The best diving of Tobago?
Most traveler's familiarity ends within yards of the cruise ship disembarkation pier. For every 1ooo "divers" who visit Tobago, 950 only dive with the day-dive and other South end operations.
The reef there is near the main population center, but due to the pervasive currents (as invisible as they may seem on most Southern sites), the reef is in surprisingly good condition.
It is, alas, the big city- such as it is. This is where you go if you want access to the younger party scene.
In life, and on any island, crime is where you look for it, and it's easier to look for it in population centers that have a lot of tourist money. That would be the Southern tip of Tobago, where you fly-in to the airport. It is by no means crime-ridden, just take what I said for what it is.
Side note: Trinidad (the other island) is largely a rat hole, a step worse than Nassau, right in there with (the non resort enclaves) of Jamaica. Still, way better than Haiti.
Crime (and people) are harder to locate the further North that you go on the island of Tobago. As the road wends along the Eastern (Atlantic) side, you encounter a couple of other smaller centers.
At the Northern tip, a pleasant 2 hour drive (much quicker if you're in a transport taxi), you reach Speyside. Just over the ridgeline to the West (Caribbean) side is Charlottesville.
If Speyside is the boondocks, Charlottesville is the suburbs.
The Blue Waters Inn is my favorite place to stay. I think their dive operation is mechanically first rate, but still have recent reports confirming my past experiences that their staff still gear the operation to the casual visiting diver. It is dead quiet, and the bulk of the tourists are British Birders, which are the antithesis of most any scuba diver, but somehow they don't seem to fight or inter-breed, so the week usually goes on without trouble.
Understand that most dive ops there are on the European system, where you must sign up for the day's dives, even at a resort. If they offer three boat trips in a day, it's going to be a hump to do all three. Snack food is all you can wolf down for lunch, the SI is long enough to change tanks and crew, you have to run to your room, etc. Rarely are there two tank boat dives, but the guys I go with make that happen.
I prefer the dive op at Manta Lodge or my personal favorite, RedMan (I hope he's still at it!). Manta Lodge itself is just too confined and noisy for me. There are some nice guest houses along the "main drag" of Speyside. Stay where you want, dive with whomever you wish.
This isn't Cozumel, Sparky. This is some of the twitchiest diving you can find in the Caribbean, it is an excellent preparation of the Galapogos.
Most dive ops will not take you to the truly fast water, certainly not on day 1, but then some dive ops will never take you to the wild rides, not unless you cause a fuss.
Not all of the dives are Mr. Toads Wild Ride, but suffice to say there will be noticeable current on every dive, or at least parts of them. If you believe you have the skills, and only you will drown if you don't, ask them to work you up to African Express, Washing Machine and Heart Attack.
Even the "world's largest Brain Coral" (and I believe that claim to be true) will require some mid-level dive skills to negotiate the complete tour. That and Japanese Gardens.
There is a lot to see while driving around, and this is one of the few islands I highly recommend renting a Samurai for the week. One caveat: when you arrive, it is likely a night time drive and it will be on mountainous roads. Don't drive like you're in a rush. 2nd and 3rd gear will just be fine or they'll be scraping you off the cliffside in the next few days.
The roads are generally perfect as Trinidad is rich in the stuff that makes asphalt, but reflectors and striping are another story- that and the horses that are tied up with just enough rope to become invisble on the roads at night. Kind of like the donkeys in Bonaire only if you hit one of these Tobago horses, the French ex-pats will be eating well tonight.
Have a Hot Roti for lunch.