers on board were invited to submit 10 of their best slides. Debby edited and presented these in a slide show set to music.
Accommodation on Provo seems to range between the traditional divers' location (basic), the large resort and the second mortgage hotel. One hotel, Le Deck, stood out; it was small, quiet, well located, comfortable, and had its own small dive operation.
Our trip came to under £2000 per person. We booked our flight and hotel as a package with Virgin, and were very pleased with the quality of both. The cost of the flight and a week at Le Deck (room only) and overnight stays in Miami both ways, was £761 plus a supplement of £30 for the week on the Sea Dancer. (It is Virgin Holidays' policy to levy a small supplement for any period not spent with Virgin, to discourage customers from using them as a "flight only" operator.) We had to book our trip on the Sea Dancer directly, and if we had found a UK tour operator to help us, we might have achieved some savings. However, on board the Sea Dancer we did take one of the most expensive master staterooms. The cost of $1595 was inclusive of up to five dives a day, all meals, drinks (including alcoholic ones) and warm fluffy towels.
Our stateroom was on the main deck. On the lower deck, a twin berth stateroom would have cost $1395. The final night with the Sea Dancer tour was spent not on the boat, but at the Erebus Inn. The Erebus is located at Turtle Cove and does not have its own beach. It is well situated for a choice of dive operations, but we were glad to have booked the following week at Le Deck.