Diving in Dominica

[marcia014]

Has anyone been on the Certified 2-Tank dive on Dominica lately (in the past 3-4 months or so)? I will be on Carnival Destiny on 11/14 and wondered who the ship uses for their dive company. If so, what were your experiences?

Marcia

[twomikea]

We try never to use the ship group dive. How many dives have you logged?

 

We dove with Nature Island Dive and they are great. They are always my first choice - especially for experienced divers. They are a 15-20 minute drive south of town and sit on the premier dive sites on the island -

"The Caribbean's "Nature Island, " Dominica offers an enticing variety of underwater environments and topside activities. Look for evidence of the island's volcanic origins in the submerged crater and gas vents of Soufriere Bay."

 

Nature Island Dive :D is located in the small fishing village of Soufriere, which is in the very heart of the Soufriere-Scotts Head Marine Reserve. Our location is one of the key elements in making it possible for us to offer a diverse menu of adventure activities.

 

Directly in front of the dive shop is the Soufriere Bay in which lies Dominica's best diving and snorkeling. In less than 10 minutes our dive boats can be moored on over 20 excellent dive sites. The bay also offers a calm and beautiful setting for various kayaking excursions. Behind the dive center, the Soufriere Valley has excellent mountain biking trails and outstanding hiking.

 

The Soufriere/Scotts Head Marine Reserve has some of the island's best and most dramatic dive sites. There is an amazing diversity of sites and each site has an equally diverse selection of marine life. The volcanic history of the island has left a dramatic mark with tall mountains, steep cliffs and soaring peaks. This topography continues underwater and results in truly spectacular walls, pinnacles and reefs.

http://www.natureislanddive.com/index.html

 

 

 

Dive Dominica, Anchorage Hotel & Dive Centre and Dive Castaways are the main ones in town. I see a new one on the island main website:

http://www.dominica.dm

Al Dive & W.A.T.E.R. Sports

http://www.aldive.com/

www.anchoragehotel.dm

www.castlecomfortdivelodge.com

www.castaways-dominica.com

[marcia014]

Hi Neighbors!

I have very few dives logged. I have been certified for 15 years, and have only been diving on cruise vacations, so I only have about 5 (five) total dives logged. I am a solo diver, so I try to choose the ship dives as it gives me a better sense of security when I am going alone. Thanks for your response!

Marcia in Denton

[twomikea]

Hi yourself, neighbor!

 

What a beautiful day this has been. Reminds me of Dominica! Warm steady rain - we've almost 2 inches in south Arlington today.

 

It makes sense what you say with so few dives spread out for so long. I think I went from 1963-1992 with less than 50. But my wife has discovered diving so now we are in the 400-500 range. We do use cruising to sample islands, however (along with lots of trips to Coz, Cayman, and others).

 

I would still contact Nature Island Dive - you will love them. Just ask what they have planned for the day and let them know your needs. They will honestly direct you. On this small island there are close connections between the dive shops. I'm sure they know who has your ship contract.

 

From:

www.divernet.com/travel/1000dominica.htm

 

A few years ago he had never heard of it - now he can't get enough of it. An unspoilt Caribbean island with abundant marine life has worked its spell on John Liddiard

 

Through the window of the Liat turboprop, it is plain to see that Dominica is unlike most Caribbean islands. Steep mountains covered in virgin rainforest ascend into patches of cloud. The only flat land in sight is the small airport runway. It looks more like Papua New Guinea than any island of the West Indies.

Transferring by minibus to the hotel, a narrow winding road traces storming river valleys and rapids high up through the mountains. Dominica has a river for every day of the year, and numerous waterfalls. The highest mountain reaches 1450m. This is the windward Atlantic side of the island, where rainfall is highest. Everything is lush and green. In valleys wide enough for agriculture, small banana and pineapple plantations fill the strips between river and mountainside.

 

Leaving the valley, the road begins a tight zigzag up the side of a mountain and over to the Caribbean side of the island. The descent is even hairier. Nearing the west coast, the forest becomes dryer and less luscious, shadowed from rainfall by the mountains. I am captivated by the scenery and I haven't even been diving yet. It's easy to understand how the name "Nature's Island" arose.

