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Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the Ari Atoll location page.
Overview
Columbus Passage offers dramatic wall diving in the Turks and Caicos, characterized by deep drop-offs, abundant coral formations, and regular encounters with pelagic marine life. Strong currents can be present, making it suitable for experienced divers. The sheer walls are adorned with sponges, gorgonians, and diverse reef fish.
What you'll see
3 species curated- year-roundCaribbean reef sharkPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
- year-roundGreen sea turtlePeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
- year-roundSpotted eagle rayPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
Sightings evidence
3 records on file- high confidenceCaribbean reef shark
- Last confirmed
- Jul 2024
- Recent records
- 5 within 25 km
- Cluster months
- Year-round
- high confidenceGreen sea turtle
- Last confirmed
- Jul 2024
- Recent records
- 8 within 25 km
- Cluster months
- Year-round
- medium confidenceSpotted eagle ray
- Last confirmed
- Jul 2024
- Recent records
- 3 within 25 km
- Cluster months
- Year-round
Sources & methodology
How we summarise this
We aggregate confirmed occurrence records from GBIF and OBIS within a fixed radius of each dive site. Occurrence records confirm presence and reveal seasonality clustering, but they DO NOT measure per-dive probability — there is no eligible-effort denominator. We deliberately do not publish a numeric '% chance of sighting' from this data.
Sources
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility — GBIF Secretariat
- Ocean Biodiversity Information System — IOC-UNESCO
- OBIS-SEAMAP — Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab / OBIS
- iNaturalist — California Academy of Sciences & National Geographic Society
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature
- WoRMS — World Register of Marine Species — Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
- FishBase — FishBase Consortium
- Atlas of Living Australia — CSIRO / GBIF Australia
- REEF Volunteer Fish Survey — Reef Environmental Education Foundation
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26–28 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Feb | 26–28 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Mar | 26–28 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Apr | 27–29 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| May | 27–29 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Jun | 28–30 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Jul | 28–30 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Aug | 29–31 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Sep | 29–31 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Oct | 28–30 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Nov | 27–29 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Dec | 26–28 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
Season calendar
Next step
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