Located off Speyside, Goat Island features a house nestled between two giant rocks. Coral reefs wrap right around the island. The most famous reef is called Angel Reef, which lies along the western bay; it is dominant in hard corals and is one of the more biodiverse reefs on the island. Japanese Gardens on the south side of the island is well-known for its colourful sponge communities.
GOAT ISLAND, TOBAGO
More sites you might like
Little Tobago is the larger island located in Speyside Bay. This island is home to marvels both above and below the water including one of the largest brain corals in the Western Hemisphere. Coral reefs encircle Little Tobago. The island is an important nesting site for marine birds, including the Red-billed Tropic Bird.
Mt Irvine Bay is a popular spot for surfing and diving in southwest Tobago. Mt Irvine reef, also known as the Flying Dutchman, extends out to the eastern headland. This fringing reef transitions from soft coral to hard coral as you move out from the bay. The back end of Mt Irvine reef is Mt Irvine Wall, which has a few swim throughs and overhangs where schools of fish hang out.
The only Marine Protected Area in Tobago, Buccoo Reef features a fringing reef system with a back reef and a lagoon that are connected to a mangrove ecosystem. The uniqueness of this reef attracted many during the 1950s and 1960s, but decades of mismanagement have allowed large portions of the reef system to be degraded. Some sections of Buccoo Reef are still productive. See Coral Gardens
Coral Gardens is a small patch reef located in the Bon Accord Lagoon in the Buccoo Reef Marine Protected Area. This is one of the better-known treasures of Buccoo Reef. It is visited daily by snorkelers and glass bottom boat tours. Coral Gardens in dominant in the reef building coral Orbicella annularis, also known as the potato coral, and hosts many reef fish.
Hermitage reef lies along the eastern side of Man-O-War Bay, Charlotteville, adjacent to Hermitage Bay. With no coastal development nearby, this coral reef is home to the endangered branching Elkhorn corals in the shallows. Farther down the reef slope, giant mountain star coral colonies extend from 7 m to 15 m in depth, creating underwater structures for numerous marine creatures.
Landslide reef runs along the eastern margin of Man-O-War Bay from Pirates Bay out towards Breakfast Bay. This is a shallow fringing reef dominated by hard and soft corals growing along submerged rocks. It is home to rare branching Elkhorn coral.