TRAVEL
A Group Dive Guide to Dominica - the “Nature Island” by David Prichard & Lily Mak , Enchanted Sea Images, Inc., Dallas, TX
A N ISLAND MADE UP OF NINE VOLCANOES easily stands out in the Caribbean Sea with its lush rainforest tall peaks that make it look like a setting from a Jurassic Park movie. Christopher Columbus discovered the island on his second trip to the Americas in 1493 and, since it was on a Sunday, named the island Dominica (Latin for Sunday). Many centuries later, the filming crew for the Pirates of the Caribbean (POTC) movies also felt the features of the island were a perfect backdrop to many of the scenes filmed during multiple movies on its beaches and up into the jungle-like volcanic mountains in such places like Titou Gorge which is a towering chasm where Orlando Bloom’s character was both
1763 and turned over Dominica to Great Britain (although France tried to retake it twice years later). A British fort built in 1770 in Roseau, Fort Young, now has a resort on its foundations. In 1833, Britian abolished slavery throughout its empire and freed the slaves in Dominica. It wasn’t until 1978 that Dominica became independent from Great Britain and became its own republic as the Commonwealth of Dominica. Dominica is located in the middle of an island arc of an undersea volcanic mountain range and south of the Leeward Islands (south of Guadeloupe and Montserrat) and north of the Windward Islands (north of Saint Lucia and Martinique). These islands are on the eastern side of the Caribbean Sea while the shores of the eastern side of this island chain borders the
imprisoned in a cavernous waterfall and also suspended in cages made of bones with other crew members over the gorge. While real pirates used Dominica (not to be confused with another Caribbean nation called the Dominican Republic) for a provisioning stop in the 1600s and 1700s, a new treasure was discovered about 20 years ago when scuba divers visiting “The Nature Island” found a wonderland of marine life under the waves and even a resident pod of sperm whales living out in the channel year around. A Long and Varied History While the Arawak and Carib tribes first settled the island, it was the Kalinago tribe that kept the Spanish from colonizing the island and it wasn’t until the late 1600s that French settlers set up timber camps (to supply wood to other islands) and plantations. Dominica (referred to as Dominique by the French) became a colony of France in 1727 with the importation of African slave labor to work their sugar, coffee, and cocoa plan- tations. Roseau, the capital of Dominica, still has many buildings reflecting the colonial French style of architecture. France’s hold on the island was short lived as it became part of the British Empire after France lost “The Seven Year War” in
Atlantic Ocean. Various geological maps list Dominica in either the Windward or Leeward Island groups. Scuba Diving in Dominica Dominica’s tropical climate keeps the water temperatures comfortable year around (78-84º F, or 26-29º C) for divers to explore undersea canyons, pinnacles, and even deep drop-off walls that extend past 1,000 feet (300+ meters). The vast majority of the diving on the island is on the Caribbean (western) side of the island while the eastern Atlantic side tends to be in rough conditions. The dry season of December to April tends to give the best visibility, while the wet season of May to October may have less visibility but warmer waters. There are three primary dive destinations on the island, and all are marine reserves. Most of the diving is conducted in the coastal waters south of Roseau down to the Soufriere Scott’s Head Marine Reserve at the southwestern tip of the island. North of Roseau, about halfway up the Caribbean side of the island, is the Salisbury Marine Reserve. At the top of Dominica in the northwest area is the Cabrits National Park Marine Re- serve.
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