BEST SNORKELING SPOTS?

[Alan Davies]

Not sure if the reefs are damaged.

We found that there were not the quantities of fish I would have expected given the amount and variety of coral (I make this comparison having snorkelled several times in the Dutch Antilles). This may have something to do with a very wet January (certainly on local television the fisherman in the game fishing contest seemed to be suggesting this).

The water was often very murky with a lot of sediment in it which again may be something to do with previous wet weather which had caused a lot of run off from South American rivers.

[Steve Wooler]

Just to add to what Alan has pointed out, while we were there (mid-Jan to mid-March) there was a shortage of fish. You noticed this in the daily catches being brought ashore. It's the first time I've ever noticed fish shortages in Tobago - you normally can't move for the stuff. It was a nightmare for restaurants because they were finding it really difficult to get enough to put on their menus. Anyway, the point is that the commonly held view - which is perfectly logical when you think about it - was that there was so much fresh water run off from the island after all the rains, that the fish had moved further out to sea where they could get their full dose of salt, I guess. The trouble is, the bigger 'eating' fish had moved so far off coast that they were beyond the range of the little local fishing boats. Of course all that is changing now. The sediment brought down by the run-off is settling and being washed off the reefs by the natural currents, the water is back to normal saltiness and the fish are returning.

[Paul Tallet]

I will provide a general update of the damage I have seen in the Weather section, but regarding the reefs etc ...

I was wrong to report that most of the Charlottesville Reef in the main bay was destroyed ... it is just that no one has seen it.

I have been reliably advised by Clark Weissinger of Sea Kayaking that parts of the reef were destroyed where mudslides and rocks entered the sea at the northern end of the main beach.

The rest of the reef is covered with sediment and I understand that 'it is struggling'. Sediment continues to affect the sea in many coastal areas of Tobago where mudslides have reached the beach and the tide comes up to wash the mud away.

On a more positive note ... the best snorkelling ... this can be found around Cambleton Bay and Lovers Bay in Charlottesville ... there is nothing I have seen in the rest of Tobago to match this snorkelling experience.

The reason the snorkelling is better here is partly due to the difficult access ... Cambleton is accessible by foot and Lovers Bay is only accessible if you swim there or go via Clark Weissinger's Sea Kayaking Tours ... consequently the reef is hardly blemished and I hope it stays that way.

Even conventional Tour Boats cannot really get near Lovers Bay which is surrounded by beautiful, unspoiled, shallow coral reefs.

In just one snorkel over just 20 minutes I saw several huge multi-coloured Parrot Fish, about a dozen huge French Angelfish, shoals and shoals of other reef fish and, for the first time, Grey Angelfish, a large black and white Moray Eel and then found myself swimming nervously with several large and inquisitive Barracudas on my return to Lovers Bay.

Sheer Paradise.

Needless to say ... I went back there before I returned from my holiday.

Regards