WHY IS TURKS & CAICOS WATER SO BLUE?

IT’S TIME TO CHECK IN!

& Answer This Question!

A brief review of Turks & Caicos tells us a couple things. It is a British Overseas Territory, located just next to the Bahamas, and has the highest rated beach in the world, Grace Bay Beach (more on that in another post!). The islands themselves are breathtaking. I spent a week there touring properties from Grace Bay Resorts and had plenty of time in the water as you can see.

The islands do not have any rivers or lakes or tributaries that empty into the ocean. Because of this, there is very little hitting the water that might stir it up and make it brown, green, or dark in any way. The blue shines exceptionally bright because that’s all there is… just clear clean water.

Another reason is because of what is underneath the water! The bright sands that sit below the water line are made from shells and coral, usually of a bright white color base. The brightness of the white sand shelf help with the blue reflections that you may see when you visit. It is exceptionally reflective, which leads to the bright blue we can see.

The islands sit on a low shelf of limestone, and because of this the depth of the water around the islands is also remarkably shallow compared to others. The shelf extends out showing the light blue waters that you see above. With shallow depth and the bright white shell and coral bottom, the bright blues really sparkle. But what about the other shades of blue?

That will be because of the depth. The low shelf of limestone only extends so far, and drop offs occur sporadically around the islands. When such a drop in depth occurs, the darker blues appear. There is such a unique spread of blues because of this, and they appear to sparkle brightly in the sun. With the clear waters mixed with the multiple blues, it really does make these islands appear to be a magical place.

Bright blue waters behind me and the captain of our Catamaran for the day.

IT’S TIME TO CHECK IN!

The answer is that the bright blue waters are because of the lack of run off waters, the low limestone shelf mixed with the bright white shell and coral sand. We hope you enjoy the benefits of travel on your next trip and the many more to come!

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