Dominica-who's been there and whadaya think...

[Sorrows]

Politics aside, I think this is definitely the forum to be talking about environmental and wildlife protection issues. After all, we are scuba divers--if we don't take an interest in the well-being and preservation of the coral reef, the oceans, and the creatures that inhabit them, who should?

I think it can sometimes be very overwhelming when you see how much there is to do and how little control we seem to have over anything. Writing letters is good--voting with your feet (and letting them know about it) is also good. We all have to do whatever we can--however small and insignificant our attempts may seem.

In my wallet I carry a little tri-fold card produced by Sea Watch. Ever heard of it? I take it out when I'm at the supermarket and want to buy fish. It tells me what fish I should and shouldn't buy. ("Best choices," "Good Alternatives," and "Avoid." Fish on the "Avoid" list are there because they are being overfished, or they are harvested/farmed in such a way that hurts the environment, or because the fish may contain high levels of mercury or other contaminants.

They make these little cards for different regions of the country, btw. I'm trying to get my local supermarkets to display them on the counter. At least now the origin of country is identified and other information about the fish is provided--that wasn't always the case, if you remember.

Okay, it's a small thing, I know. But it's something.

 

[iceaxe]

I have been living in Dominica since January 1, 2007; I have logged over 50 dives here and free dive very frequently. To answer some of your questions in you initial post.

You can dive all along the east coast of Dominica, the most noteworthy Diving is in the South; near Scott's Head. There are several Dive Operators in the South, I typically Dive with Nature Island Dive and I've always had good experiences. Dive Dominica and Anchorage are two larger outfits that have larger boats and mix their own Nitrox. Most tourists I've dove with usually tell me it is some of the best diving they have ever done--this is of course a very subjective statement, but I've yet to speak to anyone who was less than impressed. While I haven't dove many other places, I can say for certain that the diving in St. Lucia hardly compares to that of Dominica. The best place to stay in the South from what I understand is the Ft. Young Hotel. Roseau, the capital, while by no means could be considered contemporary, is the only city that offers amenities close to what one would be used to in the U.S. There are other Hotels affiliated with Dive shops, you may want call and inquire about any packages they have.

Moving north along the west Coast, the next major site for divers is Sunset Bay, while I have yet dive there, there is a Resort there called the Sunset Bay club that conducts dives in that region. The food there is fantastic.

Further north is the city of Portsmouth, where I currently reside. The only dive shop up here is Cabrit's Dive Centre. While the dives in the north don't have the spectacular landscapes of the south, I encounter a wide variety of wild life every time I Scuba/free dive. Among these include spotted eagle rays, sea turtles, nurse sharks, sea horses etc.

For the political side of this thread; I find it highly unlikely that the average Dominican has anything to gain from their government's backing of Japanese whaling endeavors. I personally know one the founders of Dominican whale watching, and I find it hard to believe that he (Dr. Fitzroy Armour has an unrivaled passion for our aquatic mammalian counterparts), or any of the other Dive operators would support whaling in any form regardless of where and for what reasons. Unfortunately, I don't find it at all surprising the government has a different opinion on the matter. The unfortunately reality is that, a tourist boycott is unlikely to have a favorable affect on the government's opinion on whaling--if any thing, it would probably have more undesirable outcomes.

Traveling here: You will almost certainly be taking a small turbo prop aircraft out San Juan. I highly recommend flying in on American Eagle as Liat airlines has distinct propensity to delay your luggage. Even if you're flying American, I recommend taking your essentials in your carry-on luggage. Don't forget, this country uses 220 volts unless noted otherwise, plan accordingly.

All in all, don't come to Dominica looking for 4 start hotels and flashy night clubs etc. If you have a solid sense of adventure and want to do some solid diving in an extremely uncrowded environment, you will definitely enjoy yourself.

If you have any questions at all about traveling to Dominica or to St. Lucia, please don't hesitate to PM me.

 

[fisheyeview]

We were in Dominica a couple of years ago. We stayed at Castle Comfort, and dove with the on site operation Dive Dominica. We did the two tank morning boat dive, and then 2 afternoon dives from the shore. Most nights after dinner we would do a night dive. We did one boat night dive, but we enjoyed the ones from shore better than the boat.

The photography opportunities were great. They ranged from W/A to super macro.

The food was good, and they worked with our dive schedule.

I would check the baggage limits on the airline website. Print out a copy and take it with you. When we went to fly out we had a lot of trouble with the counter people for American Eagle. They gave us different weight limits than were on the website, but I did not take a copy with me. We finally got them to take our weight limit as a group as some of the people were not photographers. I always travel with the baggage information printed out from the airline website now just in case.

 

[Divedoggie]

You might want to add the United States to that list.

