diving holidays in Tobago
Located off South American shores, just north of Trinidad, this island republic is one of the most southerly in the Caribbean chain. Tobago is a small island, only 27miles across at its longest point, yet like a tiny magnet it attracts tourists from around the world. With its unhurried lifestyle, lush tropical scenery and powdery white beaches, it is easy to appreciate the passion visitors feel for this island.
Tobago offers some of the finest diving of all Caribbean destinations. Situated off the north east coast of South America, it is bathed by the Guyana current which brings the nutrient rich waters of the Orinoco flooding around the reefs lying offshore, stimulating the marine life to burst into the most amazing display of brilliant colour and ever changing patterns. The island is mainly volcanic, with the rain forest clinging to the sides of the hillsides, only to drop off into the sea to form underwater cliffs, canyons and caves. It is here in the waters around Tobago that the world’s largest known brain coral can be found 12 feet high, 16 feet across. Due to rich waters filled with plankton, many deep sea fish are found much closer to the surface than normal, and, it is not unusual to have frequent sightings of large Barracudas, Dolphins, Whale Sharks, Giant Sea Turtles and even Manta Rays.
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The Diving
The island has a complete marine eco-system, representative of the whole Caribbean, offering the diver a huge diversity of corals and aquatic life. Beneath the surface, Tobago becomes a magical kingdom among the separate universe of reefs formed by the tumbling and twisting of the offshore currents, giving a richness and variety of diving unrivalled in the Caribbean.
Tobago offers a number of excellent sites, some of which require an advanced level of diving experience, to enjoy currents in the drifts which can exceed 8 knots.
The wreck of the Maverick:
Once a 350ft car ferry that sailed between the shores of Trinidad and Tobago, it was previously named the Scarlet Ibis. It was sunk in 1997, for the sole purpose of diving, and was renamed the Maverick. The wreck sits upright in 100ft of water rising to 60 ft from the surface, with her bow facing north. The Maverick is sometimes patrolled by a 4 ft Jewfish and even sometimes visited by a huge six foot long Barracuda. Visibility is around 50 ft, but at times you can see the wreck as you descend from the surface. The Maverick is an artificial reef, which is a safe haven for all manner of marine life.
Flying Reef:
This site was named, as it is parallel to Tobago’s airport, and regularly has a gentle drift that helps you along the dive. A great dive to see Southern Stingrays, Turtles and even a flyby from a Spotted Eagle Ray or two. You might be lucky enough to spot a Nurse Shark, having a snooze or Lobsters in their homes.
Sisters:
From about 20 minutes into the boat ride you can see Sisters in the distance, huge rocks jutting out of the sea about a mile offshore. These impressive rock towers plunge to depths of over 130ft. On the seaward side, divers are on the wall with visibility exceeding 150ft, with the temperature often changing as much as 3 degrees as you pass through thermo climes. A second dive at Sisters can be found between the huge rocks and Tobago, this side can sometimes be a little more sheltered for the Turbid waters. The gentle current takes you along over vast areas of plate corals, providing areas for hiding Long-spinned Urchin and Lobsters, with shoals of Bigeyes and French Grunt.
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