Tobago Next Month

[Mr T.]

The wife and I are off to Tobago next month for a two week diving gig. Never been before, so I'm looking forward to something new and exciting.

I've done a lot of checking (both with divers who've been, and on the Web) on the dive sites to be found and there are tons. The Capital of the island is Scarborough, so if anyone ask me 'Where are you going for your Hols this year?', I can honestly say 'Scarborough'!

Alas, Tobago is not, yet, blessed with many wrecks (my passion). At last count is has one diveable and one that's pretty flattened in the sea-lanes and with very fast currents at this time of year.

The other wreck is that of the 'Maverick': a former roll-on-roll-off ferry that used to ply the waters between Tobago and her sister island of Trinidad. She was completely cleaned and 'rigged for diving' i.e. had some decent size plates removed for easier access and penetration.

She's 390 feet long (let's rock!) and was put down deliberately in 1997. She's already become an established artificial reef and can now boast a resident, five-foot long Jewfish. She's in water that's 35/40 metres to the sand.

Because of her depth and size, we aim to do about 4 day dives on her and then a couple of night dives.

Because of where the island of Tobago lies (just Nor-Nor-East of Trinidad, which in turn lies Nor-Nor-East of Venezuela), the island is 'washed' by the Orinocco Flow coming off the South American continent from the river of that name.

This up-welling of nutrients results in some spectacular hard coral growth and massive pelagics. Indeed, the world's largest out-crop of Brain Coral (I'm looking at a picture of a diver hovering over it as I write, and this thing's the size of a 3-bedroomed house!) resides just off the Southwest corner of the islette of Little Tobago, at a dive site called 'Kelleston Drain'.

So, I'll be posting a full report (hopefully with pictures) on our return. And if anyone is interested, I can either post here (or off-line, if you'd prefer) dive reports on the virgin dive environment of Oman, 'bounce-diving' to 45 metres  with Hammerheads, Bronze-whalers, Zambezi/Bull, Guitar & Angel Sharks in South Africa/Mozambique, a two-week wreck tour of the Bahamas, Ozz, NZ, Red Sea and the Maldives.....and Trearddur Bay! Either way, let me know, it all adds to the flavour.

Cheers,

[Davey Willo]

Bah!! he's only been ere 24 hours and I already hate him with a passion....

Only joking Bren  :biggrin: :biggrin:

Get those trip reports and piccy's up as soon as you like me ol'mate, personally I'm already looking forward to them, Altho I'll be slagging you off with words like You lucky b*stard!! as I peruse your uploadings... Jealousy is such an ugly emotion!!!!  ;)

Dave.