Champagne Reef with Iries Tours

[Nebr.cruiser]

Has anyone used Irie Tours to go to Champagne Reef? We were in Dominica two years ago and did Levi's Rouseau Valley tour and loved it, but want to do something different this time.

 

Irie has quoted me as $20pp pick up and drop off at ship and $19pp for a guided snorkel tour at the reef, with equipment and fees included.

[cyberona]

We used Irie Safari iriesafari@cwdom.dm underwater@iriesafari.com last year for the second time and they were fantastic. Their cool looking dive shop is right on the beach at Champagne. They handle most of the tours to the reef and they really know every nook and cranny of the place.

Although they can take you straight to Champagne, we did a combination tour booked through them which included Ti Tou Gorge and Champagne. I think they call it the Reef to Rainforest tour. Great savings on this two in one tour (good for these trying times) and they can put together any of the popular tours on Dominica with Champagne as a combination. This way you get to see both aspects of Dominica which makes this island really worth seeing. Ti Tou gorge was cool but the snorkelling is just out of this world.

All of the guides are Divemasters, they have good equipment and our group had our own guide throughout.

Four of us snorkelled whilst my daughter and her boyfriend did a Discover Scuba course . We saw two huge turtles which really made our day . Our guide pointed out all the different fish and critters which meant that we also actually learnt something along the way.

Irie safari picked us up at the dock and we felt like VIP’s all day. A very professional operation.

[Nebr.cruiser]

Thanks! I think we will just do the snorkeling tour, as we did an extensive interior tour which included several falls, hot springs and Titou Gorge two years ago. That was a fantastic tour, but we didn't get to Champagne Reef, so we're looking forward to it this time.

[TIMETOGOAGAIN]

Four of us snorkelled whilst my daughter and her boyfriend did a Discover Scuba course . We saw two huge turtles which really made our day . Our guide pointed out all the different fish and critters which meant that we also actually learnt something along the way.

Irie safari picked us up at the dock and we felt like VIP’s all day. A very professional operation.

 

Thank you for your post. We were looking for something different than touring around the island as we have already been there and done that. Looking forward to a nice day swiming in Champagne.

[MartinsCruise]

We were there last week without a guide and the snorkeling was fantastic. We just walked in and swam out to explore the reef. It's very rocky so water shoes may help. We saw a lot of bubbles coming out of the bottom and many different varieties of fish. I only used my mask and snorkel and didn't have a problem.

 

Before that we went river tubing with Antours and that was a lot of fun. There was a lot of white water and I couldn't help but laugh out loud most of the way down the river. :D

[pjamk]

if you are just snorkeling you just need a ride back and forth its a few mile jaunt down the coast which can't be walked. it's $2-3 each to get in, equipment is available at the site. Its very rocky wear some neoprene socks, fins are desireable but I don't think they rent them. I snorkel vest is desireable the water there is fairly deep around the reefs

[retirepopo]

if you are just snorkeling you just need a ride back and forth its a few mile jaunt down the coast which can't be walked. it's $2-3 each to get in, equipment is available at the site. Its very rocky wear some neoprene socks, fins are desireable but I don't think they rent them. I snorkel vest is desireable the water there is fairly deep around the reefs

 

Is any public transportation to Champagne Beach?

Thanks

[CoralReef]

Is any public transportation to Champagne Beach?

Thanks

 

Yes, from the Old Market in Roseau, there is a public bus that goes to Soufriere (past Champagne Reef) for EC$3.50. Snorkeling will be another US$2 per person Marine Reserve fee, collected by the staff at Irie Safari.

[retirepopo]

Yes, from the Old Market in Roseau, there is a public bus that goes to Soufriere (past Champagne Reef) for EC$3.50. Snorkeling will be another US$2 per person Marine Reserve fee, collected by the staff at Irie Safari.

 

 

How far from the port to the Old Market? Can we walk there? Will the bus driver take US dollars? what is the bus number that goes to Soufriere?

Thank for the information.

[CoralReef]

How far from the port to the Old Market? Can we walk there? Will the bus driver take US dollars? what is the bus number that goes to Soufriere?

Thank for the information.

