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Dive Review of Castle Comfort Lodge in
Dominica/Castle Comfort

Castle Comfort Lodge, Oct, 2013,

by Susan Titus, VA, US (Sr. Reviewer Sr. Reviewer 8 reports). Report 7251.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 3 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling 3 stars
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments The 'great' is the care and customer service at Castle Comfort Lodge both onshore and on the boat. Our first visit was 20 years ago; the last was 13 years ago; and the experience was the same. You are welcomed and become family for the duration of your stay. Many of the same employees are still at Castle Comfort which speaks volumes about the place. The Dominicans as a whole are very warm, friendly and welcoming and make adventures around the island a pleasure.

All of the staff are friendly, caring, and take care of the guests. The food is very good; a mix of American standards and daily local style cuisine (which stands among the best we've had in the Caribbean). The rooms are simple; but very clean and comfortable. (One bad: Bring earplugs - 2 nights a week a fairly new local club goes very late and very loud. Otherwise, it's calm and peaceful).

The 'good' is the diving is quite varied with walls and near-shore reefs. The boats are in great condition and easy to dive from; the captains and divemasters have it down pat. Your gear is rinsed after each dive and stored overnight in the dive locker room. This is locked - but you can arrange access for night dives and tanks if you wish. The gear is brought to the boat and loaded each day. Divers set-up their own gear on the tanks, and switch tanks between dives. All you rinse and hang are your wetsuit and booties.

The offshore diving from the dock yields lots of interesting small life; at night it's a more exciting dive.

In general - No large fish; but lots of reef fish and plenty of critters. The coral is large and extensive; however, some areas are still recovering from storm damage several years ago. Some dives are drifts, some are a little challenging with alternating current, and others are bathtub easy. It's a good variety of style and different underwater topography. There were many less fish traps than we saw the first visit, and there is now a better established marine park, so fish counts should increase. We did see the largest turtle we've ever seen in Caribbean diving - she was tucked into a large coral crevice. A good 300 pounds estimate. A dive staff member culls lionfish on every dive and the effort shows in the area we dove. Only spotted a few each dive and most were small to medium size.

The best part of Dominica is the combination of good solid diving with an amazing topside. Many mountain hikes to waterfalls; a day hike to the Boiling Lake (get in shape for vertical trekking!); and hot springs (Screw's)to soak in at the end of the trip. You can arrange driving tours (or rent a car...driving is tricky here due to the roads) to see the interior rainforest or a coastal trip of the north or south end of the island. The city of Roseau is crowded and a bit down at the heels...but there are some great dining spots (Calabash, Pearl's Cuisine, Old Stone and the Garage to name a few) and a wonderful Botanical Garden. The city is a quick ride or about a 20 minute roadside walk from Castle Comfort.

Getting there can be a bit challenging since some airlines have changed schedules and dropped flights. From the East Coast US, we found going from Miami to Antigua on American; then Antigua to Dominica on Liat got us there in a (very long) day. Liat is expensive on extra luggage and weight; pack to carry-on whatever you can.

All in all a great spot to do some good diving, hiking, relaxing and enjoying!
Websites Castle Comfort Lodge   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Most of the Caribbean; Hawaii; Florida
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather windy, cloudy Seas choppy
Water Temp 80-83°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 70-90 Ft/ 21-27 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions If you are on a computer, you're given a recommended max depth. All dives end at an hour.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities 2 stars
UW Photo Comments There is a separate tank on each boat for cameras. Off the boat, the best place to care for and keep the camera is your room.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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