DIVING

For years Dominica has been a well kept secret among serious divers, but gradually with word of mouth and coverage in Dive magazines and internet forums we are being discovered. While still not the easiest destination to reach it is well worth it to see an unspoiled reef and island. Even the most experienced divers surface with that spark in their eyes after their first dive in Dominica; that same spark that we see when people look under water for the very first time.

Our underwater world is made up of thriving pristine reefs, undamaged corals, dramatic walls over 1,000 feet deep, cascades of fish, underwater hot springs, caves full of lobsters, and swim-throughs so crammed full of fish they part like a curtain in front of you. The true pleasure to all this diving is that it is less than a ten-minute boat ride from Nature Island Dive. No more long boat rides to overcrowded reefs!

So read on and see why we think we offer a different kind of experience, one that you will never forget.

DIVING PHILOSOPHY

Anyone who has dived on big boats with large groups of divers knows that you see more bubbles than either fish or coral. It is from this simple premise that Nature Island Dive has developed our diving philosophy, which is to keep the diving groups small and to offer personalized service to each diver. The following points emphasize that our promise of personalized service is not just a catchword but a true philosphy.

1) Proximity to the reefs.
Perhaps our greatest benefit is that we are minutes from the islands top dive sites. We have over 25 sites within 10 minutes of our jetty. This gives us the ability to return to shore between dives and means that our customers can plan their diving around two departure times. We realize that you are on holiday and might want to sleep late some mornings!

2) Small Boats.
Our smaller boats allow us to do what we call "psuedo drift diving," we start at one mooring and finish at another. This does not mean we cover large amounts of territory, all our divemasters like to move slowly in order to find the seahorses and frogfish that hide so well! But it does allow us to avoid the traditional profile of turning around and covering the same ground on the way back to the boat.

3) More divemasters in the water.
If we have a mixed group of divers from inexperienced to very experienced we put two divemasters on the boat, starting the experienced divers on the deeper reef and the less experienced in the shallow area. Each group with their own divemaster to make sure they end up at the boat. This keeps all divers happy and does not force people to dive above or below their confidence level.

4) Don't touch that tank. ( Please! )
Unless you are on an exercise program requiring you to carry all your diving equipment we request that you let us handle it for you. This includes setup, breakdown, rinsing, drying and hanging up for the next day. We are sure you have better things to do on your vacation.

While we enjoy catering to experienced divers we also welcome new divers. We teach all P.A.D.I. certification courses and our classes are small enough to ensure personalized teaching. Nature Island Dive is the perfect place to discover the marvelous underwater world for the very first time. Its not unusual for our students to see seahorses on their first day of training right under our jetty!

A TYPICAL DAY AT N.I.D

Our proximity to the dive sites gives us the ability to be more flexible in our daily scheduling, We depart for our first dive at 9 am and usually return to the pier at about 10:30 am. There is no need to spend surface intervals sitting on the boat when the dive sites are so accessible.

Your surface interval can be spent strolling around the village of Soufriere, relaxing and having a beverage, or just laying in the sun. Photographers will appreciate the opportunity to review their photos or change batteries on a dry stable surface.

This schedule also allows us to pick up divers who wanted to sleep late and join the second dive, or to drop off divers who only wanted to do one dive that day. Often our divers have friends or spouses who come along for the second dive trip, which is usually more suited for snorkeling. By 1 pm our morning dives are finished, leaving time to explore all the other attractions of Dominica.

After lunch at one of the local restaurants, you can paddle around the bay in a sea kayak or take a mountain bike and explore the Soufriere Valley. There is also some beautiful hiking around the mountains and we can point you in the right direction. It is very hard to get lost, but if you ever did it would be a simple matter to ask any of the friendly people which way to Soufriere!

For the die-hard divers, we offer afternoon dives and, of course, night dives upon demand.

THE DIVE SITES

The Soufriere/Scotts Head Marine Reserve has some of the island's best and most dramatic dive sites. There is an amazing diversity of sites and each site has an equally diverse selection of marine life. The volcanic history of the island has left a dramatic mark with tall mountains, steep cliffs and soaring peaks. This topography continues underwater and results in truly spectacular walls, pinnacles and reefs.

For a detailed description of all of the dive sites in the Marine Reserve please visit the article "In Crystal Blue Waters" which is on the excellent website "A Virtual Dominica".

If you would like to see some underwater images of some of the residents of our reefs visit our Photo Albums.