Diving In Dominica?

[Curlyfries]

Hi! I am hoping someone can help answer some questions and share their opinions about diving on the island of Dominica.

I am planning a 10 day mixed dive/adventure trip for the end of November. I did a little research and came across the island of Dominica and thought it sounded interesting because in addition to diving they are known for their rainforest and great outdoor activities. Of course all the dive books say the diving is superb but I am wondering if that is really true. I belong to a dive club and I asked around and no one had been. That's when I started to get nervous. Also, at the end of November I would be hitting the tail end of the rainy season and I am wondering if it has bad effects on the visibility or not.

This will be the first dive vacation I am taking with my boyfriend who will finish his check out dives (wherever we end up). I want to make sure I'm going to a place where the diving will wow him and a place that has easy enough diving for beginners. I really want him to love diving so I can convert him into a dive lover!
At the same time, I want to go on a fun new adventure and not return to an island I have been to myself recently (Caymans, Turks and Caicos, Cozumel...).

Another thought I had was to go to Belize because I have heard great things about the country and diving there. I later crossed it off my list because I went to Cozumel last year and we will return again in April for a wedding. I was thinking that I would like to travel to the Caribbean this time instead of another place in Latin America to try something different. But, has anyone been to both of these places and can anyone offer any advice on picking between the two?

Or does anyone else have another favorite for a dive/adventurous vacation location? I would love to hear about it.

Thanks so much for sharing any experiences or opinions with me! I really appreciate it!

 

[koozemani]

I haven't been, but Dominica was an early option for our honeymoon. I've heard good things about the diving, and a quick search on SB should provide plenty of reviews and videos. We opted for Belize so that we could take in some of the ruins and went the liveaboard route for our diving.

 

[lmorin]

See my review http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/le...ort-lodge-dive-dominica-jan-17-23-2010-a.html

 

[diverrex]

Go to Dominica you’ll love it! Or go to Belize you’ll love it also. We have been to both and they were our two most favorite tropical trips. We have also been to Curacao, Akumal, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Bonaire and Saba. The diving at Dominica and Belize is as good or better than the other places I’ve been, but what really sets those two places apart is the rainforest and adventures there. The rainforest is fantastic!
Here’s some of my thoughts on each place.

Dominica – Still unspoiled. Check out my full trip report. The tourist infrastructure is rough but that’s what makes it great. You won’t eat at fancy restaurants (the food is very average) and there are no sprawling fancy resorts. The mountains extends 4,700+ feet into the clouds and it rains every day up there. Dominica has rivers flowing down from the mountain and the rainforest is lush. Stay a few days in the rainforest. We stayed at Papillote, the best $115 room we have ever had. The rainforest is literally just outside your door. It’s walking distance to Trafalgar Falls. We went canyoning with Extreme Dominica, one of the most fun things we have ever done. See my slideshow/video on it. We did the boiling lake hike, it’s a tough 12 miles but well worth it, to see the lake and just to hike through the rainforest. The diving is very good. You won’t see many large creatures, maybe a few turtles or a ray, but you’llsee lots of interesting reef fish. We saw 2-4 spotted drums on every dive, 4+ spotted eels on every dive. We really enjoyed the variety of terrain. We dove typical flat reefs, mini-walls that dropped vertical to 100 ft., deep walls that dropped down to 400+ ft, and our favorite was the pinnacle dives where the pinnacle rises off the ocean floor atabout 100 ft. We would drop down to 80 ft and make a complete 360 multilevel spiral up to about 30 feet to finish on the flat pinnacle top. Plus the divingis easy, great for a beginner.

Belize. Fantastic rainforest also. We stayed 4 nights at Cha Creek before moving to Tikal and then AmbergrisCaye. Cha Creek is very pricey but worth it. We did the ATM tour, one of the coolest things we have ever done. You walk through the jungle for 45 minutes, crossing a river three times before you get there, then you swim 50 feet to the mouth of the cave, then walk ½ mile through the cave through a series of rooms where the water ranges from ankle deep to chin high until you climb into an upper chamber filled with 1,000 year old Mayan pottery, skulls and a full undisturbed skeleton. Awesome! Go across the border into Guatemala and visit Tikal. Go for at least the day trip but better to spend a night there. The Mayan ruins are fantastic and it’s in thick jungle.You hear Howler monkeys in the distance and see Spider Monkeys in the trees. In the early morning we even spotted a young jungle cat. Not a feral cat but some kind of real jungle cat. Lots of lodging choices on AC from budget hotels to nicer condos for rent. The diving is very interesting, maybe not as much typical reef fish as Coz but lots of big stuff – turtles, Eagle Rays, Stingrays, Nurse Sharks and Groupers. That’s where we were certified so a good place for beginners. Lots of good restaurants for a small island.

Go to one of them, you won’t regret either. You will both love it if you like adventure. I’d pick Dominica as long as long as I had atleast 10 days, 3-4 days in the rainforest and the rest diving.
Feel free to PM me with any questions.

 

[Scubanutil]

You will NOT FORGET your trip to Dominica. I stopped there New Year's Eve as a captive pod person on the last cruise ship of the year. I did two dives and had my appetite whetted. I returned May 8th with my dive group. We stayed at The Fort Young Hotel Experience - Dominica's Premier Hotel. A little more pricey than Comfort Lodges but it is nicely upscale and right in town. A historic fort to boot with a beautiful view of the bay.

I dove with Dive Dominica (Dive Dominica). Because of the difficulty getting there in one day by air from some US locations, the dive operation is very accommodating to small (<8) divers. The reefs on the south side of the island (by Soufriere) are gorgeous with huge orange barrel sponges with reef life that rivals or exceeds that of Bonaire ( in terms of numbers of fish and health of the reef). The "reefs" are actually the sides of a volcano caldera. If you want a flavor of the island watch Pirates of the Caribbean #'s 2 and 3. They were filmed on the island and on location was above a well known dive site. The island is even more beautiful than seen in the movies. This is a series of pictures I captured of a conch eating a starfish...a first Conch chronicles, I think I did it!!!...with Peaches help

Amazingly, I did not see one Lionfish in 12 hour+ dives nor did anyone else in my group. That's not to say there aren't any but the dive industry has taken that threat seriously. The on island adventures are equally compelling. Lush rainforests, waterfalls, hot (volcanic) springs, incredible bird life and luscious fruit....the British planted almost every revenue generating plant known when first colonizing the island and discovered that almost everything grew. Fresh fruit and vegetables are plentiful and cheap. Guided hikes into the rainforest can be for 1 hour or all day (4 hrs in and 4 back). FWIW, the people are very warms and friendly and are English speaking.
Really, you will want to return to this place because there is so much to experience.

 

[Allan C Smith]

Lived In Dominca for over a year. Best Viz I have ever seen in my life and it was almost always 100ft+. You will not be disappointed. The southern side of the island has most of the dive shops but the north is incredible. Check out Island Dive Opps up north there a NAUI shop but if your boyfriend needs a padi check out dive they can organize and instructor to do it. Have fun and if you in Picard head up to Champs and tell IKE Allan Said hi.

 

[wmw999]

Since it's already the end of November, it's too late for you, but I just got back last night from a dive/hike trip to Dominica, and would recommend it highly. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and my (sometimes jaded and widely experienced) husband said he was very favorably impressed with Dominica.

We used the Anchorage, and had a great time.

Wendy p.