Dive Dominica - Disappointing

[pipefish]

I just got back from a marvelous trip to Dominica and I stayed at the Castle Comfort Lodge as well. The diving was excellent - some of the healthiest reefs I've seen in this part of the Caribbean. I was fortunate to see lots of sea horses, turtles, and red lipped bat fish, just to name a few. The corals and sponges were amazing. The dive staff would take us anywhere we wanted to go and although the policy was 60 minutes, we were never chastized for going over that amount of time. As for Castle Comfort, it's certainly not the Ritz but is a great place to stay at a reasonable price with friendly staff and good attitudes. I did have my shower "spit" at me on occasion but I just learned to pick different times to wash off.

I would encourage anyone with a sense of adventure to visit this lovely island paradise. Dominica Rocks!

PF

 

[erichK]

Just returned from a week in Dominica. Stayed at the Fort Young Hotel and dove with Dive Dominica.

Dominica is a pretty island but the diving was very poor. Many people were nice but too many negatives to go back to this island.

Are we talking about the same island nation? My wife, teenage daughter and I just spent seven days in Domenica and had some of the best dives ever and many memorable walks, hikes and experiences on this unique ecological paradise.

We stayed at the Nature Island Diving cottage between Soufriere and Scott's Head and did 21 dives with nature Island Dive. The accommodation was spacious. scenic, clean and very reasonably priced. The diving was fantastic, as well as being a bargain. Vibrantly healthy coral reef, spectacular sponges and invertibrates as well as diverse crustaceans, eels and fish. It is true thaty there seemed wo be a shortage of big fish, but there was cerainly a profusion of small ones of many species.

The divemasters were friendly, ecologically- minded, patient, helpful, and most important, still really enjoyed what they were doing. We liked especially the diving in Domenica much better than that of Saba, which we visted a few days later.

Please don't let the boorishness of one or two money-grubbing tourist operations turn you against a whole island nation of 70,000+ people.

 

[WarmWaterDiver]

We found East Carib Dive flawless when we visited Dominica in 2001. Their operation is used by the marine biology group ITME on Dominica for taking the researchers and graduate students diving as well. Some of the best dives we had were on Dominica, and one of the best vacations we've had in our travels around the globe.

 

[DontLieToMe]

I think the following are very reasonable expectations.

1. When a dive operator says they provide no restrictions on bottom time - that they do.

2. A reasonable effort is made to take divers to a diversity of sites and not make "profit" the over-riding objective.

3. For hotels to advise guests when major construction is underway.

 

[buisonkoss]

We just returned from Dominica a couple of days ago. We stayed at the Evergreen Hotel beside Castle Comfort. Very small and good food. Dive Dominica next store looked very efficient but we were booked in with Nature Island diving. We drove to Soufriere everyday, an experiance in iteself but my husband got to enjoy it.

Nature Island was an island time type of operation which did not bother us. We dived all around the Soufriere crater. The diversity of corals, sponges and crinoids was the best we have seen in the Caribbean. (been to Guadeloupe, Caymans, Bonaire, Cozumel, Tobago, St. Lucia, Belize). Our bottom time averaged 70 min, max 75.

No large fish, except a small basking shark in a cave near Champagne, but plenty of smaller fish, together with eels, turtles and smaller animals(which we enjoy). Only minor diappointment was not seeing seahorses or frogfish(my husband did find one seahorse). Apparently they were abundant a few years ago but according the divemasters there tend to be good years and bad.

The island has amazing plant life. Everything is green and beautiful. We stayed in the rainforest for a couple of days, went to Syndicate and saw a couple of Jaco parrots, did the boiling lake hike and in general had a great trip.

The number of cruise ships coming in was huge. Even saw the Queen Mary 2. I don't envy them as they miss so much when they visit for so short a time. This island does not have huge numbers of tourists and therefore does not have the infrastructure for entertainment that some might like, but if you like nature and diving I would highly recommend it.

 

[mcm007]

Ive been fortunate to go to most of the carribean islands. However, Dominica is to be AVOIDED at all costs, especially diving.

Agreed that this is one of the poorest islands in the carribean,

I always felt on guard. And I am from NYC !

much better places to for the same money, go to grenada instead!!!

 

[DougY]

Ive been fortunate to go to most of the carribean islands. However, Dominica is to be AVOIDED at all costs, especially diving.

Agreed that this is one of the poorest islands in the carribean,

I always felt on guard. And I am from NYC !

much better places to for the same money, go to grenada instead!!!

Are you sure you are thinking of Dominica ? I found it a really safe place. The people are friendly and helpful, sure there are a few beggers but you get them everywhere. We had a great time on the Friday evening wandering about town and going from one bar to another, there were lots of locals out partying and no trouble. I have been three times to Dominica and I hope to go back.


Doug

 

[RICHinNC]

Sounds to me they were expecting what was advertised...and not provided. Like we have all never experienced that before!!

 

[DCDivenut]

Ive been fortunate to go to most of the carribean islands. However, Dominica is to be AVOIDED at all costs, especially diving.

Agreed that this is one of the poorest islands in the carribean,

I always felt on guard. And I am from NYC !

much better places to for the same money, go to grenada instead!!!

Wow!! I may be biased because I grew up on the island but I have no idea how you got that perception...

Background... My Dad was a professor at the US medical school on the island I lived there from 81 - 93 from the ages of 5-16. My last trip there was in 2002 when I certified as a diver. I have also travelled extensively in the Caribbean, both while I lived there and then more lately as a diver. Have you been to the Dominican Republic, Haiti or even the areas of Jamaica not near the major resorts? They are all much worse off than Dominica.
As far as security goes, Dominica has the same problems that any island does when you mix "rich", "conspicuously wealthy" tourist with "poorer natives" but is by no means dangerous. FYI.. I also lived for a year in Brooklyn (before Sex the City made it "cool") so I feel that your NYC comparison is off base a little bit.

As far as diving.. on my first 15 dives I had seen a school of flying guanards, batfish, frogfish, sea horses (what do you mean you don't see those on every dive in Key Largo I was asking a DM 3 months later Now that I have travelled more I realize that it is not the ultimate dive destination. The accomodations can be less than sub par and no one can shoot a gift horse (or kill a profitable business) in the mouth like a DOminican (spoken as a dual citizen) but I guess it all depends on what your expectations are.

I would second others opinions that the above water activities are second to none, especially with the waterfalls, hiking etc. Yes, nightlife leaves a little to be desired but I guess it is easier for me since I can just hook up with ex-girlfriends and party with my high school buddies

Not trying to attack you but just don't see the reason for the harshness of your arguments.

 

[Ondeen]

Interesting......this is a 100% increase in the bad feedback I've ever heard about Dominica....

I'm sure much of this comes down to expectations....and whether folks had the correct set of expectations prior to going down there.

I'm almost relieved to read all these negative posts. I've read so much positive about Derek and Castle Comfort that I though I must be paranoid. Of all the places I've dived, I've never been treated so badly. Fortunately a really good tour guide adopted us and we did a lot of fascinating hiking in the rain forest, found isolated beaches (yes, they do exist on Dominica), waterfalls, etc., but I had no desire to dive with Castle Comfort operation a moment longer.