Resort Report

The oddly shaped boxfish. By Lydia A. Harris ~ Edited by C.E. O’Brien, Ph.D., The School for Field Studies, Center for Marine Resource Studies, South Caicos Ask someone to draw a fish, and you can probably guess the basic shape they will draw:  a horizontal oval with a triangle on one end for a tail. Easy enough, ...

Can TCI’s native species still be saved? By Ben Stubenberg As the first rays of a golden sun peak above the pale blue sea and peer through cotton ball clouds, the island jitneys drop off construction crews at building sites all around Providenciales. In the cool morning air, before the heat of the day sets in, the ...

The life and times of MV River Arc a.k.a. Helene Waller. Story & Images By John Hopkins and Nicole Skakun Shipwrecks have fascinated people ever since ships sailed the oceans; the fates of most wrecks lost in time. Known stories involve storms, navigation errors, insurance scams, smuggling, piracy, treachery, warfare, drunken captains, mutinous crews, and rivalries, to ...

The failed attempts to produce salt on West Caicos. Story & Historical Images By Jeff Dodge Most readers are aware that salt was once the most important industry on the Turks & Caicos Islands. This important commodity was discovered in the mid 1600s by sailors from Bermuda on their way to trade with the West Indies. They ...

Clarence Jolly had vision for moving the TCI forward. By Dr. Carlton Mills and Debby-Lee Mills Clarence T. Jolly Sr. (as he liked to be known), was a Turks & Caicos man with a vision for moving his country forward. Sadly, he was perceived by some as an invader of a territory that was apparently reserved for ...

Rare early picture postcards of the Turks & Caicos Islands. By Jeff Dodge Editor’s note: Jeff Dodge is a deltiologist (a person who collects postcards for a hobby), historian, and valuable and stalwart contributor to Times of the Islands for over a decade. His initial articles focused on the early postcards of the Turks & Caicos Islands ...

Enjoying a night at South Bank’s new restaurant Lua. By Kathy Borsuk ~ Photos By Lemens Welch & Elemento Photography When I heard the name of South Bank’s first restaurant was Lua, I envisioned a tropical oasis tickled by a warm ocean breeze; a tranquil setting designed to soothe the senses. After witnessing the thoughtful, measured design ...

The quest for fresh water in TCI. By Ben Stubenberg   At the break of dawn back in the day, before the sun’s first rays peeked over the dark horizon. Before the vexing croaks of Cuban tree frogs ceased. And before the veil of dew finished settling over the grassy fields and dense brush, each house stirred with ...

The SpaceX 7 explosion and its environmental fallout in the Turks & Caicos. By Alizee Zimmermann, Turks & Caicos Reef Fund “Eric! Come quick, look up!” I shouted across our parking lot on a slightly muggy Thursday evening. I had the hose out and was rinsing off dive gear from the day’s field work. “I think something ...

Eels of the Turks & Caicos Islands Story & Photos By C.E. O’Brien, Associate Professor of Tropical Marine Ecology, The School for Field Studies, Center for Marine Resource Studies Eels are members of the order Anguilliformes, a group of mostly marine fishes characterized by their elongated bodies without scales. They also lack the pelvic and (usually) the pectoral ...

Gauging sustainable spiny lobster fisheries. Story & Photos By Marta Calosso & John Claydon, Founders & Directors, FisherFolkFirst The majority of commercial fishers in the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) are free-divers, and their fishing techniques have remained largely unchanged for almost 50 years. This fact should be celebrated as a testament to the quality of the ...

Part 2:  Menagerie a trois Story & Photos By Eric S. Cole, Biology Department, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota The life cycle of a jellyfish, and in particular the upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea) involves something called alternation of generations, going between a swimming form, (the “medusa” that most of us recognize as a jellyfish), and a tiny anchored ...

Getting to know the Gulf Fritillary butterfly. By Bill Rhodes ~ Photos By Marta Morton The biodiversity of islands is unlike most other spots on earth. For example, who can forget learning about Darwin’s scientifically groundbreaking trip to the Galapagos Islands? It was there that he discovered multiple endemic (native and found only there) species, and by ...

Reflections on this special day in the Islands. Story & Photos By Davidson E. Louis Sundays felt like a gift—a reward for making it through the week. The air carried a different energy, softer and more relaxed, almost as if the entire island paused to exhale. Growing up in Turks & Caicos, Sundays were a sacred day. ...

Reflections on this special day in the Islands. Story & Photos By Davidson E. Louis Sundays felt like a gift—a reward for making it through the week. The air carried a different energy, softer and more relaxed, almost as if the entire island paused to exhale. Growing up in Turks & Caicos, Sundays were a sacred day. ...