 

The Old Market is walking distance from the pier, to the right (south) a few blocks. It should be marked on the map in your ship's daily port information flyer, and is worth visiting as a tourist attraction in its own right.

 

Drivers usually take US dollars, but you will probably get your change in EC. These are not numbered buses on timed routes like in the US. Look for one with a "Soufriere" sign, or ask a driver. The bus will leave when it is stuffed with as many people as it will hold, not at a specific time.

 

Coming back, just stand on the side of the road and wave when you see the "Roseau" bus. (Or any bus for that matter, since any bus going north from that area should be heading to Roseau.)

[retirepopo]

The Old Market is walking distance from the pier, to the right (south) a few blocks. It should be marked on the map in your ship's daily port information flyer, and is worth visiting as a tourist attraction in its own right.

 

Drivers usually take US dollars, but you will probably get your change in EC. These are not numbered buses on timed routes like in the US. Look for one with a "Soufriere" sign, or ask a driver. The bus will leave when it is stuffed with as many people as it will hold, not at a specific time.

 

Coming back, just stand on the side of the road and wave when you see the "Roseau" bus. (Or any bus for that matter, since any bus going north from that area should be heading to Roseau.)

 

Thank very much for the information.

I think that is what we going to do, my husband and our friends just to go to a nice beach to snorkel and relax.

Thank again.

[Choozin Croozin]

We were there last week without a guide and the snorkeling was fantastic. We just walked in and swam out to explore the reef. It's very rocky so water shoes may help. We saw a lot of bubbles coming out of the bottom and many different varieties of fish. I only used my mask and snorkel and didn't have a problem.

 

Before that we went river tubing with Antours and that was a lot of fun. There was a lot of white water and I couldn't help but laugh out loud most of the way down the river. :D

 

I am interested in doing exactly what you did. Can you please answer a few questions for me?

 

-Did Antours pick you up from the ship, take you on their tubing tour and then drop you off at Champagne Reef? How did you get back to the ship?

-It appears that you could get hurt tubing but it looks like it is a lot of fun. Did you feel unsafe at all?

-I understand about the rocky part at Champagne Reef....are there ladders in the rocks to get in and out of the water though? (in Grand Cayman it was that way but they had ladders) if not, how how do you get out of the water?

 

Thank you for your help.

[mytime53]

-I understand about the rocky part at Champagne Reef....are there ladders in the rocks to get in and out of the water though? (in Grand Cayman it was that way but they had ladders) if not' date=' how how do you get out of the water?

.[/quote']

 

It's not deep; it's very gradual. At the place we went in, we could go quite a ways and only be up to our knees. Because the champagne bubbles made it difficult to see from above the water, I went prone as soon as it was deep enough.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We just did this last week with Iries tours. It is very rocky, and there is no ladder or pier--there is a boardwalk that edges the 'beach'. Our guide took us down to the end, beyond the boardwalk to enter the water.

 

He had us back into the water, (and he helped us), but I wasn't very comfortable doing it that way. After just a few feet we were able to lay prone and swim out farther.

 

We enjoyed the tour and had a guide just for us two. I agree that a guide isn't really necessary here, especially if you have snorkeled before and are a good swimmer. The water was quite calm with a small current farther out. The bubbles were neat and there were a lot of fish and some coral.

 

The guide did do a great job of pointing out different fish, sea creatures, plant life, corals, etc., that we might not have noticed or understood ourselves. I had my own mask and snorkel. My husband's, provided by Iries tours, didn't fit him well at all and he finally just gave up and floated around. (Note: this is not necessarily their fault; he is hard to fit.)

 

They have a small snack stand, shower for rinsing off and changing rooms. We were picked up right outside the port area for out tour. I'll see if I can attach a picture of the beach.

 

Sorry, the upload of the pictures failed and I can't figure out how to resize them.

[Dima17]

Do they offer life vests only for rent and if so, how much?

[Nebr.cruiser]

Our tour had vests for us, but didn't make us wear them. I assume that they will rent you life vests, but since we didn't need them I don't know for sure. I think you could email Iries tours and ask; they are very responsive to questions.