I have travelled a lot and am probably less geographically challenged than most, but I must confess that it was only a few years ago that I realised Dominica existed.

I know that smacks of the explorer who says he has discovered this wonderful new land and plans to call it Australia or whatever. "What do you mean, discovered? We've known it was here all along!" replies the aborigine.

For most divers, however, Dominica is undiscovered. It's not as if diving in Dominica is primitive; a number of fully equipped and well-organised dive centres cater for a moderate flow of tourist-divers. It's just that most of us never really noticed it was there.

A confusion of names with the Dominican Republic is partly to blame, so let's get this straight. Dominica (pronounced Dom-in-ee-ca) is a small mountainous member of the Windward Islands of the Caribbean, and has nothing to do with the Dominican Republic, a much larger Caribbean state that shares an island with Haiti.

 

Perhaps we can thank this confusion for helping to preserve Dominica from the excesses of exploitation and over-development. Its rainforests have never been cleared for timber or replaced with sugar plantations. Among Dominicans of African and European decent, Carib Indians maintain their own culture. The tourist industry is still in its infancy and, as it grows, it is hoped that it can avoid the sort of mistakes made by more developed tourist destinations.

 

Our itinerary worked from north to south on the leeward west coast as each dive centre took its turn to host us. Our first dive to the north was OK but nothing special, just average reef at 27 to 30m. Perhaps my disappointment arose because I went in with a wide-angle lens on my camera and a preconception of vertical walls and clear waters.

The next few dives were on the central area. Visibility was again slightly less than I would have expected for a tropical dive, but when I saw the richness of the marine life, fed by the nutrients washing into the sea from Dominica's many rivers, this was easily forgiven.

There are none of the limestone ridges, grooves and spurs normally associated with coral reefs. The underlying rock structure is volcanic, and there are jumbled piles of giant boulders, craggy buttresses and overhanging ledges. All the usual corals are there in well-known shapes and sizes, but the richness of the water also maintains a gorgeous array of sponges, in colours ranging from grey to orange to bright yellow.

 

My favourite dive site on this stretch of coast was Coral Gardens, though "boulder gardens with coral and sponges growing all over" would describe it better. Between the corals and sponges, every nook and cranny hosted interesting macro life. Shrimps and arrow crabs were everywhere. Featherstars and bristleworms crawled over the sponges. Again I was reminded of Papua New Guinea.

On a deeper dive at Nose Reef I saw a forest of some of the biggest barrel sponges I have ever seen. The reef might well be called after the huge overhanging nasal projection at one corner in the wall, unless perhaps a local dive instructor lent it his name.

Other dives I made in this area were on sites named Brain Coral and Rena's Hole, both pretty dives from 22m up to 12m or so, with coral and sponge-covered ridges of rock and dark sandy patches between. The hole at Rena's is a short tunnel through an outcrop of reef.

Midweek, we had the chance of a night dive. My usual preference is for diving just before dusk, to catch all the frantic last-minute action before the fish settle down for the night, but that night's dive off Sibouli was completely black.

I started slightly sceptical but the dive turned out to be very rewarding. Within minutes the first octopus was spotted slithering across the dark volcanic seabed, and by the end of the dive I had seen five of them. I spotted a pair of flying gurnards resting on the sand, a small member of the pufferfish family resting half-buried, some violently fluorescent anemones, a pair of mating nudibranchs, crabs, lobsters and I forget what else, because I had already shot an entire film.

 

On a free afternoon we took a whale-watching and snorkelling trip. Dominica is apparently one of the best places in the Caribbean to see a whole range of whales. With deep waters close inshore, sperm whales can sometimes even be seen from the shoreline. Despite a reported 90 per cent success rate for these trips, however, we fell into the unlucky 10 per cent category.

To cool off, we moved inshore to a popular snorkelling site, called Champagne after the bubbles rising from volcanic vents beneath the sand. Similar vents, and even warmwater springs, could be found on many of the dive sites.

