Your Guide to Diving Trinidad and Tobago

Diving Trinidad and Tobago Overview

Trinidad, the southernmost island in the Caribbean chain (it's actually south of Caracas) isn't for divers, but its smaller sister, Tobago, to the north is.. Diving from resort hotels along the southwest coast of Tobago is inferior to the diving to the north, where you'll find huge coral heads and good fish life, with mantas common in the spring. Strong currents and choppy water make this a place for experienced divers. In 1997 a woman lost contact with her dive boat and spent 27 hours in the water before washing ashore. Blue Waters Inn is one main dive hotel; it's situated on a nice beach about 15 minutes from all sites; Manta Lodge at Speyside is another option. Tobago is covered with rainforest and has good hiking, friendly people, and serene and beautiful beaches. Birding there is excellent (visit Bird Island offshore with a guide), but Trinidad's Asa Wright Nature Center (a small hotel with a view that's almost guaranteed to be filled with scores of tropical birds) is unparalleled, as is the lagoon trip to see 2000 scarlet ibis fly in from Venezuela each night. James Bond wrote Birds of the West Indies here and Ian Fleming borrowed the name for his 007 hero.

Trinidad and Tobago Seasonal Dive Planner

Temperatures remain mostly around 85°F (29°C) year-round. The rainy season is from May to December, interrupted by a short dry season in late September and October. A longer dry season occurs from January to May. The island is mainly out of the hurricane belt. There are strong currents and visibility can be affected by rainfall in Venezuela that flows out of the massive Orinoco River.

Diving Trinidad and Tobago Reader Reports and Feature Articles

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Latest Reader Reports from Trinidad and Tobago from the serious divers who read Undercurrent All Reader Reports from Trinidad and Tobago	All 10,000+ Reports
Blue Waters Dive'N/Blue Waters Inn Report in Trinidad and Tobago/Speyside Tobago "Tobago's Atlantic Side- Fishy & Current" filed Nov 29, 2019 by Jeanette Hartshorn (Experience: 501-1000 dives, 19 reports, Contributor )
Getting to Tobago from Port of Spain, Trinidad is a quick flight over, taking you to the SW end of the island. Getting to Speyside on ... ... Read more
Blue Water Dive'N Report in Trinidad and Tobago/Tobago "Finally Vibrant Coral" filed Nov 13, 2019 by Hal Shanis (Experience: 251-500 dives, 6 reports, Reviewer )
Most noteworthy about this dive location was the plentiful coral, which was breathtaking, in color, size, and variety. The colors range... ... Read more
Blue Water Inn Report in Trinidad and Tobago/Tobago - Speyside "Excellent" filed Aug 14, 2019 by John C Thomas (Experience: 251-500 dives)
All dives were drift dives - 65/75 minute duration. One day of diving was cancelled - the dive master's dad had passed away - it was t... ... Read more
Tobago Dive Experience/apt. in Scarborough Report in Trinidad and Tobago "Off the beaten path, but well worth getting to!" filed Feb 6, 2018 by Lisa Jabusch and Steve Nieters (Experience: 251-500 dives, 24 reports, Sr. Contributor )
Great dive operation - conscientious on checking nitrox fills, watching out for the less experienced divers, finding unique fish (flame... ... Read more
Blue Waters Dive'n Report in Trinidad and Tobago "The Good and the Bad (but fortunately no Ugly) on Tobago" filed Nov 1, 2017 by Gregory S. Yarnik (Experience: 251-500 dives, 8 reports, Sr. Reviewer )
[First the "bad" from my title - Tobago is a beautiful, verdantly-forested volcanic island only a few miles from Venezuela in the south... ... Read more

Editor's Book Picks for Scuba Diving Trinidad and Tobago

The books below are my favorites about diving in this part of the world All books are available at a significant discount from Amazon.com; just follow the links. -- BD

Travel Edition of Reef Fish Identification: Caribbean, Bahamas, South Florida
by Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach

Today's airline weight restrictions not only limit the amount of dive gear and cameras you can pack for overseas trips, but also those valuable prized marine life identification books. And with spotty Internet access overseas, it's not like you can look a critter of or fish up easily online. For the divers who still want a book in their hands post-dive to look up the fishes they encounter, Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach are offering "Travel Edition of Reef Fish Identification: Caribbean, Bahamas, South Florida." It's lightweight enough to thrown in your carry-on but rugged enough to withstand frequent saltwater washings on board.

