Click NEXT to see how 13 divers fell in love with this surprising Caribbean island.
Donald SandersBest Macro
by Donald Sanders
Best Macro (Rare)
by Linda Judiesch
Doug WitmerBest in Show
by Doug Witmer
The Maverick wreck is Tobago’s most requested dive. Purpose-sunk in 1997, it’s encrusted in soft corals and hydroids, and packed to the holds with fish.
Divers are a strange bunch: We see water, we automatically assume it can be dived. So it came as no surprise that, on our nondiving day, Wilk brought along his camera and housing (along with several lens options) for a trip to Argyle Falls, in the hope that he could snorkel the surface for a couple of outstanding over/under shots. Argyle Falls is breathtaking and photogenic, even without the novelty of an over/under. There are three levels of falls in the middle of pristine rainforest, a short walk from the visitor center. The water is a stunning turquoise, but we failed to predict its clarity. So while Wilk came away with stunning images of one of Tobago’s true landmarks, he had to settle for taking those photos on land.
A curious spotted moray at mount Irvine Wall.
Orange elephant-ear sponges stand out on a Speyside reef otherwise dominated by blues, yellows and greens.
Be prepared to photograph big animals and small on virtually every dive in Tobago.
Wilk got close to shoot the nurse shark under a ledge.
A French angelfish poses in front of sponges at Coral Gardens.
Strong currents at Japanese Gardens have sculpted the massive barrel sponges, some of which are more than 10 feet tall.
Bookends is home to beautiful brain corals.
And brain corals are home to critters like this spinyhead blenny.
Want so learn how to shoot underwater photography? Join Sport Diver on our next safari.
With renowned underwater photographer Keri Wilk, Sport Diver led 11 guests on the Tobago Photo Safari, a seven-day trip to uncover this remarkable island. Our first three days were spent in the south, diving sites such as Dutchman’s Reef — home to funky-looking short-lipped batfish and tiny torpedo rays — and southern Tobago’s most famous site, the Maverick wreck. Then we headed north — stopping along the way to buy every piece of delicious bread from local favorite Brebs Bakery — for four days at boutique Blue Waters Inn in Speyside. There, crisp mornings on the dive boat morphed into lazy afternoons in paradise. The secret was out, and nobody wanted to go home.
The Tobago Photo Safari wasn’t just fun and games. Armed with DC1400 cameras (loaned by Sealife to each participant), by day the guests would shoot hundreds of images under the watchful eye of photo pro Keri Wilk; at night they sat for interactive seminars, during which he taught them creative lighting techniques like “black backgrounds” and “motion blur.” At the end of the week, the images were judged, and the winners took home amazing Sealife prizes. Want alerts for our next photo safari? Email us and we'll add you to the list.
Want more? Diver's Guide to Tobago | Trinidad & Tobago Destination Guide
