Dominica

Myself, my husband and our 19y.o.daughter are going to Dominica with a group from our local diveshop in June. We are very excited about this trip, not only for the diving, but the topography looks awesome too. Just wondering if anyone has any specific suggestions about places to eat, night life, best waterfalls and, of course, dive sites?

Thanks!

KarenB

where are you staying Karen? - North or South of the island

Dominca is stunning above and below water. The diving in the Soufriere marine reserve and around Scott's head is spectacular - big walls, lot's of fish, and reefs encrusted in sponges. You'll also find a decent array of critters there, such as Seahorses and Frogfish

Some prime dive sites:

Danglebens pinnacles, Scott's head drop off, Swiss Cheese.

Some useful web sites:

http://www.dominicawatersports.com/index.cfm

and here:

http://www.avirtualdominica.com/crystal_blue/index.cfm

.....you will find a link to a description of the dive sites, plus loads of info regarding the life above water.

Emerald pool and trafalgar falls are must sees, and make sure you go Whale watching - you can actually see the resident Sperm Whales here

I can't comment on the night life - mine consisted of prepping my cameras and editing my images

It's one of the nicest places I've visited - it has a real rustic charm, and you'll see a lot more of it when Pirates of the Caribbean 2 comes out, as much of it was filmed there (you can still see some of the sets)

Cheers

Steve

any recommendations on where to stay to dive soufriere marine reserve?

If you are staying in Roseau you could go out with Derek Perryman's operation, Dive Dominica/Castle Comfort Lodge (they also have a some rooms to rent, but there are other options in the vicinity if he is full and depending on your budget):

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

Dive Dominca is one of the original dive operations, and have about 5 boats, as well as a great shore dive, so they get busy. They dive the marine reserve daily - it's about 30 minutes or so away.

However, if your serious on the photography side I would try the smaller operation:

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

It's owned by Simon Walsh, who is a serious underwater photographer himself - and they are actually based in Soufriere - 5 minutes boat ride from the best sites. He'll go out of his way to show you the best photographic areas.

If you hire a car it's only a 15 minute drive from Roseau down to Soufriere, or Simon can probably help you out with finding accomodation nearer by - but I would contact him and discuss the options - Soufriere is a quiet village, so it depends what you are looking for.

You could try both operations, if you are unsure what you want beforehand - then stick with the one that suits you best. I'd email them both.

Steve

Hey - is there a best time to see the whales in Dominica? (Sperm Whales season?)

Mahalos

Bryce

Hi Bryce

Sperm Whales are resident in Dominica all year :

http://www.castlecomfortdivelodge.com/whalewatch.html

Baleen whales are seasonal, as they are migratory

email Dive Dominica for more info - they run a very good Whale watching operation

dive@cwdom.dm

here's some shots I took of them - I only went out for one afternoon in November:

alas, the sun was nearly below the horizon by the time we got near but we saw 3 Sperm whales in close succession

thanks

Steve

Thanks Steve. I know they're there year round, just curious if there is a "best" month for them. Can you get in and dive/snorkel with them? Or just from a boat?

as above, and when are the humpbacks there. My wife and i snorkeled with them in tonga, and it was incredible

not sure on the best month - best to ask the dive centres.

You can't swim with them unless you have a permit - and this needs to be granted by the government.......

all the best

Steve

My thoughts on Dominica:

Dominica is very undeveloped compared to many Caribbean destinations, and that's part of its charm. The only white faces we saw all week were at the airport and on the dive boats. There were no cruise ships the week we were there and there are only a handful of hotels in Roseau. This was the greenest place I have ever visited. Lush is a understatement. Its like an undiscovered gem.

The diving is exceptional. Last July, water temp was in the high 70s. Vis was in the 60-70 foot range due to the daily rainstorms and the number of rivers in Dominica. Because Dominica's geology is volcanic rock and not soft limestone, there are very few deep nooks and crannies for the critters to hide completely in. Everything is just sticks out enough to see it all. Its one of the few places in the Caribbean where the crinoid are out with arms fully extended during the day. Truly a macro heaven. We dove Scott's Head - Sourfriere marine park and never really felt a need to get below 70ft. Be sure not to miss Champagne. Its a shallow dive site where volcanic gasses bubble up from the sea floor resembling a glass of champagne. Too cool. On surface intervals we'd often encounter dolphins and pilot whales. The dive crew from Castle Comfort were exceptional in handling our gear and were always ready with a quick smile and little jokes. The dive briefings were complete and thorough and the divemasters would always point out some of the more rare critters Dominica seems to have in abundance.

There's not much nightlife in Dominica compared to other islands, but there are plenty of daytime topsides diversions. The farmer's market in Roseau was pretty cool. All the fruits and veggies are locally grown. There's also a history museum downtown; its small but its pretty interesting. There's a lot of hikes, most of which have waterfalls as their destinations. Emerald Pool is a short easy hike, but tends to be one of the more crowded waterfalls. Trafalgar falls is also an easy hike, and you get two falls for the price of one. But for the best falls, you have to be a bit more adventurous, and be willing to hike to more remote locations. We made the hour hike to Middleham falls (Dominica's tallest) where I proposed to my then fiancee. We also made the hour or so hike up the riverbed to Sari Sari falls. We had both of these falls to ourselves. It was almost magical. The one must do is to visit Titou Gorge. There's a 5 minute walk to the gorge opening and then a short swim up the gorge where it looks like the water shoots out from a solid wall. We booked our tours through KHATTS. Their guides a professional and knowledgeable, but their tours can be a bit pricey for only two people.

We hired a local taxi to take us across the island to Rosalie Bay Beach and we got to walk on the finest black sand beach I had ever seen. The good folks at ROSTI post nightly lookouts on this beach during the summer to watch for nesting sea turtles.

We stayed at Castle Comfort Dive Lodge. The accomodations were basic, but comfortable. Water pressure can be hit or miss depending on how many people are showering at the same time, but we always had hot water. There's a small pool and a hot tub and a little bar overlooking the water. The on site restaurant had pretty good breakfast, but dinner and lunch were nothing to write home about, though I did enjoy the soups and the desserts. The Fort Young Hotel in Roseau had excellent food, though a bit pricey. There's also a little restaurant across from the duty free shops called La Robe Creole which was also pretty good.

Yeah, I guess you could say I'd go back!

Thanks for all the informative replies. Steve, I really appreciate the links. I haven't looked at them yet, but as soon as I'm done typing, I will. We are staying at Castle Comfort Lodge, Roseau. I'm getting so antsy, we leave in 5 days. It's been just over a year since we have been diving. We just have to work in two dive vacations a year. Being from Iowa means we are rather land locked. Trust me, we have no desire to dive in the MIghty Mississippi, which is only 10 minutes away. I hope to get some good photos above and below water and can't wait to share.

Thanks Everybody!!!

Karen B