Weird and Wonderful Underwater Sights
The lovely little island of Tobago is gaining popularity as a world-class dive site as divers flock here for the chance to swim and interact with monster manta rays in waters where visibility can reach 150 feet on a good day. “Expect the unexpected,” they’ll tell you, and your expectations will still be surpassed: A dozen or so giant manta rays measuring from 6 to 10 feet across live in the Batteaux Bay area, some staying year-round because of the thick clouds of plankton, on which they and myriad other creatures feed.
Some divers may have to settle for a sighting of these graceful, majestic creatures, but most will be able to interact. The friendly mantas encourage divers to hold on for a free ride, returning to them time and again – a practice that once earned them the nickname ‘Tobago taxis.” Today’s more sensitive approach is to interact by merely swimming in their magical presence. Tobago, Trinidad’s sleepy country cousin, is one of those diving destinations that can reward topside curiosity as well. Its Amazon-type forests are some of the oldest protected on our planet.
