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Your Guide to Diving Dominica

All of Undercurrent's information on diving Dominica, including articles, reader reports, Chapbook sections, ...

Diving Dominica Overview

The British Crown Colony of Dominica is the best all-around adventure island in the Caribbean, with gorgeous reefs, plenty of reef fish, lush rainforests, hiking, waterfalls, warm water springs, splendid fruits and vegetables, modest hotels and restaurants -- and it's inexpensive. Small seaside hotels and diver retreats are affected by the nearly continuous cloud cover over the mountains, and there's not much happening beyond residents leading their lives. Expect daytime temperatures around 80°F (27°C) and night lows around 68°F (20°C) in winter and 73°F (23°C) in summer, although a few minutes up the mountain into the cloud forest can change that. July to November is the wet season. Dominica's at the edge of the hurricane belt. The13-mile, roundtrip hike to Boiling Lake is worth getting in condition for. Dominica was hard hit by Hurricane Maria in 2017. Even the Prime Minister lost his home.

Dominica Seasonal Dive Planner

Dominica is covered with rain forest and has 365 rivers. As you would expect, it’s wet. It gets about 70 inches (1.75m) of rain a year along the coast and up to 400 inches (10m) on the interior mountains! Ask a taxi driver on the island how many times a day it rains during the dry season, and he’ll reply, “Once or twice, but during the rainy season, it sometimes rains 12 times a day. Other times it starts and doesn't stop for days.”

Fortunately, the area most dived, around Roseau, gets only about a fourth of what the rest of the island gets. That much rain does affect hiking in the interior though. And it's a great island to hike, as long as you bring a poncho and a sweater. It can get cool, especially at altitude. For a mountainous island, the run-off doesn't affect the water clarity as much as you would expect. The dry season is from February to mid-June.

Diving Dominica Reader Reports and Feature Articles

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Latest Reader Reports from Dominica

from the serious divers who read Undercurrent

All Reader Reports from Dominica

All 10,000+
Reports
Castle Comfort Lodge Report in Dominica
"Good Diving and Excellent Service"
filed Feb 18, 2024 by Mr Brent Woods (Experience: 501-1000 dives, 22 reports, Sr. Contributor )
4 stars

Dominica has long been on my list of places to visit. Undercurrent's August lead article was the push I needed to book a trip. I chos... ... Read more


Nature Island Divers/Fort Young Hotel Report in Dominica
"An Excellent Dive Shop"
filed Nov 25, 2023 by David J Inman (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 15 reports, Contributor )
3 stars

Because I was visiting the island in the off-season and divers were few, the Ft Young Hotel transported me by taxi 25 minutes to Soufri... ... Read more


Cabrits Dive Center/Fort Young Hotel/same Report in Dominica
"Good but!"
filed Nov 8, 2023 by Bela Asztalos (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 3 reports, Reviewer )
3 stars

It was a family trip to Dominica. From Boston to Dominica is a relatively long and expensive travel. We had to fly to Miami the day bef... ... Read more Photos available


Dive Dominica/Fort Young Hotel Report in Dominica/Caribbean
"Dominica in spring"
filed Jul 7, 2022 by Jeffrey D Hubbard MD (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 32 reports, Top Contributor )
3 stars

There are now nonstop flights from Miami to Dominica on American Airlines, “Operated by Envoy Air As American Eagle.” This avoids the ... ... Read more


Dive Dominica/Fort Young Hotel Report in Dominica/Roseau
"Dominica, again"
filed May 15, 2022 by Bobby Munno (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 23 reports, Sr. Contributor )
3 stars

We were in Dominica in 2010 and had a very nice dive visit. We stayed in Castle Comfort, a hotel & dive shop run by a Sister & Brother... ... Read more


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Complete Articles Available to Undercurrent Online Members; Some Publicly Available as Indicated

Diving Dominica Articles - Land Based

Nature Island Divers, Jungle Bay Resort, Dominica, BWI, diving the volcanic crater, 8/23
Visiting Dominica's Sperm Whales, 8/23
Take Time to See Dominica's Rain Forests, 8/23
Miss a Connection and Arrive Four Days Later, 8/23

Available to the Public
Ambergris, the Red Sea, Raja Ampat, bad briefings, free flowing regulators, overflowing toilets, 9/17
Dominica, Fiji, Belize, Costa Rica, Florida, big animals, no head counts, free flowing regulators, 7/17
Castle Comfort Lodge, Dominica, a Caribbean dive and eco-tour feast at reasonable prices, 9/10
Dominica, Caribbean's Jewel, pretty little fish, lousy boat, 9/06
Castle Comfort Lodge, Dominica, not the same old Caribbean above or below, 2/99
Hiking in Dominica, 4/97
Castle Comfort, Dominica, The largest dive operation, and it’s still small, 4/97
Travel Notes, 4/97

Dominica Sections from Our Travelin' Diver's Chapbooks

Reader Reports filed for that year
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Land Based Dive Resorts in Dominica

For Members Only

2024 2023 2022          

For Public

2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004
2003 2002 2001          
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Editor's Book Picks for Scuba Diving Dominica

