Tobago Cays

12° 37 N 061° 21 W

There are four islands that make up the Tobago Cays. The clear water and shallow reefs are home to many different kinds of sea life. The crabs scurry along the sand just before the reef beckoning at us to come and see their reef. The reef is mainly very shallow and there are twisted paths between the coral that you have to find, and then glide your way through. Within a distance of six metres from breathing in deep breaths, so you don't brush against the coral, you are in water thirty metres deep. I have never known an increase in depth in such a short time. Suddenly you feel you have to hold on to something. A black tipped reef shark zooms past your face with only one or two metres to spare. As you start swimming down to fifteen metres everything starts getting darker and darker, at the bottom you see nurse sharks circling around you. You start heading for the surface and everything starts getting lighter and within a period of 20 seconds you break the surface of the water to get a breath of air. (Liz)