We SAILED to Tobago Cays 🪸🐢🐠 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

We set out from union island and headed across to Tobago Cays
This has been a bucket list destination for quite some time. We have always been fascinated by the incredible blue water, reef and being able to swim with the elusive turtles we’ve been trying to catch a glimpse of since arriving in the Caribbean Sea.
We always thought people’s videos were obviously very over edited because the colours were way too bright and blue.
Welll… as we sailed towards Tobago Cays the colours started to change, it had us all hanging over the side of Saoirse catching a glimpse of the suddenly turquoise water. Little did we know what we were in for when we dropped anchor and had a look around at this incredible island paradise. The water was crystal clear, and an unbelievable turquoise that you didn’t look real, I kept reaching to take my sunglasses off in the effort to make sure i
Was seeing the true colours but I wasn’t wearing any sunglasses.
Trying to get video of this amazing destination was hard because we constantly felt like we needed to adjust settings to bring down the saturation but it wasn’t the settings of the camera it was just what was actually in-front of us.
Tobago Cays is located in Saint Vincent and grenadines. It is part of the tobago cays marine park.
It is home to a series of globally significant habitats including coral reefs, sea turtle nesting sites and feeding areas, aswell as small systems of mangroves.
The only thing protecting this area is the horse shoe reef that surrounds the islands. That is the only form of protection between tobago keys and the North West coast of Africa. I think that is pretty incredible. You are able to anchor on the windward side of the cays because of the protection from the coral reef. It is still bumpy and the wind still howls that side but it is so worth it for the view.
We took shelter behind Petite Bateau because there was some swell and wind coming through. There was also a massive amount of yachts on the other side of the park. We picked up a beautiful and new mooring ball. We were told that they were 3 weeks old. We guess this came into effect around the same time the fees went up over new years.
We took the dingy across to Baradal , it is known for the turtle sightings and it is cordoned off by bouys around the south side of the island.
There is growing evidence that this ecosystem is being affected by non-sustainable use and natural environmental impacts. Significant sources of "natural" threats to corals are storm damage and white band disease and bleaching.
The impacts associated with visiting yachts are anchor damage to sea grass and coral aswell as yachts running aground, snorkeling and diving, and bilge and wastewater discharge from yachts.
We noticed while we we in the park and snorkelling the lack of knowledge people have about the coral eco systems. While we were snorkeling we saw Many people stand on the coral aswell as touch it.
There has been a recent uproar about the Tobago Cays marine park because of the increase in marine park fees. You used to be able to anchor for free and only pay per person but now they charge you for anchoring too. There is no aproblem with charging to be in a marine park especially one as beautiful as tobago cays but maybe putting some money back into pamphlets that are given out to visiting yachts on how to protect the marine park and it’s eco system would help enlighten people about how to treat it.
Our stay in Tobago Cays was nothing short of magical. We hope to head back there again.
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[@lamachhorne9043]

Hello there Saoirse! First, let me thank you for showcasing my beautiful home on your channel! I'm particularly impressed by the fact that you've not only shared your touristic experience, but also highlighted some of the issues that has adversely affected tourism in our country for many years. Much more can and should be done to protect and conserve our little slice of paradise. Far too long, foreigners have enjoyed too many 'freedoms' in our country and it has stunted the growth of our tourism and economy as a whole. I've lived on several continents and tourism in these larger territories is better marketed and well-priced. There's absolutely NOTHING free where tourism is concerned. Tourist come from countries with stronger currencies and much larger economies, and what they spend in SVG is considerably less than what I spend in their country as tourist, for the same or a lesser experience. I hope SVG remains on your bucket list and you encourage many others to visit!

[@theunisia6378]

Now this is truly the most spectacular and beautiful place I have ever seen! Wow 🤩! Well done with this amazing video Teags♥️

[@teaganzastron3102]

Thank you T ❤❤❤

[@ZeroDot42]

Wow,wow WOW!! ,absolutely beautiful ...thanks you for sharing this beautiful place and your experiences😁

[@SailingSaoirse22]

It was just the most amazing few days!!

[@kptbillburkett8735]

Thank You for a Great video. All I can say is WOW! You can't get that close to Turtles here in Hawaii. It is wale season here now. And at night We can hear them from our lanai. Ok Thank You Again for a Great video and until next time . Aloha from the Big Island of Hawaii! Aloha

[@SailingSaoirse22]

Hi there, and thanks for that. Whales are one of our favorite sea creatures. It must be amazing listening to them at night😳. I have never heard that before. They are strangely magical creatures, aren't they? Somehow, you would imagine swimming with turtles or any sea creature, for that matter, would be so easy in Hawaii 😄 based purely on what we see on TV or documentaries, along with the whole mystique of Hawaii 😉🙂. It's a dream to also swim with a whale shark (not quite a whale but still magical) one day.