It says on your profile that you live in New Jersey. Unless you only walk, don't use electricity, never fly anywhere, and grow your own food, you are a hypocrite.

The discussion is about Dominica and what people on this board know about it.

50% of Dominica's economy is tourism.

20% Agriculture. Mostly Tabacco and Bananas.

There is 23% unemployment

7% Other Industry. Shoes, Essential oils, etc.

Dominica was struck by a 7.2 earthquake yesterday. Some buldings toppled or were damaged. Pipelines were damaged. People were OK.

Many divers, since we love the ocean and the critters that inhabit the ocean, have a problem with whaling or the support of whaling. It came to our attention that Dominica's government supported whaling.

Dominica also retains natural and primitive beauty, and is an attractive destination for divers. Weigh the facts and go there or don't.

If you hate America, but live in America, maybe this thread is a good place for information on finding a new place to live.

 

[opalobsidian]

Thanks Ice and Fish!

...for giving me some really helpful tips!

Ice- it's great to hear the perspective of someone who lives locally and you've really helped me out with an excellent run down of the dive sites. Is your house okay after the big earthquake?

Fish-I will definately weigh our bags carefully and print out the rules directly from AA.com. If I have still have issues with the counter people in San Juan perhaps I will come down with my own case of Tourette's. Maybe they'll think I'm speaking in tongues and have a higher power on my side.

Sorrows- thanks for the tip on the fish card, I will have to look into that.

Cheers!
Pamela

 

[opalobsidian]

If you hate America, but live in America, maybe this thread is a good place for information on finding a new place to live.

I don't interpret Agilis' post as a message of hate for America. Obviously one can see the shortcomings of a person or place and still love them. Observing all the aspects of something is to have a balanced and realistic view.

What I get from his post is an age old message-"why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" - said mote and beams being governmental policies of course.

Looking forward to experiencing Dominica!!!
Pamela

 

[agilis]

Divedoggie, I fail to see the connections between living in New Jersey or the US in general, and the validity of my comments regarding the execrable environmental record of my country. In fact, it is truly hypocritical to criticize others for their transgressions when you are yourself a far worse sinner. I contribute my share of damage, I'm sure. This does not, I think, require me to relocate, any more than the actions of the government of Dominica require dissenting citizens to move elsewhere.

You are incorrect regarding the contribution of tourism to the economy of Dominica. Tourism has become much more significant in recent years, but it still is insignificant in terms of the percentage of the population employed in the tourism industry.

Tourism's main contribution to Dominica's economy is in the area of foreign exchange. Until recent global free trade agreements nearly ruined Dominica's banana export business by eliminating European price supports, agriculture was by far the major element in Dominica's economy. Tourism still trails agriculture, though, by a wide margin.

I wonder if, in your search for information, the Dominican Republic somehow became confounded with Dominica. It happens a lot.

 

[iceaxe]

I actually had just finished diving when the earthquake struck (it's a 5 minute walk from my apartment to the dive shop). My buddies and I were sitting in my third floor apartment when it happened. I can honestly say I've never felt anything quite like it (I'm originally from michigan-- we don't get too many quakes there...) It measured 7.4 in magnitude and the epicenter was located about 25 miles southwest of Roseau. There had been a 4.8 the morning of the previous day that I barely felt, and there there was another aftershock Friday morning at 12:00 am. There was no apparent damage to my building or any others that I am aware of. My landlord was in Roseau and he didn't see any damage there either. What's really scary is that we were diving by some underwater hot springs that morning, I wonder what it was like down there when it hit.

 

[opalobsidian]

WOW Iceaxe!

So glad to hear your earthquake encounter was only exciting and not traumatic! I do wonder what, if anything, changed down in the hotsprings when the earthquake happened?

I have been in earthquakes in both Hawaii and Guatemala; funny how your body realises the earth is shaking before your mind works it out. Both of the really big quakes I was in happened at night; I woke up running out the door without my mind understanding why.

Guess because Dominica is geographically so fresh and new, earthquake activity must be kinda common?

 

[iceaxe]

Dominica has lots of volcanic activity, especially in the south. There are two boiling lakes in the world, one of which is in Dominica; I highly recommend visiting it while you are here. There is also a popular dive/snorkel site called champagne reef that features an underwater steam vent which gives the water a "champagne bubble" appearance. Surprisingly, this has been the only seismic activity that the region has had since I arrived here almost a year ago. My landlord tells me that there have been occasional earthquakes, but none that have caused significant damage. It's been an interesting year; 2 major hurricanes (most notably Dean), a couple of out breaks of Dengue fever during the Rainy season, and now the earthquake.

If memory serves me correctly, the underwater springs I visited on Thursday are in about 70 ft of water which is just within my free diving abilities, I plan to go and check the area out tomorrow.