Northwest Point

The northwestern corner of Providenciales was never developed, and it holds a marine park protecting one of the best stretches of wall diving in the territory: the reef edge runs close to shore and drops away into deep blue water, with sites along it that operators run daily from the Grace Bay marinas. Behind the shore are salt ponds and a nature reserve where West Indian flamingos feed, along with a stretch of coast that is rocky, windswept and entirely empty. The road out is rough enough that most visitors arrive by boat with a dive operator rather than by car.

Highlights

• The wall - the reef edge dropping into deep water close to shore.
• The marine park - protected reef along the northwest coast.
• The salt ponds - flamingos and shorebirds behind the shoreline.
• The empty coast - rocky, windswept and undeveloped.

When to go

November to May is the driest and calmest, which matters because the northwest is exposed and dive sites there are the first to be blown out. Winter fronts close the wall for days at a time. Flamingos are on the ponds year-round.

Practical notes

The road is rough and hire agreements often exclude it; most people reach the dive sites by boat instead. The coast is exposed and unsafe to swim from in any swell. There are no facilities of any kind. Development proposals for this corner have surfaced repeatedly and remain contentious.

Nearby

Malcolm's Road beach is along the same coast; Grace Bay is 30 minutes east.