[@mikeferguson2828]

Nice video. The turtles are the best. In early morning dives you can often find then tucked under rocks as they sleep at the bottom for 5 hours or so. That’s a breath hold !

[@sailingcalypso]

It’s a special place, your drone shots are spectacular.

[@SailingSaoirse22]

Thanks so much. I'm guessing your experience e there was equally special. Would love to go back there one day.🤞

[@philbertfrederick4776]

Tobago Cays and the rest of the Grenadines are beautiful and so is that lady that was videotaping, U R very gorgeous. I am glad you all enjoyed St.Vincent and Grenadines's. Viewing from NYC. Thanks for the vid.

[@virevolte]

Magnifique !

[@ZeroDot42]

Hey don't knock us men ,we need our coffee 😂😂😂 waiting for the kettle to boil ,can be a life time ....that's why we get our better halfs to make it ...🤣🤣

[@juicysa8786]

Ahahaha zolbos breath holding practice in our pool really payed off 😂

[@Wayneleclus]

Wow this was awesome to watch, thanks for sharing all these videos.

[@SailingSaoirse22]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Klee344]

🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹

[@sailingwithjacq]

Hi you all…seriously Tobago Cays it was also my favourite place to visit and we had been there several times with our guests on board. I think we must have been there around the same time as You all. Your underwater videos are fantastic as are the once a shore. I am still getting the hang of it trying to swim under water and videoing too. Cheers to you all. Jacq and Käpt’n Dave.

[@SailingSaoirse22]

We love it there, we wish we could have stopped on our way back down South but time didn’t allow us 😭 our underwater video disappointed us so much! All of our GoPro’s broke before we got to the one place we needed them the most 🤪 we had to use an old camera which didn’t show the incredible clarity of the water unfortunately. Something we’ve learnt with videoing underwater is spend an extra 10 seconds videoing what you are trying to capture, often times we video something and the last 5 seconds of what we are trying to capture is just us fumbling around with the camera 🤭 Thank you for the comment 🙌🏼⛵️

[@sailingwithjacq]

@@SailingSaoirse22 I truly think your underwater videos are fantastic. I would be thrilled if mine would be like that! Would never have guessed you had “fumbling” issues,smiles. I know that water there is absolutely so clear and blue.

[@karlmueller9768]

Love your videos.stay safe.

[@SailingSaoirse22]

Thanks so much Karl🙂

[@debraduplessis3064]

Nothing to be said except---wowwww

[@SailingSaoirse22]

Isn't it just incredible Debbie? Just the most beautiful 3 days ever!!

[@debraduplessis3064]

Living vicariously through you all.....

[@moses910]

U all go all over with that boat, wat country you from? How big is that boat and price??

[@SailingSaoirse22]

We are from South Africa and the boatbis 38' long. 🙂

[@moses910]

@@SailingSaoirse22 wow... that boat accommodates plenty persons I see... is it a live in boat?

[@sxmNice]

The reef is bleached 😢 In 2008 was my 1st time in the Tobago Cays, the corals were much more colorful. There was storm damage to the reef. Much better snorkling can be found in the Mayreau Gardens, just in the back of the anchorage. Going back there in a few weeks 😊

[@SailingSaoirse22]

Because it is our first time in the Caribbean, we have loved it all but we have also seen big differences between different areas. Some look very damaged and sad. Coral reefs when healthy, must really be something to see. Enjoy your time here when you return.

[@amccann99]

Any worries about being so close to Venezuela? Looks like plenty of other sailors there.

[@SailingSaoirse22]

Hi Alex, there are a lot of sailors there and historically no piracy recorded as far as I know. There are other areas that you would generally stay away from due to the proximity to Venezuela tho. It's mostly under control at the moment.

[@MrGazzbazz]

Why do you fly the Q flag with the courtesy flag after checking in?

[@SailingSaoirse22]

No, we usually take the Q flag down right after the check in, I think that short video clip was taken before we had checked in. Some people also only fly the Q flag and put their courtesy flag up after checking in, but we put it up when we enter the waters of the new country at the same time as the Q. Apparently, either way is acceptable.

[@MobileNonSparky]

I have been a diver for over 10 years, and you are harassing turtles. When they have to change their direction because you are in their way, if they don’t surface to breathe because you are above them, you are too close. Please stop harassing them!

[@SailingSaoirse22]

Thanks so much for the info👍🏼 we will definitely remember that and will take a wide berth when swimming with them next time 😊

[@Wolf-xu1fj]

I am sorry, I couldn’t listen to the Australian accent , I stopped 4 minutes in, it’s like you guys are trying to imitate a frog

[@SailingSaoirse22]

We are so sorry that our SOUTH AFRICAN accent is hard to understand. Unfortunately we aren’t imitating anything, that is just how we speak.