Why Dominica is NOT for new divers....(in my opinion aka WreckWench)
- If you dive the top rated destination in the Caribbean first then you have nothing to look forward too when you dive other places.
- If you are a new diver then you are typically a new traveler as well. Traveling to Dominica is not always easy but is easily offset by the AMAZING diving. The saying..."If it were easy to get here it would look like the rest of the Caribbean" is very very true. However without being a bit travel savvy and understanding that bags may not arrive for a day or two since the planes are sooooooooo small, you will end up with people upset. That is why I target experienced divers...they have enough diving and travel savvy and experience to recognize how pristine this diving is and THAT offsets just about every issue encountered trying to get there.
- If you are new diver the boat can not go to the most amazing sites that are in the Atlantic...the sponges are so big a full grown man can lie inside of them, There are bigger animals (although not tons of them) and huge schools of fish...but if there are new divers in the group, the boat will not go to these sites in case of current, or because the sites do not have a shallow reef to end the dive on.
- While the diving is super easy along the leeward side of the island and those sites are still wonderful and amazing and relatively pristine compared to other islands, they are limited so if you have new divers you have to start repeating sites since the number of sites that are perfect for new divers is limited in number.
- The sites that were NEVER touched by the hurricanes are the Atlantic sites and the bottoms of the leeward side sites. Its like going back in time... you feel as Jacques-Yves Cousteau did when he visited Dominica! Purely magnifique!!!
- So save Dominica for when you are tired of the rest of the Caribbean and for when you are ok with travel delays and glitches trying to get to a very small tiny island. If the former is true...then you'll blow off the latter when you see how amazing Dominica is.
NOTE: If one of our partner dive shops or groups wants to bring a smaller group of their own divers and be part of our total group...I am perfectly happy to let them run a more novice group and stay on the leeward side of the island. We can be flexible with enough people as we have access to a variety of boats. But the main SingleDivers.com group of single, solo and married but buddyless (and sometimes married divers) will be doing the complete range of Dominican diving so will be intermediate dives and above.
HELP! HOW DO I DECIDE BETWEEN THIS TRIP AND THE OTHER GREAT TRIPS YOU ARE RUNNING???
Welcome! We are glad you found us! I may be able to help you decide.
- If you are looking at the Bonaire trip in Nov over Thanksgiving this year...a trip we do annually as long as each prior year has a good turn out...combined with this being our last scheduled trip for Dominica (unless we have a good turn out and then we'll run it again) then I would choose Dominica.
- The Dominica trip is one of my fave's in the world...but its harder to get too that for now we will run one other double dip trip in 2022 and then give it a break ...so this will be the last trip for awhile to our DARLING DOMINICA!!!
- So if you want super easy diving and super easy to get to FOR ALL LEVELS...go for Bonaire. If you want great diving that is easy and some that has some edge to it and is off the beaten path so SUPER UNSPOILED...for MORE SEASONED DIVERS AND TRAVELERS....then go for Dominica. PLUS Dominica is MORE THAN DIVING...its a Nature Bonanza of waterfalls, hot springs, boiling lakes, therapeutic mud baths, massages, great local food, amazing artisans, and MORE!!!
