Dominica: The Water Island
3/24/2006 12:42:49 PM by Dale Sanders
With more than 300 inches of rain upon its lush volcanic slopes, Dominica has been dubbed “The Water Island.” However, underwater Dominica offers an even richer equivalent to its above-water flora and fauna. The challenge while on the island is trying to take it all in, as the opportunities are nearly endless both above and below the waterline.
Those who have had the pleasure of visiting Dominica will attest to the fact that this island is a rare find among dive and eco-tourism destinations. Nestled between the Atlantic on its eastern shore and the Caribbean Sea to its west, it also happens to be the crossroads between the Leeward Islands to the north and the Windward chain to the south. And, to top it off, Dominica boasts of being the most mountainous island in the Caribbean with peaks reaching nearly 5,000 feet.
Christopher Columbus was fascinated and perplexed by Dominica’s unique topography more than 500 years ago. He detailed accounts to Ferdinand and Isabella about its lush beauty and nearly impenetrable terrain. Today, visitors to this “Nature Island” have a plethora of diving and trekking opportunities unequaled in the Caribbean.
Boiling lakes, river tubing, eco-kayaking, whale watching or even extreme hikes to places like the steaming Valley of Desolation are just a taste of the topside opportunities.
An interesting (and never boring) way of taking in everything that Dominica has to offer is to alternate your land and undersea adventures. The scenario below is just one set of combined activities. In reality the possibilities are near infinite.
Day One:
Start your first day off with a cool dip, followed by a hot shower and plunge into your own natural hot tub. Not at a swank spa hotel, but at the only side-by-side hot- and cold-running waterfalls. Trafalgar Falls twin waterfalls are separated by only a few hundred yards of tropical foliage. Bring your swimsuit and soak in the sulphur-rich, bolder-encircled baths, climb the warm falls to be immersed within its warmth and possibly your own private rainbow.
Day Two:
Try dropping in on a deep-submerged volcanic plateau, riddled with small caves. Lauro Reef, located a few miles north of Castaways Beach Hotel, is home to spiraling whip coral and pods of Caribbean spider crabs. Vertical views along these mini walls are an inspirational way to start your day.
In the evening check out Maggie’s Point a few miles away. Here massive stone piles covered with invertebrate marine life stipple the underwater seascape. These rounded clumps of basalt are optimum platforms for impressive stands of florescent vase sponges and their symbiotic crinoid cohorts.
Day Three:
In “Water World” one would expect the wet, wild and wonderful. This is why you must not miss a visit to Titou Gorge. This geological phenomenon is so different it is hard to describe in words, but here goes … After traveling along a stream you reach a massive hillside of granite. Bisecting this hillside is a gaping opening of approximately 10 feet, with vines hanging from above. As visitors enter this portal, one realizes quickly that this will be a swim upstream into a hidden cavern. Here the gorge closes overhead with only a piercing sliver of light cascading from above.
Inside the grotto, it’s best to rest for a moment on the ledges of varying depth that protrude. Here, you can easily be overcome by the freshness of the air, as your visual senses adjust. Next, your audible senses kick in as you detect a distant rumble. Moving toward this hidden source of hydro-thunder you will pass a final bend where a subterranean waterfall crashes down before you. This is a special moment in time.
Floating back down the underground passage occurs much too quickly, and soon you are back at the entrance where the light erupts and your pupils go to pin holes. Outside the entrance, a special treat awaits with a mini-waterfall of tepid water. Your body is warmed and is now ready for a terrestrial retreat.
Day Four:
Day Four: Just when you think that your prior days’ experiences can’t be topped, you drop in at Mountain Top, a dive extraordinaire. This submerged seamount is known for its dramatic arches, undercut ledges and plunging wall to a volcanically-formed abyss. Here, dramatic drop-offs have become the home to huge stands of deep-water gorgonians interspersed with florescent rope sponges. This drop-off is actually the rim of the submerged Soufriere crater, nearly a quarter-mile in diameter. Although extinct, bubbles emerge from a nearby shallow dive site known as Champagne, giving divers the sense that the cauldron is just sleeping for the moment.
Close by and adjacent to Scott’s Head (the prominent extinct crater’s peak which extends out to sea) is a dive site known as Swiss Cheese. This memorable dive locale offers numerous reclusive undercuts for schools of black bar soldier fish. During your safety stop here, it is entirely possible to encounter a passing whale. Dominica is highly known for its whale watching, with numerous species migrating through it waters.
Day Five:
A jeep safari is the theme for the day. Much as Dominica is a jewel in the Caribbean Sea, so is a spot in the interior of the island, which is easily reached by an off-road vehicle. Emerald Pool is a mystical place. You descend down into a sunken pocket of earth shrouded in bromeliads and tree ferns. Here, a petite waterfall cascades softly into a placid pool of liquid shades of green.
Traveling north, the scenes change by the moment. Stunning mountain scenery mixed with tropical plants of every description zoom by. Stands of flowering ginger and hillside plots of guavas, mangoes, avocados and bananas will visually punctuate your trek north.
Arriving at Prince Rupert Bay, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the towering groves of coconut palms nestled amongst orchid trees. Just south of here near Portsmouth, guided trips down the Indian River are a great way to end the day. This meandering river is thick with ferns, philodendrons and epiphytes forming a “tunnel of foliage” as you make your way down river and toward what will be your next dive destination tomorrow.
Day Six:
Just offshore and to the north of Portsmouth Beach is a secluded bay known as Toucarie. Topside, the panorama is much like a scene from the movie South Pacific. Underwater, the drama continues with massive columns of volcanic rock, which are patrolled by large schools of juvenile barracuda. Passageways in, under, and around these underwater lava flows provide exciting tunnels for divers to transit.
An afternoon dive here around Photography Point is filled with rare and unusual underwater vistas and spectacular marine life. Huge schools of glass minnows cloud your vision as you pass by the colossal boulders which have fallen here from the adjacent cliff.
Soon, it is time to return to Portsmouth Beach. As the sun sets on this stage of serene ageless beauty, visitors may reflect on the amazing experiences they absorbed during their week on Dominica. However, some may instead dream of what new possibilities still await them… in a place known as the “Water Island.”