Caribbean · Trinidad and Tobago
Tobago — Speyside & the Sisters Rocks
Giant brain corals on current-fed reefs, and schooling hammerheads at the Sisters
Photo: Darren Obbard · CC BY 4.0
Speyside is a village on Tobago with some of the island's best coral reefs just offshore. Boats work the current-swept reefs of Little Tobago and Goat Island, including Kelleston Drain and its giant brain corals, and run further out to St. Giles and to the pinnacles of the Sisters, where scalloped hammerheads school from October to May. Most dives sit between 5 and 40 m.
About diving in Tobago — Speyside & the Sisters Rocks
Speyside is the departure point for Little Tobago, a small island 3 km (1.8 miles) east of the village, and Goat Island lies directly opposite Speyside and Tyrrel's Bay, with reefs off both. The offshore trips go to the Sisters, 2.5 km (1.5 miles) off the north coast, and to St. Giles, each a morning boat ride from Speyside with two tank dives on site and a minimum of four divers. Those trips depend on the weather, and the surface conditions off Speyside can be very rough.
The water off Little Tobago moves. On its southern side the current is strong and carries a high load of nutrients, which feeds the massive brain coral colonies along with barrel sponges, sea whips and gorgonians. Off Goat Island, divers drifting on from Japanese Gardens pass through Kamikazee Cut to a sheltered spot with resident nurse sharks, and the cleaning stations on Angel Reef hold cleaner shrimp at work on parrotfish, butterflyfish and angelfish. At the Sisters, sharks, barracudas and mantas cruise past the steep walls on the northern and western sides.
The coast suits intermediate divers who are at ease in current and want coral and pelagic fish from the same base. Northern Speyside is generally intermediate diving, and the strongest sites ask for more: Bookends can only be descended in favourable conditions, and the Sisters and St. Giles usually need an experienced or advanced diver. Angel Reef is the gentle exception, with a quiet current and good visibility for photographers, and it is just as popular at night.
Best time to dive Tobago — Speyside & the Sisters Rocks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime |
The year at Speyside turns on two migrations and one wet season. Scalloped hammerheads arrive at the Sisters in October and stay until May. Black jacks school at Black Jack Hole from May to July, so May carries both. July to November are the wettest months, with heavy, frequent rain, and that overlaps the hammerheads' first two months. December to May brings the sharks outside the wettest months. The offshore trips run only in suitable weather.
Dive types & marine life
Scalloped hammerheads school at the Sisters from October to May, a reliable migration rather than a chance sighting. Black jacks gather in large schools at Black Jack Hole from May to July. Nurse sharks, jacks and barracudas are common sightings on the current-swept sites, and a manta ray is a chance sighting.
- Reef
- Wall
- Drift
- Hammerheads
- Reef sharks
- Trevally & jacks
- Barracuda
Best dive sites in Tobago — Speyside & the Sisters Rocks
- 1
Kelleston Drain
Current-fed reef off Little Tobago with brain corals up to 5 m (15 ft) across
- 2
The Sisters
Pinnacles off the north coast, with shallower reef sites on the eastern side for less experienced divers
- 3
Black Jack Hole
Sloping reef with overhangs and ledges from 10 to 40 m, named for its black jack schools
- 4
Japanese Gardens
Goat Island slope of organ pipe corals and barrel sponges, often dived as a drift
- 5
Bookends
Two pinnacles breaking the surface form an amphitheatre; turbulent current, advanced only
- 6
Angel Reef
Shallow reef sheltered on the west side of Goat Island, with calmer water
- 7
St. Giles
Seabird-nesting island on a weather-dependent morning two-tank trip, for experienced divers
Site guides
Reef
The sheltered, quiet-water reef behind Goat Island
Reef
Schools of black jacks gather here from May to July
Reef
Drift on through Kamikazee Cut to a sheltered nook of resident nurse sharks
Reef
Brain coral colonies up to 5 m (15 ft) across
Pinnacle
Schooling scalloped hammerheads from October to May
How to get to Tobago — Speyside & the Sisters Rocks
A.N.R. Robinson International Airport at Crown Point, on the south-west end of Tobago and 10 km west of Scarborough, is the island's only international airport. Diving on Tobago is centred at Speyside, almost diametrically across the island and reached along the Windward Road. A shop elsewhere on the island also runs surcharged charters to Speyside and the Sisters for four or more divers.
Dive videos
Tobago Diving Overview · Caradonna Adventures on YouTube
Scuba Diving in Tobago 1280x720 · Undersea Tobago Ltd on YouTube
Questions divers ask
When are hammerheads seen at the Sisters?+
Large schools of scalloped hammerheads come to the Sisters between October and May. The trip runs only in suitable weather and needs at least four divers.
What certification is needed for the Sisters and St. Giles?+
These offshore dives usually require an experienced or advanced diver. The pinnacles at the Sisters go past 40 m (140 ft) and the surface conditions can be very rough.
Are the currents strong at Speyside?+
On the southern side of Little Tobago, yes: Kelleston Drain and Black Jack Hole are swept by strong currents, and Japanese Gardens is often a drift. Angel Reef, sheltered behind Goat Island, has calmer water.
How do divers get to Speyside?+
Flights land at A.N.R. Robinson International Airport at Crown Point, on the south-west end of the island, almost diametrically across Tobago from Speyside. The village is linked to the rest of the island by the Windward Road.
Sources
- A Complete Guide to Diving in Tobago — DIVEIN
- Dive | Tobago Dive Experience — Tobago Dive Experience
- Undersea Tobago Rates — Undersea Tobago
- Speyside, Trinidad and Tobago — Wikipedia
- Tobago — Wikivoyage
- Tobago — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- A cluster of about a dozen ochre-yellow tube sponges on a rocky reef, with pale yellow fan-shaped growths beside them. by Darren Obbard, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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