 

At the south of the island is the Soufrière Marine Reserve, encompassing about three miles of coastline extending from the volcanic crater of Soufrière Bay and along the coast a little way. Here walls extend from the clifftops straight down below the water for hundreds of metres into the flooded crater.

On the outside of the bay, submerged ridges and pinnacles projecting from the sunken part of the crater rim approach the surface. These provide some spectacular dive sites, with imaginative names such as Dangleben's Pinnacles, a series of five peaks ranging in depth from 12 to 25m and covered in corals and sponges.

Visibility here is a little clearer than further north, and the marine life more of the same in the best possible way: denser, bigger, more colourful and more spectacular. Dangleben's Pinnacles is the best reef dive I have yet experienced in the Caribbean. I don't know which local diver originally said: "If you're tired of Dangleben's, you're tired of life" but I agree. If I dived here often enough, I might even get to see the frogfish.

The last day of diving began on the wall at Scott's Head, a volcanic peak marking the south-eastern point of Dominica and presiding over the southern rim of the Soufrire bay crater. Making a safety stop below the boat, my attention was drawn to a large shoal of cleaner wrasse.

Thousands of them were milling about in a tight group, but every few seconds a smaller, even tighter and more ordered formation would detach itself and rise into the current, before darting back down to rejoin the shoal.

I watched closely. Each rising group consisted of one or two blue and green males surrounded by 50 or so yellow females. Near the top of their track, faint puffs of spawn were released, a sight virtually impossible to capture on film. I just relaxed and felt privileged to have witnessed it.

North of Soufrière Bay, my final dive was at Point Guignard, a gradually sloping reef with some interesting canyons and caves. The prevalent form of coral was yellow pencil, one of my favourites, and again I found hordes of juvenile fish and interesting macro creatures.

 

I had already finished my film when I swam into a school of 10 or more squid, and looked down to see our guide pointing out a seahorse. I had to return to the boat for more film.

If you are looking for a diving-plus holiday, there are more than enough activities to keep you busy, including whale-watching, jungle-hiking, climbing, canyoning, mountain- biking or kayaking in the sea or rivers, along with the chance to shoot white water on some of the steeper rapids.

On the diving scoresheet Dominica is up there with the best, but don't go for that alone, because the forest, mountains and everything else on Nature's Island has so much to offer. I could have done with two or three weeks rather than one. And if you go in for underwater photography, take three times as much film as you think you need.

 

And a hike:

 

A gap in the diving schedule allowed time for a diversion into the rainforest, because just half an hour's drive from the coast, you can be in dense jungle.

Climbing out of the taxi, I was reminded of why it is called rainforest. "Waterproof" clothing is a waste of time - if the rain fails to penetrate, you will be drenched in sweat from the inside. I settled for shorts and T-shirt, my camera bag protected by a bin-liner, and being soaked through by warm rain proved quite refreshing, a bit like hiking under a shower.

Trafalgar Falls are a pair of waterfalls noted as an easy hike from the road. The path wound along the valley side to a wooden observation platform cantilevered out through the trees. Stepping out, I could see the falls at the head of the valley, "father" on the left, "mother" on the right. Very nice, but why did we need a local guide?

The path became steeper as we descended to the valley floor, and soon we were scrambling among jumbled boulders at the side of the streamway. Our guide immediately proved his worth by picking out the easiest route and avoiding unstable rocks.

A short climb, and we were by the pool at the base of the waterfall. My clothes were soaked, but I brought my bathers, along with a mask and camera housing to experiment with some unusual shots, swimming out beneath the waterfall and looking upwards.

Below me, catfish and other river fish darted about the pool. Given an opportunity to return, this could make an interesting underwater photographic project.

 

 

 

Dangleben's Pinnacles

A series of 5 pinnacles that vary greatly in shape and depth, but none shallower than 35ft; most can be circumnavigated at 80 ft. These pinnacles create a fantastic maze of dramatic topograpghy that is home to schools of jacks, creole wrasse, yellow tail snappers, turtles, occasional barracuda and an assortment of other creatures.

