North of Scarborough and northeast of Plymouth, the snorkeling at Arnos Vale Bay offers a scenic spur and groove reef in protected waters. This is a boat-accessed snorkeling site that provides access to scenic coral-covered boulders. There is both brain coral and star coral in these 5 to 20 foot deep waters. During an Arnos Vale snorkeling dive, you may encounter grunts, parrotfish, trunkfish, squid, damselfish barracuda, hawksbill turtles and spotted eagle rays. This dive site can be accessed from shore right from the beach and this is good for beginners. Stronger swimmers can head further out into the bay to nice coral formations, but you may encounter some strong currents. The dive site is located about 4 miles northwest of Scarborough.
The shallow water reefs surrounding Tobago are very popular for snorkeling. These water are filled with great diversity of reefs, rock pillars, wrecks and extravagant undersea gardens filled with giant sea fans, whips and plumes. The reefs are home to over 300 different species of coral including staghorn, elkhorn, fire coral, brain coral and starlet coral. There are giant tube sponges that also attract numerous angelfish. Generally, there are moderate to strong currents at most snorkeling dive sites, so there are few options for moored snorkeling dive boats.
When considering a Tobago snorkeling trip, keep in mind that, for the Caribbean, there is a shocking change in water temperature with season. February and March are known for the coldest water temperatures (as low as 68F). With the rainy season starting in June, the best months for snorkeling are late April and May.
To reach Tobago snorkeling by air from Europe, fly into Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson International Airport (TAB) in Crown Point on the southwest point.
To reach Tobago snorkeling by air from North America, fly into Piarco International Airport (POS) on Trinidad located southeast of Port Of Spain. There is a twice-a-day ferry service (4 hours) and seacat service (2 hours) between Trinadad and Tobago.
Overall, Arnos Vale Bay is the 3rd most popular snorkel dive spot of all 20 snorkeling dives in Tobago.
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For snorkeling at Arnos Vale Bay in Tobago, our printable snorkeling dive guides offers dive descriptions, maps, lodging suggestions, driving directions, levels of difficulty and points-of-contact.