Tobago in February - Recommendations Please

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mantajohn

Contributor
Messages
267
Reaction score
61
Location
Newbury, UK
# of dives
500 - 999
i'm thinking of a trip to Tobago next February with my non diving wife.

The diving looks great, but i would appreciate suggestions for which dive centre to use & also hotels/resorts that would be good for a non diver seeking a weeks chilling in comfort.

How is security in Tobago? An OP asked about this in a recent thread - but most of the replies were about Trinidad instead. We don't get much coverage of Tobago over here - so all info most welcome.

Thanks
 
mantajohn,
not sure the value of my comments since I have not been to Tobago since 1994 but here they are. I found the people to be the friendliest of any Island I have been to (have been Bonaire, Bequia,Jamaica,Cozumel, yucatan coast, virgin Gorda and Barbados ) liked the island more than any other. did not enjoy the diving however. very important to find an operator you're comfortable with. i was there in febuary and the diving was more difficult than i was prepared for. i haven't been back only cause I find the diving in Bonaire to be far easier and relaxing otherwise I think Tobago is far superior for my kind of vacation. At the time Tobago was by far the safest island I had visited.
Hoping you get more up to date info but I would not hesitate to go especially if you are into nature stuff.
I stayed in Charlotteville which was kind of out the way, and stayed at Man-O-War Bay Cottages. Have heard the cottages are not what they use to be. But it was the a great vacation .
wish i was more current.
enjoy and looking forward to finding out about your trip.
 
Call John at World of Watersports. He was an instructor in the UK, We went with his agency on a January cruise stop and he was great to work with,
 
I rented a house in Charlotteville but the Blue Waters Inn in Speyside looked like a nice place to stay, it was nearby. The diving was good but not exceptional, but I loved the island and the people. We dove with Redman who is quite the character.
Didn't have a problem with any crime when I was there other than one random guy tried to act like he was the gas station attendant and get money from me for gas but it was pretty obvious he didn't work there and the real attendant chased him off.
My report is here
 
We are also looking into Tobago this fall.Looking for dive info on the north side vs the south side.Looks pretty interesting.Any opinions welcome.Thanks,Kirk
 
Hi MJ,

We're also planning a trip to Trini for Carnival next February. Going to spend a few days in Tobago and I'm just beginning to do some research of my own on dive ops and spots. We're a group of 3 divers; what days will you be there?
 
We stayed at Manta Lodge in Speyside three years ago and had a great time, the diving was great, but expect big currents. February would be a good time to go. For none diving the wildlife is exceptional we had roof terrace and every morning had coffee on the roof and watched the thousand of frigate birds fly over and the herons in front of the hotel. The walks in the area are great and so many different birds. Never ever felt threatened or worried, it seemed a very safe place. We went over to Little Tobago and saw lots of great critters. Diving we saw 1 manta ray and lots of Nurse Sharks, Turtles and the usual Angelfish etc. Speyside is the area for the best diving.

Blue Waters Inn also looked good. I would watch out for the weather later in the year as the whole island is covered by rain forest.
 
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The best diving of Tobago?

Most traveler's familiarity ends within yards of the cruise ship disembarkation pier. For every 1ooo "divers" who visit Tobago, 950 only dive with the day-dive and other South end operations.

The reef there is near the main population center, but due to the pervasive currents (as invisible as they may seem on most Southern sites), the reef is in surprisingly good condition.

It is, alas, the big city- such as it is. This is where you go if you want access to the younger party scene.

In life, and on any island, crime is where you look for it, and it's easier to look for it in population centers that have a lot of tourist money. That would be the Southern tip of Tobago, where you fly-in to the airport. It is by no means crime-ridden, just take what I said for what it is.

Side note: Trinidad (the other island) is largely a rat hole, a step worse than Nassau, right in there with (the non resort enclaves) of Jamaica. Still, way better than Haiti.

Crime (and people) are harder to locate the further North that you go on the island of Tobago. As the road wends along the Eastern (Atlantic) side, you encounter a couple of other smaller centers.

At the Northern tip, a pleasant 2 hour drive (much quicker if you're in a transport taxi), you reach Speyside. Just over the ridgeline to the West (Caribbean) side is Charlottesville.

If Speyside is the boondocks, Charlottesville is the suburbs.

The Blue Waters Inn is my favorite place to stay. I think their dive operation is mechanically first rate, but still have recent reports confirming my past experiences that their staff still gear the operation to the casual visiting diver. It is dead quiet, and the bulk of the tourists are British Birders, which are the antithesis of most any scuba diver, but somehow they don't seem to fight or inter-breed, so the week usually goes on without trouble.

Understand that most dive ops there are on the European system, where you must sign up for the day's dives, even at a resort. If they offer three boat trips in a day, it's going to be a hump to do all three. Snack food is all you can wolf down for lunch, the SI is long enough to change tanks and crew, you have to run to your room, etc. Rarely are there two tank boat dives, but the guys I go with make that happen.

I prefer the dive op at Manta Lodge or my personal favorite, RedMan (I hope he's still at it!). Manta Lodge itself is just too confined and noisy for me. There are some nice guest houses along the "main drag" of Speyside. Stay where you want, dive with whomever you wish.

This isn't Cozumel, Sparky. This is some of the twitchiest diving you can find in the Caribbean, it is an excellent preparation of the Galapogos.

Most dive ops will not take you to the truly fast water, certainly not on day 1, but then some dive ops will never take you to the wild rides, not unless you cause a fuss.

Not all of the dives are Mr. Toads Wild Ride, but suffice to say there will be noticeable current on every dive, or at least parts of them. If you believe you have the skills, and only you will drown if you don't, ask them to work you up to African Express, Washing Machine and Heart Attack.

Even the "world's largest Brain Coral" (and I believe that claim to be true) will require some mid-level dive skills to negotiate the complete tour. That and Japanese Gardens.

There is a lot to see while driving around, and this is one of the few islands I highly recommend renting a Samurai for the week. One caveat: when you arrive, it is likely a night time drive and it will be on mountainous roads. Don't drive like you're in a rush. 2nd and 3rd gear will just be fine or they'll be scraping you off the cliffside in the next few days.

The roads are generally perfect as Trinidad is rich in the stuff that makes asphalt, but reflectors and striping are another story- that and the horses that are tied up with just enough rope to become invisble on the roads at night. Kind of like the donkeys in Bonaire only if you hit one of these Tobago horses, the French ex-pats will be eating well tonight.

Have a Hot Roti for lunch.
 
Doc, what kind of skills do you need for this kind of diving. I'm from the puget sound area, so we don't do a lot of drift diving, but rather try to hit the slack. Do you have to deal with upcurrents/downcurrents? I guess I'm just asking what are the challenges, so I can prepare. The diving really sounds awesome.
 
Doc, what kind of skills do you need for this kind of diving...

Good question. My son has trouble equalizing sometimes and needs to go down the anchor line slowly so drift dives are usually no-go for us. We've been working on his technique and he's getting better, but just how strong are the currents on the northern end of Tobago? Also, is the southern end of the island worth diving at all (where currents are supposedly milder)?
 
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