Water Cay

Is Water Cay for sale, and how much does it cost?

Water Cay is a 432 acres undeveloped private island in Turks & Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands. It is currently offered for sale: US$75,000,000. Tenure is freehold. Foreign ownership is permitted subject to local approvals. This is an editorial profile drawn from public record, clearly attributed, not our listing.

Summary

Water Cay is the largest undeveloped island within sight of a major Caribbean resort economy: roughly two miles long — portals cite 381 to 432 acres, a discrepancy diligence must resolve — with some 7,000 feet of beach, ten minutes by boat from Providenciales' Leeward marina and about twenty-five minutes door-to-door from the international airport. It came to market around $49 million in March 2020 and current campaigns through Christie's and Private Islands Online carry $75 million, with a $36 million figure also circulating in earlier coverage — a spread that says the price is a conversation, not a number. The proposition is singular: Grace Bay-adjacent scale, still empty.

Land & Waterfront

The cay extends the same leeward barrier chain that produces Grace Bay's celebrated sand, and its own north-facing beach frontage — around 7,000 feet of it — is of that character, fronting the reef-protected turquoise shelf that made Provo's fortune. Behind the beach the island runs low and green across its disputed 381–432 acres, with a canal parcel on the Leeward side already offering marina-depth access, a rare piece of in-place marine infrastructure for an otherwise raw island. Its immediate neighbour, Little Water Cay, is the territory's famous rock-iguana sanctuary, which frames the environmental context: development here will be scrutinised, and the sanctuary's protection is also a permanent guarantee against neighbouring build-out. Diving and anchorageSheltered water where a vessel can safely anchor — an island without one is an island you can't always reach. water surround the chain.

Access & Utilities

No island in this report is closer to a functioning luxury economy: ten minutes by boat from Leeward Channel Marina, whose surrounding district holds the territory's best marinas, contractors and provisioning, with Providenciales International — direct flights to New York, London, Miami, Toronto — fifteen minutes beyond. That adjacency transforms development economics: trades commute daily, materials barge in hours not days, and any hospitality product plugs straight into Provo's established demand. The island itself is unserviced — power, water and docks all to build, though the canal parcel shortens the marine-works path. Utilities from Provo are close enough that cable or pipeline connection, rather than full island self-sufficiency, is at least a study-worthy option, which is true almost nowhere else in this asset class.

Ownership & Use

Turks and Caicos freeholdOutright ownership of the land itself, indefinitely — the strongest form of title. is open to all nationalities without licence, in a tax-neutral jurisdiction — but this particular title deserves care, as the island was formerly Crown/public land and the privatisation chain, along with the acreage discrepancy, should be surveyed and settled early. The valuation spread in public coverage ($36 million, $49 million, $75 million across six years) gives an acquirer both a warning and an opening: the seller's expectations have risen with Provo's market, yet no transaction has printed. Uses range from a branded-resort masterplan — the scale supports it and the airport proximity de-risks it — to an estate-lot subdivision or a single dynastic holding. Environmental sensitivity next to the iguana reserve will shape density; whoever prices that constraint correctly buys the last big island next to Provo.

Provenance

Water Cay is former Crown landLand held by the state (originally the Crown) rather than private owners — much of the world's foreshore and seabed. in Turks & Caicos that Turks & Caicos Sotheby's International Realty has marketed since at least 2014 without a confirmed sale or any named private owner; the asking price has swung from $36 million (2014) to $60 million (2015) down to $49 million (2020) and up to today's $75 million Christie's/Private Islands Online campaign.

Specification

Status	Available
Offering	For sale
Region	Caribbean · Turks & Caicos
Country	Turks and Caicos Islands
Size	432 acres · 175 ha
Tenure	Freehold
Development	Undeveloped
Holding-cost band	Low — land only
Access	boat
Nearest airport	About 10 minutes by boat from Leeward Channel Marina, itself ~15 minutes from Providenciales International (PLS)
Power	none
Water	none
Communications	mobile from Providenciales
Foreign ownership	Permitted (see notes)
Publicly marketed	since 2014

Price record

Documented public figures over time — asking prices, reported sales and reductions, each attributed. This record is maintained editorially and may lag the market.

The full traced record — ownership lineage and every dated event back to the earliest public mention — is in The Ledger, for members.

Legal & Ownership Notes

British Overseas Territory — freehold open to foreign buyers, no licence; tax-neutral. Formerly Crown/public land — confirm the privatisation chain of title

Zoning: Sale bundles two separate Providenciales assets — a 1.37-acre canal-front lot in the Leeward community (suited to a private ferry terminal or welcome centre) and a 2,685 sq ft retail/office unit in Regent Village, Grace Bay — not marine infrastructure on Water Cay itself

• acreage conflicts across portals (432 vs 381 acres) — survey required
• asking price has ranged across $36M/$49M/$75M in different coverage — establish the real guide
• adjacent Little Water Cay is a protected iguana reserve — expect environmental scrutiny

Satellite reference: ESRI World Imagery / Google Earth — Water Cay, northeast of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos.

Common questions

How much does Water Cay cost?

Water Cay is profiled at: US$75,000,000. Figures reflect public record at time of writing and may change; the profile keeps a dated price record.

What tenure does Water Cay have?

Water Cay is held on freehold tenure. Always confirm the exact instrument and any remaining term on the title.

Can a foreigner buy Water Cay?

Foreign buyers may own property here subject to local approvals. British Overseas Territory — freehold open to foreign buyers, no licence; tax-neutral. Formerly Crown/public land — confirm the privatisation chain of title

How do you get to Water Cay?

Access is by boat. Nearest airport: About 10 minutes by boat from Leeward Channel Marina, itself ~15 minutes from Providenciales International (PLS).

How big is Water Cay?

Water Cay is approximately 432 acres (175 hectares).