Speyside
The island’s Atlantic coast tends to have the best of the coral, and those sites furthest away from mainland Venezuela and the mouth of the Orinoco River (which spews out extensive sedimentation) also have the clearest water, so Speyside wins on both counts. In addition, Goat Island and Little Tobago ensure that there are always calm waters here, whatever the wind direction. One of the biggest single attractions is the Caribbean’s largest brain coral, a giant at 15 feet wide.
Over on the Caribbean coast the currents are much more gentle, which makes wreck diving a viable prospect. The Maverick is a former passenger ferry, which was deliberately sunk off Mount Irvine in 100 feet of water back in 1997, since then it has steadily become a fertile ecosystem. Big schools of fish, and a real sense of mystery and adventure accompany entering the pilot deck and the cargo hold. The whole thing is covered in oysters, with lurking lobsters and moray eels.
The visibility on this south-westernmost shore may not be the best, but it has other advantages: it’s close to all the hotels, and the fish density here is second to none. Lots of groupers and grunts, scorpionfish and damselfish, and hanging barracuda, particularly on the Kariwak Reef. Plus manta rays at Stingray Alley. There’s also a very good chance of seeing sea turtles (hawksbill and leatherback), which go ashore here under cover of darkness to lay their eggs in the sand.
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