 

The man in charge even remembered that I was uncertain if we'd make the cruise because of my sister's health problems, and asked about her when we arrived at the reef.

[Choozin Croozin]

Ok, I think I get it now. It is a rocky shore, not big boulders that you have to climb down. :rolleyes: Thanks for the info, I appreciate it!!

[NnJ2010]

fyi since you were asking - here's my review from my cruise that ended on the 27th. (full review is on the celebrity board)

 

Dominica – Again – fantastic. Don’t miss. This was our first time to this island. It really is quite lovely. There is a lot of poverty but the scenery is stunning. I had emailed Clem Johnson of Irie Safari as we wanted to snorkel at champagne reef. And we decided to add on a tour to Titou Gorge. We waited at the pier for a while looking for a sign of anyone. (Directions were someone would pick us up with a sign with our names on it and would transport us out to champagne reef. But if no one was there to call his number or ask one of the local tour operators to call him as they know him). Well there was no one there. So we did ask another tour operator the first one didn’t know him but the second one who overheard us asking did know him. They arranged for one of the independent tour operators to conduct the tour as she has done tours with him before. Her name is: Isaline Carter and she was fantastic. She told us a lot about the island and was happy to answer any questions. She drove us out to Irie Safari at champagne reef. They have a snorkel area with equipment that you can rent, an outdoor place to shower off the salt water, bathroom facilities, and some food and beverage. Our package included equipment rental and a snorkel guide. She was fantastic. In the water it was great. Although it was a murky day as the water was somewhat rough. The ‘champagne’ portion is due to cracks in the sea floor where warmer water bubbles up. Swimming through those areas is kind of like swimming in a champagne glass. In addition there are some great coral reef structures with a lot of different types of coral. Sea life was fair as again due to visibility. They did say that the visibility is normally much better and a lot more to see. My only ‘complaint’ here is more a word of caution…and if you have researched this excursion option you are probably already aware of it. If you are snorkeling there from the shore, the entrance is very rough. It’s a rocky beach (not sand) and rough on the feet. So you need to wear your water shoes. However, in the water, especially if it is rough at all you need to wear flippers or you’ll tire out a lot more quickly. The folks who serve as the guides are very knowledgeable and good about knowing the water and the routine of when to get in when to get out, between which waves, etc. However, even following their guidance it is not easy. Getting in wasn’t too terrible. I opted to hold my flippers and was able to swim out. My husband had a bit more difficulty getting out as he’s not as strong of a swimmer. Coming out though, if you’re wearing your flippers you have to walk backwards. And walking across very uneven rocks (some that roll in the surf) with a strong tide, uphill, backwards was NOT easy and I had a fight for it. My husband had an easier time as while he is not a super strong swimmer he is in very good physical shape whereas, I’m not. I got dragged back out once and had to start over. I was shaking by the time I sat onshore out of the water. So if you’re a strong swimmer AND in very good shape, it will probably not be too bad for you. However, if you’re not, opt for snorkeling from a boat. That said, I’d still snorkel there, but I’d do it by boat OR only do it from shore on a very very mild day. It’s a shame though and I hope that maybe eventually they figure out a better entrance/exit into the water because the people who run Irie Safari were very nice friendly hardworking people. They had beverages and a plate of local food for us when we finished – fresh grapefruit segments, fried plantains and some veggies.

 

Next Isaline took us to Titou Gorge. This is deep in the interior of the island and is probably a good 45 minute drive up some windy roads. However, Isaline took it slow and easy and was a steady driver even on rough roads and chatted the whole time about the island and the people. Titou gorge is gorgeous. To truly appreciate it though you have to be willing to swim it. But it is cold water! Or as Isaline says – “refreshing”. J My husband had enough water at that point so I swam it by myself. There was a tour group there so I wasn’t totally alone. I don’t think I’d want to go in totally alone. But it was very neat and unique. A tall gorge with the water through the bottom, and a waterfall at the end. For those who have seen the Pirates of the Caribbean movie – you will recognize titou gorge, and other sights from Dominica!

 

Whatever tour you wish to take, think of booking directly with either Isaline (divinegrace1@hotmail.com) or with Clem Johnson .