Let us introduce the Captain of the Deep Blue Charters boat, Kell Talbot. Co-owner of the company, Kell was born in Salt Cay and moved to Grand Turk at the age of 7 years old. The Talbots have fishing in their blood; Kell is a fourth generation fisherman and proud of his Turk's island heritage.
We thought it might be interesting for you to get to know a little bit more about your Captain before you take to the water with him, so we've asked him a few questions about his life in and on the water, and what he loves about his work!
So Kell, how long have you been fishing and driving boats? - Pretty much my whole life. I've been fishing from when I was 2 or 3 years old, and started running boats when I was about 10 years old. We used to go out diving conch and bottom fishing with my Dad, even my sisters would come.
What is your favourite thing to do on the water? - Fishing (laughs). Deep sea fishing, because I just love fighting fish. It's a challenge and landing a fish is like accomplishing something. My favourite fish to catch are the big yellowfin tuna.
What is your favourite time of year in Grand Turk? - Summertime - the weather is always nice and calm, and there's lots of tuna around so I love to be out on the water.
What has been your best experience on the water? - Swimming with a whale shark! It was cruising along the front of Grand Turk, headed all the way along the wall to Salt Cay. I stayed in the water for about two hours just swimming with it. It was amazing that such a big fish could be so gentle - it was maybe 30 ft long. We saw one last week near Great Sand Cay and that was maybe 12-14ft, so a lot smaller.
What is your first memory of interacting with whales in Grand Turk? - Probably when I was 17 or 18 years old. We used to take people out whale watching and over the years, just from doing trips, I've learned so much about their behaviour. I like that they're so big yet they're gentle and how they can breach out of the water with their size. I love doing trips to see the look on people's face when they get to see them. It's fun to share the importance of the way we interact with them to visitors and give them the best experience possible.
If you could recommend one thing every visitor to Grand Turk should do, what would it be? -If I say fishing you'll think I'm biased! Well, obviously fishing, but SCUBA diving too. I started diving in 1997 for Sea Eye Diving. I was with them until they closed, and then worked for Bohio, and then Oasis, so for 10 years at least. I love how peaceful it is, just being submerged and seeing all the life on the reef.
Have you been out on the water with Captain Kell? We'd love to hear about your experiences and see some of your photos! Leave us a comment below and tell us your story!