The euphoria of scuba diving in the little Caribbean island of Tobago is little known by the rest of the world. The appearance of whale sharks, those peaceful mammals which feed on small fish and other tiny animals however, has been creating a tourist diving boom in the past ten years. The sleepy fishing village of Speyside in North East Tobago has become the best diving haven in the Caribbean for the more adventurous diver, whilst the Southwest of the island has much more easy diving for the more casual diver. Both the Manta rays and whale sharks are frequently seen from December to June. April and May however have been termed as 'manta madness”, although the elusive mantas are not seen in large numbers as before. While the tourists also love the manta rays, there are those who have remarked that for them, the whale shark is the “real sensation.” “Mantas you can see all over the world” they say, “but whale sharks are rare.”
There are divers who have dived for as much as 20 years and have never encountered a whale shark. Whale sharks of 40 to 55ft.are rare in the area however. The average length of those seen has been just around 25 feet, and some tourists venture to ride both on the sharks and the manta rays. Manta Lodge and The Manta Dive Center are among the big dive shops on the sunny Caribbean island. Dive operators issue strict warnings against touching or riding both the whale sharks and the mantas. This practice is extremely harmful to these beautiful creatures.
