Dive Review of Blue Waters Dive'n in
Trinidad and Tobago

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Blue Waters Dive'n: "The Good and the Bad (but fortunately no Ugly) on Tobago", Aug, 2017, by Gregory S. Yarnik, IL, US ( Sr. Reviewer 8 reports with 7 Helpful votes). Report 9940 has 5 Helpful votes.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	[First the "bad" from my title - Tobago is a beautiful, verdantly-forested volcanic island only a few miles from Venezuela in the southern Caribbean. It has very little in the way of standard tourist infrastructure (a good thing!!), possessing both topside beauty (it has the oldest protected rain forest in the Western Hemisphere, having been set aside by the Brits, who governed until 1963, in 1776) and a healthy UW environment. In that respect it is comparable in geography, infrastructure and its economy to the island of Dominica. Unfortunately, it was next to impossible to get to even from one of the busiest airports on the planet (Chicago O'Hare). We flew United to Houston for one layover and then to Port of Spain, Trinidad (the larger, more urban and developed "sister" island to Tobago), and then finally flew Caribbean Air for the final leg to Tobago. It took 17+ hours to the island and 28 hours back to O'Hare (yes, we could have gone to Australia or the South Pacific in less time). Once we arrived and got settled in at the Blue Waters Inn in Speyside, on the far northern tip of the island, the long trip was forgotten. The Inn is showing signs of aging and could use a good sprucing up, but staff were very accommodating and willing to assist as necessary. Rooms were fairly non-descript but the air conditioning and hot water pressure worked just fine (as it was 90+ degrees every day). The on-site bar and restaurant were fine, serving mostly a local clientele and European tourists. There were only 4 or 5 American visitors during our 8-day stay. The Blue Waters Dive'n shop is located just down the house beach from the Inn and it does a very nice job promoting Tobago's woefully under-advertised UW environment. You are diving the Atlantic-side of the island here and as I note above, currents and surges can get extremely strong at a moment's notice. Divemasters Kiki and Joel do a terrific job of monitoring their clients under sometimes stressful conditions as well as pointing out critters and photo opportunities. They have plenty of good quality rental gear (we brought our own)and normally use a brand-new Newton dive boat, but it was in port for repairs during our visit. The UW environment is surprisingly healthy and lush; surprising maybe because it doesn't get publicized like a Bonaire or Little Cayman. If you can withstand the travel, it is worth it to dive this island. Strong Atlantic currents sometimes attract sharks, spotted eagle rays and huge turtles. Grouper, tarpon and the usual reef fish teem the local reefs which are no more than a 10 to 15 minute boat ride from the resort jetty. Surface intervals are completed at the resort due to the close proximity of the diving. The reefs are healthy and colorful, with both hard and soft corals and macro-invertebrates galore. With the ripping currents we experienced, however, it was often difficult to settle or hover to view critters for anything longer than a passing glance. In summary, Tobago is an under-publicized gem of an island and if you can withstand the travel time, is well worth a visit for both the diving and topside adventure. ]
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Kona, Little/Grand Cayman, Belize, Turks & Caicos, Bonaire, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Anguilla, Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Roatan, Utila, Dominica
Closest Airport	ANR Robinson Int'l Airport	Getting There	No direct flights from Chicago - took 17 hours from O'Hare to get there and 28 hours to get home, with stops in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Houston, TX both ways.(flew United Airlines)
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas	choppy, surge, currents
Water Temp	83-86°F / 28-30°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-75 Ft/ 15-23 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	You are diving the Atlantic Ocean side of Tobago at Blue Waters Inn and it is not for the faint of heart. Ripping currents and strong surges every day made for difficult boat entries and physically difficult UW navigation at times. ]
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[The resort's 40+ foot long Newton twin-engine dive boat was unfortunately in dry-dock for repairs while we were there in August, 2017. They contracted with a local captain who did terrific work under difficult conditions, but the boat was woefully undersized and not outfitted for multiple divers, and especially not for UW photography. Blue Waters Dive'n, however, did a good job under trying circumstances to be extra helpful and make the most of a less-than-ideal situation. ]

Report currently has 5 Helpful votes

Subscriber's Comments

By Brian Carloss in GA, US at Dec 14, 2017 10:36 EST

Very informative review. Thanks for taking the time to share.

By report author: Gregory S. Yarnik in IL, US at Dec 14, 2017 16:47 EST

No worries, Brian - glad you found it useful. My wife liked it so much she's willing to overlook all the travel hassles and go back in 2018.

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Dive Review of Blue Waters Dive'n in Trinidad and Tobago

Blue Waters Dive'n: "The Good and the Bad (but fortunately no Ugly) on Tobago", Aug, 2017,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Blue Waters Dive'n in
Trinidad and Tobago