Diving in Dominica
The underwater landscape of Dominica is the most dramatic and varied in the Caribbean. It is also among the healthiest. The island is ringed by a narrow coastal shelf of volcanic rock that holds a high density of hard and soft corals. Most dive sites are within 300 yards of shore, with the exception of the underwater sea mounts and pinnacles that rise from middle depths slightly farther from land. Other unique features of the seascape include fields of massive boulders, craters, canyons and active volcanic fumaroles. All diving takes place on the calmer Caribbean side of the island within one of three marine reserves: The Cabrits National Park Marine Section on the island's northwestern coast, the north, the Salisbury Marine Reserve in Dominica's central west, and the Soufriere Scotts Head Marine Reserve, to the southwest. The south offers the most dramatic profiles, and is the most popular, though diver traffic is light at all areas as compared to many other Caribbean destinations. Some sites receive sediment from river runoff, particularly during the rainy season, but because deep ocean water runs close to shore, disruptions in visibility are usually short lived, and waters clear quickly. The upside of the rain is a rich flow of nutrients that support thriving populations of invertebrates. Sites are rich in sponge and soft coral growths, and home to varied populations of crabs, shrimps and crinoids. Reefs also hold a range of small tropicals, along with numerous parrotfish and, thanks to protected status, a population of mature grouper. One of the Dominica's best-known sites lies at the southern tip of the island. Divers begin the exploration of Scotts Head Pinnacle with a swim through the rock formations of Swiss Cheese, where the swim-through at Soldierfish Cave is packed with a living curtain of soldier fish and grunts. The actual pinnacle offers an even more dramatic swim-through that leads to the steep flank of a volcanic crater. The nearby Scott’s Head Drop Off presents an intensely colorful landscape of pink and azure vase sponges, orange icing sponges, yellow tube sponges, and green rope sponges, with many small nooks and crannies that hide lobster, crabs, and many different kinds of cleaner shrimp. Another famous dive site off the southern coast is Champagne Reef, so named for the gas bubbles that rise from underwater hot springs that sit below the corals. With minimal currents and shallow depths, this is an ideal site for divers of all experience levels. It is one of the best places on the island to find frogfish, seahorses and flying gunards, and an excellent night dive that yields squid, octopus, large crabs and lobster. Steep-side pinnacles are a common feature of many south coast sites, though there are also a number of shallower sites that offer gentler topographies. One of the fishiest sites in the region is Crater's Edge, where a volcanic ridge attracts schools of blackjack, tuna, snapper, Creole wrasse, and blue chromis. Mid-island sites are gaining increasing recognition for healthy reefs and some of the Caribbean's best muck diving. The Canfield Tug Wreck ads variety to a seascape, and Rena's Reef offers an explosion of hard and soft corals in lavender, violet, orange and yellow. Sites such as Castaway Reef and Rodney's Rock provide hours of exploration for small treasures and elusive finds such as leaf fish, bumblebee shrimp, shortnose batfish with their unicorn-like projections and speckled band tail puffers. Another unique feature found at some dives sites are fumaroles—submerged volcanic vents that heat the sea floor. At Hot Sophia and Point Ronde, divers will find sand bottoms that are hot to the touch. Dive sites along Dominica's northwest coast are known for prolific growths of feather stars and sponges. The site known as Shark's Mouth didn't actually earn it's name for these apex predators, but instead for the thick growths of basket sponges that are said to give the slope the appearance of a toothy shark jaw. At the island's far northern point, sites such as Point Break are more exposed to blue water and currents, and hold larger fish in greater numbers.