Flying Reef

Flying Reef is a submerged ridge running roughly north to south off the southwest tip of Tobago, rising to within 5 metres of the surface before dropping away to a sand shelf at 25 metres. The top of the reef is carpeted with massive star and brain corals — several specimens exceed 3 metres in diameter and are estimated to be over 300 years old — while the flanks are draped in yellow tube sponges and branching sea fans. The site earned its name from the manta rays that appear from April through June, gliding along the ridge edge in the current with their cephalic fins spread wide. Eagle rays hunt the sand channel to the east year-round, and large shoals of blue-striped grunt and French grunt shelter under the coral heads throughout the day.