Along the south coast of Tobago are three dives sites. From east to west, they are Cove Reef, Flying Reef and Stingray Alley. Coral reefs in this area are gently sloping and exposed to high currents. These are the haunts of large schools of reef fish including grunts and chub.
SOUTHSIDE REEFS, TOBAGO
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Booby Island is located within the sheltered Man-O-War Bay at Charlotteville in northeast Tobago. It is named after the Brown Boobies that inhabit the rock. On one side a gently sloping reef dominant in sea plumes and corals connects the island to the mainland at Lover’s Bay; on the other side, divers can explore the submerged rock walls of the island.
Located north of Charlotteville, this island is a bird sanctuary and home to a number of nesting species, including the Magnificent Frigatebird and the Brown Booby. Coral reefs surrounding St Giles are exposed to high currents that form reefs dominant in brain corals that cover the shallow areas.
On the eastern side of Man-O-War Bay, this reef is accessible only by boat. The rocky shoreline extends underwater to house branching and bouldering corals on submerged rocks and abundant fish life seeking refuge between the reef and the rocks.
Diver’s Dream consists of a series of shallow reef banks found 4 km off the south coast of Tobago between Trinidad and Tobago. The banks are covered by giant barrel sponges that thrive in the high currents. Encrusting coral and macroalgae are also prominent at this site. The banks are often visited by pelagic marine life, such as turtles, sharks and barracuda.
Culloden Bay is home to a unique spur and groove coral reef formed by water movement. The growth of corals over time has created these rocky underwater spurs that project out to sea like fingers. Each spur is separated by a sandy groove where one can find turtles, eels and lionfish lurking.
This quaint bay lies along the Caribbean coast between Castara and Parlatuvier. The bay is lined with coral reef communities including small colonies of the very rare Staghorn coral that can be seen when snorkelling. The deeper coral reefs are dominant in sea plumeas and boulder corals.