myTobago – your questions, review and comment about Tobago

I am just starting to plan for a week diving vacation and i am wondering about the water conditions in July, visability, current, chop etc. Also i would so prefer to only go with a very small dive group. I am thinking about a dive package perhaps, unless it's too dodgy with the weather to count on diving every day. I am bringing my son who is also a diver so i am looking for budget/nice accomodation. Any ideas???

hi maggie

diving is year round on tobago but there are distinct "seasons". in july we tend to be more noticably affected by the guyana current which washes a lot of fresh (rain) water out of s.america. this reduces visibility, especially in the south. however, you would be very unlucky to experience "low" visibility for the duration of your vacation, merely less than usual - say 50 ft and a bit more on the best days. the plus side of this outflow is that the water is very nutrient loaded.

again, on the south, theres a peculiar failure of the fresh and salt water to mix and the result is a weird situation where the top 15-20 ft is kinda white or really pale blue and you can see very little and then suddenly you break through this layer and all is back to normal. handy as a visual reference for your safety stops though!

july is wet season on tobago and from time to time the winds do pick up, inducing surface chop. to be honest though, thats a year round thing!! currents are not, in my opinion, any different throughout the year and in any event, the operators would not be taking divers to sites that were becoming unpredictable or dangerous.

wind is the limiting factor with regards to diving every day, i've not known it to happen but no guarantees im afraid.

in the north (speyside etc) all bets are off as the sites there tend to be deeper, less affected by outflow from the land and the water seems to drop a lot of the particulate by the time it gets up there. dont recall many (any?) bad dives up there whatever the time of year.

its unusual to experience really big groups when diving tobago. most shops operate the local pirogues which carry a limited number of divers anyhow but july is reasonably quiet in respect of visitors and most shops would be able to accomodate your itinary i would think.

with regard to accomodation, my advice would be to decide the area in which you wanted to stay and then start by checking the reviews etc on here.

regards
paul

Hi Maggie,

It's so good to hear that you are going to the most beautiful island in the Carribean. I am very jealous.....
I can agree with Paul. I have just returned to the UK having spent the last year in Tobago. Doing what I love most and that's diving.
You hear many things about the diving in Tobago. Some say the currents are too strong, some say the vis is not constantly clear. Yes, these can be true. BUT... please do not be put off.
The diving companies over there are all very experienced in what they do. There are plenty of dive sites for you and your son that you will both love, there are great drift dives, deep dives and a fantastic wreck dive. You have the Atlantic and the Carribean to chose from. Trust me they wont take you to a site where the swells have come in and churned everything up. I also want to add, that when the vis isn't that great, the fish come out to play. It's like a feeding frenzy. You will I am sure love it.
The dive operator I used was R & Sea Divers. There office is based at the Toucan Inn, about 5 mins from the airport.They can arrange packages with diving and accomodation.
The team are fantastic. They have a pirogue boat called Stonecutter, They have a policy of never overloading the guests on the boat . They usually will not take anymore than 8, that includes the DM or Instructor. They always send a DM or Inst out with you. Safety is a big thing with these guys. They also try to vary the sites so that you dont do the same one twice!!!
Wendy who is one of the directors who has so so much knowledge of this island. will answer any e mail request and they will sort out accomodation too if you require it. If you are doing a diving package, I know she is able to get discount on accomodation, at very reasonable rates.
The Toucan Inn or Bonkers as it is also known, is a lovely place, with a swimming pool, restaurant and bar. It is located perfectly as you have the beaches within a very short walkiing distance. Have a look at their site or, look at the acc forum on this site.
There is also Douglas Appts. A locally run business. Joanne the owner is always happy to help. You feel like part of the family but have ur own privacy too. They too have a swimming pool and are close to everthing. I know that R & Sea Divers place guests there too, As that is where I have stayed in the past.

Good luck and have fun. I know that is never in doubt.
PS can I come in ur suitcase? PLEEEEEEEEEEASE.

hi maggie, we have just returned from a fortnight in tobago, staying at the crown point beach hotel ( self catering ) perfect in every way, this is a friendly hotel about 2 minutes walk from crown point airport, air conditioned bedroom and daily cleaning service, there is a local store to the right of the hotel which can supply you with all basic foods, or there is a restaurant in the hotel which is reasonably priced. This is a functional and very reasonably priced hotel with every room overlooking the carribean sea, plus a beautiful swimming pool and friendly staff.

I don't know if you have already left, but if you are looking for a "small group"diving experience, you should contact Stu at caribstu. He is a dive guide who guides very small groups. I went with 3 dice buddies a few months ago, and we had a great experience

Hi Maggie
Just return from diving Speyside with Caribstu 25 June to 3 July diving was great but viz was not but saying that I can recomend Stuart (was a little bit worried when he put two wet suits on when water was about 28 deg but then he is a soft southerner brought up on jellied eels )
Anyway diving Speyside was great plenty of coral, sealife etc but shame about viz

Just to rub it in Martin, the viz this week (10th to 17th July) in Speyside has been clear blue about 100 foot! Not joking! Normal for October to April but unusual for this time of year, seems it was just the two weeks you were here mate that we had that lovely Stoney Cove viz, just to make you feel especially at home. Re-assuringly i'm still wearing two wetsuits!

Cheers Mate! the southern softie brought up on jellied eels & cockles.

Stu