South Caicos is the fishing capital of the Turks and Caicos — a small, windswept island where the economy still revolves around conch and lobster rather than tourism. The main settlement, Cockburn Harbour, has a quiet, working-harbour feel that is rare in the modern Caribbean.
The island has superb wall diving just offshore, some of the best bonefishing flats in the territory, and a few beautiful, usually deserted beaches at the south end. The abandoned salt salinas at the centre of the island are an evocative reminder of the trade that supported it for 250 years. A marine research station run by the School for Field Studies brings a handful of students each semester. Development is slowly arriving — a resort has been under construction for years — but for now South Caicos remains refreshingly uncommercialized.