Beaches of Tobago

Dr Anjani Ganase checks the health of beaches around Tobago. We are fortunate, she believes, that significant areas of the edge between land and sea remain undisturbed. But we also need to be mindful of how buildings and other structures can alter beach habitats. (All photos courtesy Anjani Ganase)

Beaches are areas of dynamic interaction between the ocean and the land. Ocean current, wind and waves erode rock and coral skeletons to produce sand that washes ashore. Not all beaches are sandy. Sometimes, beaches are pebbly or composed of coral rubble. We can tell a lot about our beaches and their surroundings from the sand. The colour of the particles and the sizes tell us about the marine habitats as well as the type of rock our islands are made from. Black sand beaches are formed from the erosion of volcanic rock, while white sand beaches come from the breakdown of corals, but there are green and pink sand beaches as well.

Beaches are important unique ecosystems with a lot of marine critters that actually live within the sand. They support sand dune vegetation, but can also be associated with mangrove and salt marshes as well as seagrasses and coral reefs.

 

 Pigeon Point is part of the Buccoo Reef Marine Protected Area. Its beach health should be protected from whatever will impact the vegetation and marine organisms. Parties and other activities take a toll on the health of this beach.

It is important to maintain beach health and “leaving a beach alone” can do much of that. One of the major forms of beach degradation is pollution, from the contaminated discharge of rivers or pipelines in the bays. Chemical pollution will kill native marine plant and animal life and vegetation, while litter becomes hazardous to sea birds and nesting turtles. The other major factor that degrades beaches is large-scale erosion and habitat degradation as result of physical alterations of the beach area; often caused by human activities. The removal of vegetation at the back of the beach can de-stabilise the sand structure and allow the sand to blow away. The placement of physical structures and driving on the beach can compact and alter sand distribution, which often results in downstream beach erosion. Permanent structures impact the habitat used by coastal plants and animals.

 

Englishman's Bay: picture perfect and seemingly untouched, it's the favourite of hundreds of beach-goers. It nestles in lush rainforest that secludes the beach from the rest of the world. Not much has changed at Englishman’s bay and the stability on the beach does not require alterations.

Construction and land clearing may also alter the sand composition with the addition of finer grain land sediment; this can have serious consequences on the marine invertebrates that live in the sand and churn and aerate the sand. Sea-level rise threatens to increase beach erosion, especially during severe storm events when the surge water can push farther inland and inundate beach and back beach area, as well as remove and destabilise the sand structure. Beaches should be allowed to recover following large storm events once the marine conditions return to normal and sediment transport is maintained. If any restoration is to be considered, careful analysis should be done to ensure that there are no permanent changes to the dynamics of the beach. Often beach nourishment which replaces eroded sand following a severe weather event, is enough and permanent hard structures that can  have long-term unintended impacts and mar the beauty of the beach may be avoided. We have to remember that beaches have been formed over thousands of years, and will continue to change.

 

Batteaux Bay in Speyside along the Atlantic Coast is regularly inundated by massive amounts of Sargassum.  This ocean vegetation can decay and degrade the quality of sand and water.

Man-o-War Bay lies on northeast Tobago. The beaches in the bay are undisturbed for the most part; but the beach at Charlotteville is impacted by pollution and run off of fine sediment from land.

Tobago is fortunate to have over forty beaches around the island, and every beach is uniquely formed by the marine environment. Many beaches along the Caribbean coast are nestled in the base of the Main Ridge which creates a cooler climate for tropical beaches, especially in the mornings. In southwest Tobago, the beaches are the sunnier picture postcard Caribbean beach. 

Turtle Beach is a main turtle-nesting beach in Tobago. No one should be allowed to drive or park on beaches. Care must be taken to avoid destroying nests through compaction of the sand or the addition of structures on the beach that cause beach erosion and also hinder turtles on the beach.

Let’s explore some of Tobago’s beaches. When you visit, check the health of the beach. Are there sources of pollution? How does the sand feel? Are there signs of erosion? Most of all, enjoy the unique features of this edge that exists between ocean and land!

 

First and last: Store bay is Tobago’s most popular beach. This beach is just 200 m in length but packed with visitors. Its proximity to the airport encourages the first and final dips on the island