Unlike other Caribbean islands that have big developments catering to tourists, Tobago seems almost untouched by the huge hotel conglomerates that often clutter beachfronts. This was one of two reasons why I had come. The other was to see the “Nylon Pool,” just off the coast of Tobago’s Pigeon Point, and probably the liveliest beach in the southwest of the island. Wondrous Nylon Pool is a crystal-clear span of water offshore, almost like a natural swimming pool amidst tropical fish and a coral reef.

Ecotourism is growing significantly on this little island in the southeast West Indies, part of the nation of Trinidad and Tobago. About 50,000 lucky people call this paradise home. Tobago is only 26 miles (42 km) long and 6.2 miles (10 km) wide. From my hotel, I could walk to Store Bay, where glass-bottomed boats leave for the reef. Although it only took about 20 minutes, in the Caribbean heat, it felt like an hour in the desert!

About 50,000 people call Tobago home.

At the bay, there was a sudden rush of touts stating prices of the tickets to go on the two-and-a-half-hour trip, each slicing an extra bit of his price to cut a deal with me. For a moment, I felt overwhelmed, but once I realized the operators just try to outbid each other and are harmless enough, I wised up and began to haggle over the price with them.

Getting into the boat turned out to be a bit of an ordeal. I waded into water up to my knees to get to the entry steps, which constantly move with the tumble of the waves. The boat owner had a couple of employees aiding the passengers to their seats. Finally I sat, scrunched between fellow tourists on the wooden seating around the enclosed glass bottom of the boat. You can look directly down into the water to see the spectacular views of corals and other sea life. But I felt somewhat claustrophobic and jumped at the chance to ride on the roof of the boat. It was flat and not exactly made to carry passengers, but there were railings for safety. The views were spectacular and there was a fresh breeze.

As we pulled away from Store Bay, the sea got bluer and deeper. From the roof, I could see clumps of darkness in the seabed where the coral reefs were and the smoky, shadows of schools of fish moving through the waters. The coast of Tobago, with white sands and green palm trees grew smaller and smaller.