Heading to Dominica - any restrictions I should know about?? How's the food :)

[hroark2112]

Going to Dominica with a group next week, staying at Castle Comfort Resort. Are there any kind of restrictions I should know about? We went to Bonaire in April and I didn't know about the restriction on gloves (not that the gloves were a big item to carry!!) and I want to make sure I don't bring unnecessary stuff. Are there similar restrictions on gloves, dive knives, stuff like that?

Also, I'm kind of a picky eater...so how's the food? I'd prefer to eat cheap, since my wife isn't joining me on this trip I'd be happy eating sammiches all week!

Any "can't miss" dives we need to hit?

 

[diver 85]

Going to Dominica with a group next week, staying at Castle Comfort Resort. Are there any kind of restrictions I should know about? We went to Bonaire in April and I didn't know about the restriction on gloves (not that the gloves were a big item to carry!!) and I want to make sure I don't bring unnecessary stuff. Are there similar restrictions on gloves, dive knives, stuff like that?

Also, I'm kind of a picky eater...so how's the food? I'd prefer to eat cheap, since my wife isn't joining me on this trip I'd be happy eating sammiches all week!

Any "can't miss" dives we need to hit?

You'll dive south of Castle Comfort-----& that's where the best diving is....The food is so-so(kinda bland???) @ Castle Comfort, so most in our group of 19 ate nitely in town(remember we were ALL from Louisiana & enjoy spicier foods)---breakfast & lunches were good(OK) @ the resort--how can you mess up eggs, toast & a sandwich???.....I'm thinking no gloves was about the only restrictions????----but that might not have been the case(I quit Caribbean diving with gloves back in the early 90's when most places 'outlawed' them).......Have a safe trip -& if you're flying LIAT(Luggage In Another Terminal), good luck on all your luggage making it...When we went in '09, there were 19 in our group with 23 pieces of checked in luggage out of PR------17 of the 23 pieces did NOT make it to Dominica with us......

 

[diverrex]

The food in Dominca is only just so so, probably the least interesting of any foreign trip I've taken, diving or otherwise. But the diving is fine and the interior of the island is fantastic. Have fun.

 

[lmorin]

Ask about a French restaurant walking distance south of Castle Comfort. Can't remember the name. Food was outstanding. The place is/was only open Thurs-Sat., I believe. The owner was the chef. Very intimate, with personal service. We quickly tired of CC dinners. Don't forget to do shore dives right from the CC dock. Interesting underwater terrain with some fish species we have not seen elsewhere. Have fun.

 

[diver 85]

Imorin, my favorite shore dive pic I got(& there were a lot) was this one.....wife & I out late 1 afternoon..

---------- Post added October 14th, 2013 at 05:21 PM ----------

Another(very subtle pic--but) one I'll remember ---from the same above dive was this........The Lesser Electric Ray-----sucka shocked(bit) the fool outta my left forearm about 5 seconds after getting this pic......My wife just sat there laughing her head off underwater.........Moral----you gottsa be CAREFUL......

 

[lmorin]

It is either an attractive place for electric rays and gurnards or they are long-lived because we saw them, too. See flying gurnards and the lesser electric ray from the Castle Comfort shore dive in Feb. 2010.

 

[diver 85]

It is either an attractive place for electric rays and gurnards or they are long-lived because we saw them, too. See flying gurnards and the lesser electric ray from the Castle Comfort shore dive in Feb. 2010.

We saw flying gurnards on every shore dive we made---think it was about 6 dives in all(several were nite dives)...They were all over the place out & to the right of CC......

 

[agilis]

Flying Gunards are all over the Caribbean side of Dominica. They are bottom walkers, so they like sandy or smooth bottoms without a strong current.

I caught a Flying Gunard in NJ, in Barnegat Inlet, in August, more than 20 years ago. The one and only this far north in more than four decades of collecting.

Mid Island in Dominica is great for fish watching, especially at the base of small cliffs. Lots of butterflys, angels, drums, seahorses, baby morays, grammas, small hawksbills, in less than 20 feet of water.