Diving In Tobago

There must be over a hundred diving and snorkelling sites around Tobago. Whether you prefer the calmer waters of the Caribbean Sea to the north, or have skills sufficient for the Atlantic to the south with its currents fed by the mighty South American Orinoco River, there's something to match your interest.

And of course, if you have no skills at all or wish to improve on those you have, there are opportunities to get and/or burnish up your education in these fields. There are dozens of PADI and NAUI certified instructors on the island, who will take you from the pool to the ocean depths, depending on your needs. There is even an Association of Tobago Diving Operators, which see to it that its 12 members organizations (2002) observe international standards in operating and instruction..

When I first tried snorkelling I was already 69 years old, so there's hope for everybody. If you are as inexperienced as I was and choose to do it in the rocky shallows, make sure you have some appropriate footwear or you may end up as I did with some neatly inflicted cuts on the soles of your feet.

You don't have face mask, snorkel or footwear, you say? You can buy them or you can rent them for the occasion.

Scuba

If you have already advanced to scuba and that is your thing, then your cup is bound to run over in Tobago. To begin with the most spectacular - off Speyside you will find the largest brain coral in the world at the Kelleston Drain at a depth of a little over 50 feet. It is 14 feet by 10 feet and about 14 feet high.

Manta Ray

Then there is the much talked about Manta Ray population. As things turn out, Tobago lies in the path of the effluents from the Orinoco River. The nutrients thus derived provide food for a variety of marine life, among which is the Manta Ray. This fish can grow to the enormous size of 30 feet across wingtips, although those ususally encountered here so far are between 6 and 10 feet across.The greatest recorded weight of a Manta is an astounding 3100 lbs. They propel themselves by flapping their fins, and so appear to "fly" through the water.

They are harmless, live on plankton, not shy but playful, and seem to invite contact with divers. They will let you scratch their undersides or ride on their backs, I am told, from which they get their local nickname of "Tobago Taxi".

You Can read FRan Vandenberg's account of her adventures with a Manta Ray at "http://www.diveatlas.com/travel/
SCaribbean.asp#Tobago". Or just click the link below.

Romancing the Manta Ray

Now, if you come to dive in Tobago, and have been read all the marvellous description in the travel magazines and brochures, don't be too disappointed if you did not see one of them. There are really not so many of them that every diver is guaranteed to encounter one anytime he goes down. If you do find one, consider it a wonderful bonus! If you don't, there is so much other marine life that you can never be disappointed with your visit.

Some Diving Sites

Some of the diving sites are so named as to need no further description. For example, at Speyside there are Japanese Gardens, Shark Bank, Kamikaze Cut, Grand Canyon and the Cathedral.

Kariwak Reef - off Store Bay. Diving here will reward you with seeing goatfish, moray eels, angelfish. Goes down to about 50 ft. and good for snorkelling too.

Arnos Vale is a shallow dive and is good for snorkelling too.

Dutchman is situated off Mt. Irvine with it's beach facility. There are small brain corals here and the so-called seafans. At the Mt. Irvine Wall, home to parrotfish and angels, yoy can dive down a sand floor at 55 feet . The Mt. Irvine Extension allows going down further to 90 feet, providing accommodations for the stingray.

Off Turtle Beach lies the wreck of the M.V. Maverick was set up as an experiment. The wreck was prepared by deliberately sinking the ship in 1977 in order to encourage the regeneration of the marine population. It has been a smashing success, so that it is now hoped to create more wrecks around the island. Barracuda, amberjacks and snapper abound as do schools of anchovies, and sprat. Also Jewfish.

There is a super large Jewfish here that goes by the name of Harry or Jacob, depending on who you talk to. He is estimated to weigh about 100 lbs. He has seen lots of humans before and is not shy about approaching you. He will accept all the food you offer, but you should remember that he has many hundreds of small sharp teeth.

Below the turn of the bilge of the M.V.Maverick you will find lobster - and other things ! If you choose to explore the inside of the wreck, watch for obstructions.

Sisters Rocks on the north coast is a great dive if you like shark and barracudas, but there is also tarpon.

The Whale Shark

Betwen June and July you may encounter the whale shark. These can reach to as long as possibly thirty feet. These fellows laze around at about under 3 knots with mouth wide open, sucking in over 20 gallons of water a minute, along with any unfortunate small fish that happen to be around, squid and plankton. These get trapped in their gills. They have a mechanism that periodically scrapes off all this material into a surprisingly small throat.

Our Decompression Chamber

t will comfort diving enthusiasts, to know that, since 1999, we have a hyperbaric decompression chamber in Tobago. It is located on the compound of the Fire Services at Roxborough, and so is manned 24 hours a day. It is within one hour of any beach in the island. We hope that by applying your instruction and exercising good sense you never have to use it.

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