Arnos Vale

Arnos Vale is a sheltered bay on Tobago's northwest coast whose fringing reef has built up an exceptional population of large coral heads over decades of minimal fishing pressure. The reef runs from the shoreline out to 18 metres, with the shallowest section ideal for snorkelling and the deeper outer edge where large pelagics cruise. Atlantic spotted dolphins visit the bay in the early morning, and the site is one of the most reliable in the southern Caribbean for close-up encounters. Brain corals at Arnos Vale rival those at Buccoo — some specimens are among the largest living corals in the Atlantic — and sightings of sea horses, frogfish, and flying gurnard make it a favoured haunt for underwater photographers.