Glass-bottom boats leave from the jetty, heading for Goat Island and Little Tobago. The village beach behind them is just a narrow strip of grey sand. Speyside is the island's diving centre, and what matters lies offshore.
- north-east of Scarborough
- 26 km
- by boat to Little Tobago
- about 20 minutes
- Coast
- Atlantic side
South of Little Tobago, at the Kelleston Drain dive site, sits a brain coral that Guinness lists as the largest colony of its kind, about three metres high and five metres across. discovertnt is more cautious and calls it the largest in the Caribbean. The 2024 bleaching hit it too. On the edge of Goat Island lie the Japanese Gardens, with vase sponges, damselfish and sea turtles.
Sir William Ingram bought Little Tobago in 1908 as a bird sanctuary. After his death his heirs handed the island to the government in 1924. Red-billed tropicbirds breed there today. The boat takes about 20 minutes according to BBC Wildlife, there are no facilities on land, and you only go ashore with an authorised guide. Sources disagree on the best months: BBC Wildlife suggests January to May, discovertnt April to September, because the sea can get rough from October to March.
Getting there, sleeping, diving
- Getting there
- Along Windward Road; according to Wikipedia Speyside lies 26 kilometres north-east of Scarborough. The village is on the Atlantic side, English Wikipedia wrongly places it on the leeward coast.
- Sleeping
- According to Wikipedia several hotels and inns plus one resort, Blue Waters Inn. Which places our booking partner lists here is on the accommodation page.
- Eating
- Jemma's Treehouse Kitchen by the village beach, which also had toilets according to discovertnt (as of 2018).
- Diving
- Kelleston Drain, Japanese Gardens and Angel Reef off Goat Island. According to the island government THA there was a decompression chamber at the hospital in Roxborough (as of 2022).
- Swimming
- Reefs and islands keep the waves down. Batteaux Bay can only be reached through Blue Waters Inn. Sargassum often washes up here, and in 2025 a UNDP and Japan programme brought a 1,000-metre barrier and a boat with a conveyor belt. Ask locally what the beach is like right now.
- Population
- In the 2011 census the community named Speyside has only 18 people, its neighbours Lucy Vale 408 and Top Hill 616. So the statistics cut the village differently from everyday life; Wikipedia gives 1,100 people from the 2000 census.
- Not to be confused
- Speyside and Little Tobago belong to Tobago. The Tobago Cays are in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Our tipThere are no facilities on Little Tobago. Take enough to drink and carry your rubbish back to the boat.
Speyside: frequently asked questions
How do you get from Speyside to Little Tobago?
By boat from Speyside, in about 20 minutes according to BBC Wildlife; glass-bottom boats go across as well. There are no facilities on Little Tobago, and you only go ashore with an authorised guide.
Is Speyside on the Caribbean or the Atlantic side?
Speyside is on the Atlantic (windward) side in the north-east of Tobago. English Wikipedia places it on the leeward coast, which is a mistake.
What is the giant brain coral near Speyside?
At the Kelleston Drain dive site south of Little Tobago sits a brain coral that Guinness lists as the largest colony of its kind, about three metres high and five metres across. It was also affected by the 2024 bleaching.
How many people live in Speyside?
That is hard to say. The CSO community called Speyside counted only 18 people in the 2011 census and does not match the village; English Wikipedia gives 1,100 people from the 2000 census.