 

The most life is present with a moderate current and therefore this site is more advanced than others in the area. The surface frequently has currents and until you get to the bottom at about 50 ft there is nowhere to hide, so this dive is for the intermediate diver rather than beginner. On days with no currents there will be less fish life but the amazing explosion of colourful sponges, huge barrel sponges, vivid crinoids and thriving healthy reef make for an unforgetable dive. "If you are tired of Dangleben's, you are tired of life!"

 

www.dominicamarinereserves.com/south.html

 

Champagne snorkeling on Dominica. Volcanic geothermal vents release gaseous bubbles from the sea floor, making swimming and snorkeling a tickling experience!

 

Hint - fish don't like Champagne

 

[Shawnee Indian]

I have tried emailing Nature Island Dives 3 times from their contact on the website and I cannot get a reply!

 

Do you have a direct email address for them?

 

Thanks!

[twomikea]

I know they've had some problems with their server - try their email:

natureidive@cwdom.dm

Sorry - I know they will make you happy!

 

From thier website:

NATURE ISLAND DIVE

PO Box 2354

Soufriere

Commonwealth of Dominica

West Indies Telephone: (767) 449-8181

Seven days a week:

8 am to 5 pm Atlantic Time

Fax: (767) 449-8182 *Anytime

E-Mail Address: natureidive@cwdom.dm

[Shawnee Indian]

Thanks Mike,

That is the address that I have been using.

I can't get an answer.

I have tried Anchorage Dive, Nature Island, Fort Young Hotel and a few others.

I can't seem to get concrete info on a dedicated Champagne Reef Snorkel Trip.

We did Champagne from the shore/rocky coast last year and would like to "do it right" from a boat this year.

I still have 5 plus weeks but I would like to nail something down.

We are going to be on the NCL Spirit and NCL still does not have any shore excursions listed........:confused::mad:

[marcia014]

Thanks for the opinions and advice. I have emailed both Anchorage and Nature Island and am awaiting responses from them both. Any newer reviews of either dive center would be appreciated!

Marcia

[scubagirl2]

went through Carnival Destiny and contacted a dive operator through the information desk by the berth in Dominica. It was fantastic!!!! Aldive and watersports, they came and picked us up, took us out on a 2 tank dive, one of the sites we visited was champaigne and they dropped us back by the ship.

small family owned operation only had 6 of us on the dive and the staff were very friendly . I would recommend them!!

[DiveCruiser]

Has anyone been on the Certified 2-Tank dive on Dominica lately (in the past 3-4 months or so)? I will be on Carnival Destiny on 11/14 and wondered who the ship uses for their dive company. If so, what were your experiences?

Marcia

 

Marcia

Nature Island divers was great natureidive@cwdom.dm

One thing pack a lunch. We left @ 10am an got back @ 4:30pm.

It was well worth it

If you get in @ 9:30, like us they are the only dive operator other than carnival that will do a 2 tank that late.

 

Bob

[augie]

I was in Dominica on Sunday 10/15.

 

There was some confusion that I am convinced Nature Island could do nothing about that resulted in them picking me up close to 10:00AM instead of "as soon as I could get off of the ship" (we docked at 9:00) as we had arranged. I ended up in a van full of folks going to NI for the ship sponsored Discover Scuba dive.

 

My concerns that they might stick me with this group were unfounded. Since they could not get me to their shop in time to go on the morning dive boat, they took me on a two tank trip by myself!

 

That's right - a boat captain, a divemaster, and me! We had two awesome dives, then the same van (minus the Discover Scuba group, who had already returned to the ship) was waiting to drive me back to the ship.

 

Outstanding service, great people, and excellent diving!

[marcia014]

Hey DiveCruiser and augie,

Thanks for the information - I have a confirmed spot to dive on my birthday! Any additional details or photos to share? I am getting really excited!

Marcia

[marcia014]

Trip review located here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=8391712#post8391712