Advice on Dominica

[Henryville]

I am intrigued by what I read about Dominica, and am considering a family vacation there. I'm attracted by the potential to satisfy divers and non-diving outdoors types.

Two questions:

- Do any of the ops there offer "advanced" diving (e.g. wrecks, deeper stuff, etc.) ?
- Would any of you be able to comment on how the place would work for non-diving children? I know it's not oriented like the mega-resorts, which I find attractive, but at the same time I want to avoid working too hard to figure out what to do with a 6 year old and a 10 year old snorkeler.

Thanks

 

[Scuba65]

Henryville:
I was there in March and love that place. the diving is really good...but, unfortunately no wrecks are found there. well, let me re-phrase that..there is wrecks there, but they sit on the side of the shore. for some reason the Dominican gov. doesn't want any wrecks in the water..so, they sit outside of it. If you get to go and you visit Porthsmith you will see them all lined up on the shore. As too deep diving you can do this...that was no problem for us...but, again how deep are you talking about??? Hmmm with kids....that is difficult to say...they can snorkle that will be fine but, from that i really don't know cause the other stuff that can be done is alot of hiking. We stayed in Portsmith with a friend that attends Ross University. we did do alot of kayaking, diving, and hiking. Scott's Head is really a nice place to visit and stay at. I'll be going back in Feb. once again.

 

[Henryville]

Thanks, that's very helpful. Assuming there is no Helium mix available, I'm talking 150 max.

 

[JS1scuba]

Thanks, that's very helpful. Assuming there is no Helium mix available, I'm talking 150 max.

there is helium on the island -- and if you are going to set up a major op you can get it -- but for normal diving forget it -- this is the caribean at its best ---- ive been there 2x in 3 years and love it -- THE best caribean diving you will find is there.

Use Dive Dominica -- ask for Capt. Stinger ..... he will take you to the best spots and he wont mind if you drop off the group to do some "special dives" just tell him what you want to do.

When there i dive singes with air and carry a 40% stage for descent and ascent -- its slick and its a breeze to do. Just make sure you have the right attitude for it.

Scotts Head is a perfect place for these kinds of exploratory dives --

Cheers

jds

 

[peterjmaerz]

Hi Henryville,

Dom's one of my favorite Caribbean destinations. (See a number of posts I've participated in on the subject). I can't imagine tech diving there (though I'm not a tech diver); no wrecks and the deepest of the sites I dove was under 100 feet, if memory serves (I'm too lazy to find the old logbooks). Almost all the sites are on the southwestern end of the island, near Scott's Head.

The island is, as I 've said before, a Lost World paradise. There are all sorts of idyllic hikes to be had and even some short enough for the 6 year old to appreciate if she/he has any inclination to explore the outdoors (Trafalgar Falls comes to mind). Only one really good snorkleling site I remember: right at the tip of Scotts Head. You can drive a jeep out past the end of the road onto a rocky spit of land that forms a narrow barrier between the Atlantic and the Caribbean. In the lagoon on the north side is a good, easy-entry snorkeling site. The 10-year-old should be fine here if monitored.
Just beyond the shallow snorkeling area is one of the better dive sites in Dominica.

Lots of smaller fish and critters to be found; no big stuff. Lovely coral formations and smallish walls. I second the vote for Dive Dominica. Derek and his wife are Caribbean institutions; great people and very accomodating. The Castle Comfort lodge on their property is Spartan but comfortable. The view of the mounains from their dock is quite breathtaking. The Lodge is close enough to town to walk (15-20 minutes) if you're not squeamish about encountering local folks with few assets. I found the Dominicans to be among the most welcoming and friendly people in the Caribbean.

Good luck in your quest.