Diving Information
Much of the diving in Tobago is drift diving where the currents vary in strength from site to site with the Atlantic one side and the Caribbean Sea the other. The reefs of the South Coast (Pigeon Point) are calmer, therefore perhaps better for the beginner, whereas the North (Speyside) are known for much faster currents. Diving at this destination gives opportunities to see nurse sharks, black tip reef sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, manta rays, turtles, tarpon, angelfish, parrotfish, and damselfish, there is even a wreck!
The healthy reefs feature both hard and soft coral and you can see one of the largest recorded brain corals in the world at Kelleston Drain, this huge single brain colony is approximately 16ft by 10ft. Most dives are thrilling drift dives fuelled by the nutrient-rich Guyana Current and offer the opportunity to swim with pelagic, an exciting treat for even the most experienced diver. However, it is not just the reefs that drive divers to this location, the marine life is also varied and abundant, with macro photography being a favourite activity with visibility up to 30m.
You can dive all year round in Tobago however visibility can be lower during the rainy season. The dry season runs from January to May when sea turtles’ nest and hatch. There is a real variety of dive sites to suit all levels of diver, such as Angel Reef which is popular with beginners and photographers due to the good visibility and quiet current. The cleaning stations along the reef offer are picture perfect, zoom in on the honeycomb and plate corals. An exciting drift dive for advanced divers is Japanese Gardens which is situated on the fringes of Goat Island, here you descend along a steep slope covered in a bed of multi-coloured tube, rope and vase sponges that are said to resemble a miniature Japanese garden, the reef drops suddenly into Kamikaze Cut, a passage of coral that is home to large schools of nurse sharks and jacks. London Bridge is another popular site, it is easily identified from the surface with its ‘rock bridge’ appearance which is half visible and half submerged. Divers can swim through the middle of the ‘bridge’, current depending, where they will see huge boulders with impressive overhangs and crevices. Other sites to look out for are Blackjack Hole and Round Table.
Our partners in Tobago, Blue Water Inn, have an onsite PADI 5 Star facility where they are surrounded by some of the most spectacular dive sites in the region, just minutes from their private dock. They also offer a selection of courses in their state-of-the-art training facility.
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