Hi Katie
No, it’s not ideal but the more sheltered areas behind Buccoo Reef, off Pigeon Point and along the coast to Mr Irvine Bay are great for water sports. Yes, you have to be VERY careful of the coral – not just from an ecological point of view, but because crashing a Jet Ski or dinghy into coral could cause SERIOUS injury.
In fact, this reminds me of a little story.
I’ve been a motorcycle enthusiast for over 40 years, so jet skis have always been a natural attraction to me (although I get SO angry when the sport is practiced in an intrusive way and close to swimmers, etc). I used to be really good on them when I was a little younger. Trouble is, I have poor eyesight. Well, you obviously can’t Jet Ski with glasses on and I was too squeamish to wear contact lens.
Well, on a holiday in Barbados about 25 years ago (jet skis were very new on the scene then, as you can imagine), I hired one and went hurtling off (big show off!). I scorched around the bay for 20 minutes. With the spray and wind in my short-sighted eyes, I didn’t notice the change in colour of the water and was actually going over areas where the coral beds were just a foot or two below the surface. When I got back to shore, worn out but satisfied, the Jet Ski rental boy gave me hell, having warned me of the dangers before I started.
That night I woke up with nightmares, dreaming I was crashing on top of the coral. When I got back to the UK, the first thing I did was to make an appointment with an optician and get contact lens. Mind you, they’re not ideal in the water – the temptation to rub your eyes when you’ve just had a dousing is irresistible and if you do rub your eyes, chances are you will lose a lens. Mind you, I wore contacts for the best part of 20 years and never lost one, so I can’t complain. Now, false teeth - that’s a different story! (just kidding)
I’ve just noticed that your original question mentioned paragliding. My first reply was not totally correct. Nobody is doing paragliding on Tobago. I know somebody who took over a complete paragliding kit this year and hoped to do a deal with one of the local operators, but nobody was interested. I don’t really know why. Maybe they think that the winds are TOO strong. That can happen.
I went paragliding in the Seychelles once. Had a great “flight”. However, half an hour later the boat broke down while towing a lady around the bay. The wind was strong and the parachute became a kite, so the lady stayed in the air. She was too scared to hit the release button and float down into the bay. I think she was in the air for 15-20 minutes. They tried pulling her in, but the force was just too much for the two guys in the boat. Eventually one of them climbed up the rope, hand over hand. It was totally amazing to watch. I wonder what state his hands and arms would be the next day? The combined weight of the two of them brought the parachute pretty low to the water and once he got to her, he was able to hit the release. He dropped about 10 metres into the water. Wow, that was some site. I bet that lady never goes paragliding again.
This year I noticed kite surfers on the island for the first time. They operate off Pigeon Point and on the Atlantic Coast at Rockly Bay. Boy, can they shift!
