Snorkel· Tobago· Windward Islands
Arnos Vale Reef Snorkel
11° 13.7′ N · 60° 46.0′ W · approximate
Often called Tobago's best snorkelling beach: the reef starts right off the sand in sheltered Arnos Vale Bay, with healthy coral, moray eels, squid, barracuda, stingrays and turtles.
Practical
Position is a point in Arnos Vale Bay about 80 m off the OpenStreetMap coastline, near the NGA GeoNames position for the bay (11.22794, -60.76603) (approx). Rough Guides and Discover T&T both rate the snorkelling among the island's best, and Responsible Travel calls it one of the most sheltered spots. DAN divers recorded 20-65 ft, stingrays, barracudas, morays and sea turtles; it is also a turtle-nesting beach. The Arnos Vale Hotel behind the beach is closed and decaying, and Rough Guides reports robberies on the secluded beach, so go by boat or with a group: many day cruises stop here to snorkel. No cruising-guide anchoring notes were found; if you visit from a yacht, treat it as a settled-weather lunch stop and anchor only on sand. Within the Scarborough clearance zone (west of Castara).
Best for
Some of Tobago's best shore-reef snorkelling, by boat
Season
Settled trades; avoid north swell
Nearby
- Adventure Farm and Nature Reserve (hummingbirds)0.5 NM away
- Fort James (Plymouth)1 NM away
- Turtle Beach Leatherback Nesting1 NM away
- Great Courland Bay Beach (Turtle Beach)1.1 NM away
- Great Courland Bay Anchorage (Plymouth)1.2 NM away
- Fort Bennett (Black Rock)1.7 NM away
- Grafton Caledonia Bird Sanctuary1.7 NM away
- Seahorse Inn (Grafton Beach)1.9 NM away