The books below are my favorites about diving in this part of the world All books are available at a significant discount from Amazon.com; just follow the links. -- BD

Travel Edition of Reef Fish Identification: Caribbean, Bahamas,
South Florida. Travel Edition of Reef Fish Identification: Caribbean, Bahamas, South Florida
by Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach

Today's airline weight restrictions not only limit the amount of dive gear and cameras you can pack for overseas trips, but also those valuable prized marine life identification books. And with spotty Internet access overseas, it's not like you can look a critter of or fish up easily online. For the divers who still want a book in their hands post-dive to look up the fishes they encounter, Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach are offering "Travel Edition of Reef Fish Identification: Caribbean, Bahamas, South Florida." It's lightweight enough to thrown in your carry-on but rugged enough to withstand frequent saltwater washings on board.

Click here to buy it at Amazon.



World Atlas of Coral Reefs
by Mark D. Spalding, Corinna Ravilious, Edmund P. Green, United Nations World Conservation Monitoring Center.

If there is one book that belongs in every traveling diver's library, this is it. The superb World Atlas of Coral Reefs has everything you want to know about the reefs from Costa Rica and Cuba to the Coral Sea and Cayman. The information is specific and up to date. The photos, maps and layout superb. And the price, for this 424 page, full color, hard bound volume, is a steal at $31.50

The Atlas was released in September by the United Nations World Conservation Monitoring Center to document and conserve the world's coral reefs. Clearly written with divers in mind, it's an invaluable resource for global travelers. Here's what you'll find.

  • 94 maps, including global maps of biodiversity and reef stresses, regional maps showing 3-D bathymetry and high resolution maps showing reefs, mangroves, population centers, dive centers and protected areas.
  • 280 color photographs, showing reefs, wildlife, people and places, Including 84 photographs taken from space by Shuttle astronauts.
  • Text explaining the formation, structure and ecology of coral reefs; their various uses and abuses at the hands of humans; and the techniques used in coral reef mapping.
  • Detailed texts describing the distribution and status of coral reefs in every country.
  • Data tables listing information on biodiversity, human use, and protected areas. These include statistics on coral reef area, biodiversity, fish consumption, and threats.

For example, you can learn about pollution damage to the reefs at Providenciales and the lack of human impact, as well. Or, where extensive bleaching took place in Honduras 1998. You'll read that Milne Bay in Papua New Guineas has the most extensive reef system in that country and where, in Fiji, the bumphead parrotfish and tridachna clams will not be found, thanks to overfishing. Order now.



Reef Fish ID Reef Creature ID Reef Coral ID

The Reef Set: Reef Fish, Reef Creature and Reef Coral (3 Volumes):
Paul Humann ID Books
by Paul Humann, Ned Deloach

The three set fish, creature and coral ID books by Paul Humann are the unparalleled sources for information on Caribbean sea life and identification. Paul and his partner Ned Deloach recently released updated and expanded editions of each, with scores of new critters, even better photos, and information unavailable anywhere else. Why, the Reef Fish Identification book, at more than 500 pages, is 20 percent larger than the previous volume, which came out in 1994. Whenever I travel to the Caribbean, I tote all three books and spend my down hours figuring out what I saw and where to look to find rare creatures. Paul's splendid Reef Creature book (420 pages), covers sponges, nudibranchs, octopus, crustaceans, Christmas tree worms and plenty more. His Reef Coral ID book (276 pages) helps you identify all the hard and soft corals, spawning, and even the growth on top of corals, as well as algae and other plant life. Beginners may want to ID only fish, but I'd recommend that all three books be part of every diver's library. And, if you have an old set, by all means replace it. You'll be delighted at the additions and improvements. Each book normally retails for $40, but are discounted when you order here. And the boxed 3-volume set is available now at a bigger discount, up to 30%. Click below to buy them at Amazon:

* Reef Fish Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas,
* Reef Creature Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas, and
* Reef Coral Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas
* The Boxed Set of all three (you can save up to 30%)



Coral Reefs of the Caribbean A Guide to the Coral Reefs of the Caribbean
by Mark Spalding

This book doubles as a guide to the natural history of the coral reefs and a diver's travel guide. In addition to providing information about some of the most popular diving and snorkeling, it also offers practical suggestions to divers who want to protect these sites. Author Mark Spalding, a coral reef scientist who has worked on coral reefs in over thirty countries, delves into the eco-problems with a focus on what each person can do to protect the reefs. The guide section covers 35 dive destinations with key information on the reefs, marine parks, remote places, and unusual species as well as excellent maps and a photographic field guide of the marine flora and fauna.
Order Now at a reduced price of only $16.47.



Diving Southeast Asia There's a Cockroach in My Regulator
by Undercurrent

The Best of Undercurrent: Bizarre and Brilliant True Diving Tales from Thirty Years of Undercurrent.

Shipping now is our brand new, 240-page book filled with the best of the unusual, the entertaining, and the jaw dropping stories Undercurrent has published. They’re true, often unbelievable, and always fascinating. We’re offering it to you now for the special price of just $14.95.

Click here to order.



You might find some other books of interest in our Editor's Book Picks section.

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