Man Friday Diving, Man-O-War Cottages, July, 1994. "Charlotteville is a remote fishing village located in the tropical rain forest at the northern tip of Tobago. Man-O-War Cottages is at the Bay's edge in a luscious tropical garden, part of a defunct 1000-acre cocoa plantation. There are six rental units of varying size, one to four bedrooms, with prices ranging from $50 to $140/day, and a 15 percent tax. The units were reasonably clean and adequate, but not luxurious. Bedrooms are cooled by oscillating fans, which were also adequate. Excellent support services are provided by owner Pat Turpin. A small, well-stocked commissary is located on the grounds, from which food staples can be purchased at reasonable prices. The locals of the village, which is just a few minutes' walk away, are religious and, for the most part, are friendly and trustworthy. . . . Man Friday Diving is a minute's walk down the beach. The dive shop is newly constructed and offers showers, gear lockers, rinse tanks, and a full line of rental gear, as well as diving instruction. Diving is from an open 28-foot seaworthy boat. The normal routine is two single tank dives per day, one at 9:20 A.M. and the second at 2 P.M. The first four dives cost $25, all subsequent dives are $30. The owner and head divemaster are Danes, assisted by a native divemaster and a boatman. Most dive sites are large rocks or small islands located a few miles offshore, often in steep seas, and in currents of varying velocities: not the place for timid or inexperienced divers. The boatman follows a float. Water entry is by backroll off the rail; reboard the boat is by removing one's gear and flippering over the rail. There is no oxygen or radio on the dive boat (oxygen is in the shop) and the nearest decompression chamber is on Trinidad. . . . Corals are plentiful and luxuriant, as is the population of reef fishes and creatures. The best diving and clearest water is March-May, when the plankton blooms and the mantas come to feed. . . . . Two hour ride over the mountainous coastal road from the airport can be a terrifying, especially at night. Take a taxi at $40 and have your car delivered the next day ($50/day). No radio, TV, or telephone in the cottages, so bring plenty to read. The Man-O-War Bay Cottages does not accept plastic: dive shop does, but adds a 5 percent surcharge. Adapt to and use the limited facilities of this small. . . . A place where a person can safely do an old-time, laid-back dive vacation on a remote Caribbean island and still have pure running water, flush toilets, reliable electricity, and friendly, honest locals." Brooks W. Martyn, West Granby, CT

Tobago Dive Experience, Manta Lodge, June, 1995. "The Manta Lodge in Speyside had been open for a couple of weeks. The general manager, Mike Nolan and his staff were friendly and always willing to provide assistance. When I arrived at the airport, some of my luggage was missing. Mike continually checked on my luggage and due to his experience in dealing with customs and the airlines, I found it easier to retrieve my luggage. (BWIA will reimburse you for cab expenditures to pick up luggage in transit to Tobago). . . . Tobago is hilly. If you rent a car/jeep, use extreme caution in driving on narrow hilly roads with limited visibility. . . . Diving: Five minute walk from the Manta Lodge to the dive boat. Since there is no dock, entry to the dive boat is from the water via boat ladder. You assist in loading and unloading your dive gear. Drift diving was done from pirogues. Boat trips to dive sites usually took 10­15 minutes. The crew, usually consisting of the boat driver and divemaster, assisted divers with their gear. Dive entry was a backroll off the side of the boat. Seas were rough, since I did all my diving on the Atlantic side of the island. Speyside has the best diving and is home to mantas. Visibility was a maximum of 75 feet (water 75 to 80). At Kelleston Drain, I saw three large manta rays. On various dives I saw large brain coral formations, large grouper and barracuda. My one night dive was a shore dive (max. depth of 40 feet) with Blue Waters Inn. Saw a bright orange octopus, a couple of lobsters and some neat coral formations." Edward Leibowitz, Tersor City, NJ

Copyright 1996 by DSDL, Inc., publishers of Undercurrent. All rights reserved. No portions of this report may be reproduced in any way, including photocopying and electronic data storage, without prior written permission from the publisher. For more information, contact DSDL, Inc., P.O. Box 1658, Sausalito, CA 94966.