Click here to buy it at Amazon.

World Atlas of Coral Reefs
by Mark D. Spalding, Corinna Ravilious, Edmund P. Green, United Nations World Conservation Monitoring Center.

If there is one book that belongs in every traveling diver's library, this is it. The superb World Atlas of Coral Reefs has everything you want to know about the reefs from Costa Rica and Cuba to the Coral Sea and Cayman. The information is specific and up to date. The photos, maps and layout superb. And the price, for this 424 page, full color, hard bound volume, is a steal at $31.50

The Atlas was released in September by the United Nations World Conservation Monitoring Center to document and conserve the world's coral reefs. Clearly written with divers in mind, it's an invaluable resource for global travelers. Here's what you'll find.

• 94 maps, including global maps of biodiversity and reef stresses, regional maps showing 3-D bathymetry and high resolution maps showing reefs, mangroves, population centers, dive centers and protected areas.
• 280 color photographs, showing reefs, wildlife, people and places, Including 84 photographs taken from space by Shuttle astronauts.
• Text explaining the formation, structure and ecology of coral reefs; their various uses and abuses at the hands of humans; and the techniques used in coral reef mapping.
• Detailed texts describing the distribution and status of coral reefs in every country.
• Data tables listing information on biodiversity, human use, and protected areas. These include statistics on coral reef area, biodiversity, fish consumption, and threats.

For example, you can learn about pollution damage to the reefs at Providenciales and the lack of human impact, as well. Or, where extensive bleaching took place in Honduras 1998. You'll read that Milne Bay in Papua New Guineas has the most extensive reef system in that country and where, in Fiji, the bumphead parrotfish and tridachna clams will not be found, thanks to overfishing. Order now.

The Reef Set: Reef Fish, Reef Creature and Reef Coral (3 Volumes):
Paul Humann ID Books
by Paul Humann, Ned Deloach

The three set fish, creature and coral ID books by Paul Humann are the unparalleled sources for information on Caribbean sea life and identification. Paul and his partner Ned Deloach recently released updated and expanded editions of each, with scores of new critters, even better photos, and information unavailable anywhere else. Why, the Reef Fish Identification book, at more than 500 pages, is 20 percent larger than the previous volume, which came out in 1994. Whenever I travel to the Caribbean, I tote all three books and spend my down hours figuring out what I saw and where to look to find rare creatures. Paul's splendid Reef Creature book (420 pages), covers sponges, nudibranchs, octopus, crustaceans, Christmas tree worms and plenty more. His Reef Coral ID book (276 pages) helps you identify all the hard and soft corals, spawning, and even the growth on top of corals, as well as algae and other plant life. Beginners may want to ID only fish, but I'd recommend that all three books be part of every diver's library. And, if you have an old set, by all means replace it. You'll be delighted at the additions and improvements. Each book normally retails for $40, but are discounted when you order here. And the boxed 3-volume set is available now at a bigger discount, up to 30%. Click below to buy them at Amazon:

* Reef Fish Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas,
* Reef Creature Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas, and
* Reef Coral Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas
* The Boxed Set of all three (you can save up to 30%)

A Guide to the Coral Reefs of the Caribbean
by Mark Spalding

This book doubles as a guide to the natural history of the coral reefs and a diver's travel guide. In addition to providing information about some of the most popular diving and snorkeling, it also offers practical suggestions to divers who want to protect these sites. Author Mark Spalding, a coral reef scientist who has worked on coral reefs in over thirty countries, delves into the eco-problems with a focus on what each person can do to protect the reefs. The guide section covers 35 dive destinations with key information on the reefs, marine parks, remote places, and unusual species as well as excellent maps and a photographic field guide of the marine flora and fauna.
Order Now at a reduced price of only $16.47.

There's a Cockroach in My Regulator
by Undercurrent

The Best of Undercurrent: Bizarre and Brilliant True Diving Tales from Thirty Years of Undercurrent.

Shipping now is our brand new, 240-page book filled with the best of the unusual, the entertaining, and the jaw dropping stories Undercurrent has published. They’re true, often unbelievable, and always fascinating. We’re offering it to you now for the special price of just $14.95.

Click here to order.

You might find some other books of interest in our Editor's Book Picks section.