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Ever since I was a child and saw Jacque Cousteau exploring the deep seas on my TV, I have wanted to learn to Scuba Dive. I believe that being a Piscean, it is my ‘calling’ to be in the water or near the water as much as possible and what better place to do this than Tobago. It’s a little island in the Caribbean approximately 25 miles long, 6.2 miles wide, surrounded by beautiful beaches and water. Whether you are already able to dive or have always wished to learn to dive then this is one of the wonderful things you can do during your stay.
Tobago Diving Locations
Diving in Tobago ranges from drift dives on the Atlantic side of the islands to generally calmer dives on the Caribbean side of the island. Diving along beautiful coral reefs or in and around boat wrecks, to seeing the worlds largest brain coral.
In the south end of the island you can dive some exciting sites called Flying Reef, Diver’s Thirst, Diver’s Dream, Angel Reef, Mount Irvine Wall and a wreck called M.S Maverick (scarlet Ibis). There are many more but it would take forever to list them.
Flying Reef, as its name suggests is a drift dive, the current takes you along with it covering a lot of area. The likes of green moray eels, stingrays, turtles and nurse sharks have been spotted on this site site. There is also plenty of colour corals with lobsters found occasionally hiding in them.
Divers Thirst, great name for a dive site. It is located between Flying Reef and Divers Dream and can experience some strong currents. Big nurse shark and, barracudas have been seen along with sponges and corals.
Divers Dream this is actually a plateau, it is approximately 5 km offshore and is said to be one of the premier dive sites in Tobago. The water drops off allowing the larger fishes to swim around freely, great for an exciting dive waiting to see what comes up from the depths of the deep blue sea.
Angle Reef the reef here has plenty of different coral formations, providing a colourful dive along with the beautiful fish such as Queen Angelfish and Parrot fish just adding to the colour all around you.
Mount Irvine Wall this is a nice shallower dive site close to the shore. It has a steep cliff that goes down into canyons and nooks and crannies and is home to schooling fish, trigger fish, parrot fish and if you are really really lucky you might see a seahorse galloping by!
M.S Maverick formally called the Scarlet Ibis, it was a ferry that was suck in 1997 for the sole purpose of creating an artificial reef for diving. It is lying on a sandy bottom and is home to many variety of fishes such as bait fish, Jacks, all swimming around inside the boat.
In the north end of the island you will find the largest amount of dive sites. Dives sites such as Black Jack Hole, Kelleston Drain/Coral Gardens, London Bridge, The Sisters and Washaroo to name a few.
Black Jack Hole, located just off Little Tobago island this dive site is a sloping ridge that has sponges, pencil and finger coral with brain corals increasing as you go down. Named after the fish found there, Black Jacks, you can also have a chance to see, Southern Serrat, sharks, rays, green moray eels, black tip sharks, purple and gold creole wrasses
Kelleston Drain/ Coral Gardens again off Little Tobago Island this dive site is home to yellow tube and purple vase sponges. Often seen are big schools of Creole wrasse and Jack fish, however it is most famous for having the largest brain coral in the world, with a nurse shark often hiding underneath.
London Bridge located near the st Giles Islands London Bridge is a rock formation where half the hole is above water and half is below giving it the appearance of being a bridge. Due to the rock formation this dive site can only be done when there is favourable weather conditions as it is subject to strong currents and surges. Plenty of fish are found here surgeonfish, trumpet fish, blue tangs, trunkfish. This dive site is really suitable for the experienced diver.
The Sisters, is a rock formation ranging from a depth of 150 feet to 50 feet beneath the surface of the water. Between the months of December and April you could be lucky and see the majestic hammerhead sharks. During the other months you will still get to see an array of sea life such as Creole Wrasse, black durgeons and brown chromis.
Washaroo,the name comes from the local name given to a beautiful large midnight blue parrot fish which is see at this dive site. The reef slopes down to a sandy bottom where you can find many small caves found in the reef wall. Spotted drums, lobsters, squirrel fish and sea fans and sponges can be found.
Tobago Diving Marine Life
The marine life around Tobago is fantastic, you could be diving with Hammerhead Sharks at ‘The Sisters’ located in the northern Caribbean side of the island between December and April. Dancing Manta Ray in the Speyside, Charlotteville area of Tobago. Attracted by zooplankton there is the chance to see these majestic creatures in any season. Their smaller ‘cousin’ the Stingray can be found almost all round the island and often come right up the the beach to feed. At certain times of the year (between January and September) you could come face to face with turtles getting ready to come ashore to lay their eggs. If you are lucky you can also experience watching them lay their eggs on the beach. The smaller marine life is just as spectacular, seahorses, nudibranch, beautiful coral fish, neon gobies, parrot fish, shrimp and lobsters can be found in these waters too. And on the boat trip home it is not uncommon to be escorted by dolphins wanting to join in on your amazing trip.