Where We Stayed/Dived -- Salt Cay

Mt. Pleasant Guest HousePhone/fax: 649-946-6927 Overview: Tiny Salt Cay is so funky and personable, you'll feel like you've come to the home of a friend when you walk up to Bryan Sheedy's porch. Chances are someone will be sitting at the gazebo-style bar at the end of the long verandah. Sheedy will take time to tell you the local lore and maybe point out a few rare birds or the hummingbird that makes its nest in a backyard tree. You can choose a room in the main house - a breeze-cooled 1830s salt merchant's house - or head to the nearby annex, a house down the road that offers air-conditioned accommodations. Our room was upstairs in the main house. Its pitched roof and flow-through ventilation seemed to keep things cool enough during our May trip. Recommendation: For adventurous couples, small groups or buddies. Cost: Day rates are $65 per night for one person, $75 for two (double occupancy) and $30/day for food. Packages available. Overview: Two-tank morning trips, afternoon trips, night dives; trips to Grand Turk's wall, Endymion wreck, Great Sand Cay and Gibbs Cay. Nitrox is available. Editor's note: The day we dived, the weather was too rough (2-foot seas) for any of the Grand Turk vessels to cross, and there were no live-aboards or private boaters nearby. We were one boat with a small group. The dive was peaceful, and the reef and wall were healthy. Cost: Two-tank dive, $60; Gibbs Cay/Great Sand Cay trips, $40 includes lunch. For more information.... For Tourist Board information...