Discover Trinidad & Tobago 2016 — 25th Anniversary Edition

Tobago’s marine world
Coexisting with the 300-odd species of coral documented
in Tobago’s plankton-rich waters — fire coral, star coral, plate
coral, sea fans, sea whips, and the largest living brain coral in
the world — you’ll find 700-odd species of reef fish, including
parrot fish and angel fish. You also can see stingrays of different
varieties (southern, rough-tail, lesser electric ray, spotted
eagle ray and the breath-taking giant manta rays); moray eels;
invertebrates (crabs, shrimp and octopus); sharks (tiger, bull,
nurse, reef, black-tip, hammerhead and lemon sharks) and
their favourite prey like jacks, barracuda, wahoo, tarpon and
tuna. And, if you’re lucky, you can spot whale sharks around
Speyside, December–May.
Did you know?
The largest live
brain coral (about
3m/10ft by 5m/16ft)
has been recorded
off Speyside.
Key info
Average water temperature:
24–29°C/75–84°F
Average visibility: 15–37m/50–120ft
Best visibility: April–August
Depth: 9–34m/30ft–110ft (deeper
dives are not recommended)
Season: year-round, with best visibility
May to July.
t h e
Caution!
Photo by Stephen Broadbridge
Use a professional, certified dive
operator
Beware stinging plankton and
poisonous sponges, Portuguese
Man-o’-War, other jellyfish and
puffer fish, fire coral, bristle worms,
stingrays, sharks, moray eels, sea
urchins, scorpion fish and barracudas.
Typical treatment for a minor
wound is to wash it with saltwater
(not fresh water) and apply vinegar
and cortisone cream
Take care in these delicate ecosystems,
especially with fragile coral.
Be mindful of damaging the coral,
and certainly do not remove any.
best dives
Intermediate and advanced divers tend to
head north (Speyside and Charlotteville):
the water is clearer and deeper, and the
marine landscape richest. Popular dives include
Keleston Drain (with the world’s largest
living brain coral), Japanese Gardens,
London Bridge, Bookends, the Sisters rocks,
St Giles Island, and — popular with beginners
— Black Jack Hole and King’s Bay.
In the south, though not as clear, the
waters and currents are much gentler. Most
beginners do their first dive in Store Bay on
a small reef close to shore. Popular dives
include Flying Reef, Mt Irvine Wall, Arnos
Vale, Englishman’s Bay, Diver’s Dream and
Diver’s Thirst, and — for experts — the Maverick
wreck (sunk in 1997) off Mt Irvine. Drift
diving the Columbus Passage in the south
is also a phenomenal experience.
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