Until quite recently, the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) were known to scuba-diving enthusiasts and few others. And before the mid-1980s, the islands were known to hardly anyone at all.

If you look at a map, you will be surprised that this string of islands, just 30 miles (48km) southeast of the Bahamas, and a quick 90-minute flight from Miami, could have been overlooked for so long. If you see the islands, with their talcum-white beaches and crystalline waters, your astonishment will grow, and you will wonder how the secret of TCI's allure could have remained so well kept.

It's possible that this island was Columbus' first stop in the New World in 1492. In fact, the oldest known European ship found in the New World is the wreck of the Molasses Reef, circa 16th century, that was discovered on the edge of the Caicos Bank.

The Taino Indians, who date back to A.D. 700, and later the Lucayan Indians first inhabited the islands. In the 1600s, the Caicos Islands were popular hideouts for pirates, including some of the most notorious female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

The late 1600s and early 1700s saw salt production thrive in the Turks Islands under the hands of Bermudan settlers. By the late 1700s, these islands had passed in and out of control of the Spanish, French, and British governments, and they were maintained in the 1800s as part of the Bahamas. Through most of the 1900s, the islands were annexed to Jamaica. Turks and Caicos has, despite some movement toward independence, remained a British Crown Colony since 1962. British cultural influence on the islands is not pronounced, and most current TCI residents, known as "Belongers," are descendants of Bermudans or of African slaves brought to Provo during the years of cotton farming.

But for better or worse, the secret of Turks and Caicos is now out. The airport on the island of Providenciales (or Provo), completed in 1984, allowed the first large planes to land in the island chain. Tourism, now the leading industry, began in a trickle, spurred mostly by scuba divers eager to explore the pristine waters and world-class reefs off the islands of Grand Turk, West Caicos, and Provo. Club Med built Provo's first resort, but remained the only full-service property on the island for many years. Some attribute the current flurry of construction on Turks and Caicos' most-visited island (75 percent of all tourists stay on Providenciales) to the 1997 opening of Beaches resort, a very popular, family-oriented Sandals property on exquisite Grace Bay.

It can be said that there are two types of vacationers in the Turks and Caicos. One type is drawn to the activity and convenience of Providenciales' all-inclusive resorts and high-end condo properties, touting water sports from diving to windsurfing and onshore amenities including casinos, gourmet restaurants, and exotic swimming pools. The other visitor transfers out of Provo to the country's barely inhabited islands like North or Middle Caicos to enjoy nature's finery in near solitude. On these islands, restaurant choices are slim and nightlife is nonexistent. Attractions include bird sanctuaries, extensive caves, and quiet farming and fishing villages.

Between these two extremes lies tiny Grand Turk, the second-most visited island of the Turks and Caicos group. A diver's Mecca, government seat, financial center, and historic attraction, this island is still described as a sleepy, off-the-beaten-track destination that is rich with Caribbean flavor.