Dive Review of Dive Dominica/Castle Comfort in
Dominica

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Dive Dominica/Castle Comfort, Dec, 2004, by Tom Hayes, FL, USA ( Sr. Reviewer 9 reports). Report 1553.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	We visited 2/2/05-2/9/05. Air connections were not good, but we did get our luggage on Liat Airlines. Several groups staying the same week did not get theirs for two days. Castle Comfort is pretty much a basic 3-star lodge, with a good location on the water, a pool. hot tub and nice oceanside bar. Food was mostly local, with plenty to eat and some unique dishes. We were there during carnival week, and the bands next door practiced all night for three days- complete with loud music and vibration. Soundproofing was not very good. Our package included breakfast and dinner. On Carnival Tuesday we were advised the staff would be off for the day after lunch. We did get a lunch, but had no options given for dinner (we ate next door at the Evergreen Hotel-very good). Lodge was a mile from Roseau (the capital). Dive operations were decent. Very comfortable boats and gear was hauled and rinsed each day by the staff, although setup was left to the divers. They did mix up the weight pockets twice on similar weight integrated BC's, so my wife had to return to the boat each time to adjust her weights. Divemasters changed several times so we had little chance to learn each other's dive routines. On most dives the divemasters just swam their routes and we were left to stay up or simply lag behind. As a consequence very little was pointed out to us- we had to find things on our own. Bottom time was supposed to be an hour, but on several dives we were brought up early. Viz was poor on a number of dives due to the surge which lasted most of the week. Corals were very healthy, but most of the big fish had been taken by fisherman. Small critters were abundant and we saw a number that we had not seen in the rest of the Carribean. Saw a spotted snake eel, numerous electric rays, various species of shrimp, a sea horse, magnificent urchin (more urchins than we had ever seen), and flying gurnards. Blennies and gobies were everywhere. Our best dives in terms of critters were off the dock- not much coral but a lot of life in the rocks and boulders. The island has some good nature hikes. The Boiling Lake was interesting, but had stopped boiling since the earthquake in Montserrat. They didn't tell us this before we took the hike, but it made little difference. The hike was strenuous, to say the least. The rain forest and the volcano calderas were worth the trip. All in all it was a good trip, except for the attitude of the divemasters. The hotel staff was helpful except during carnival. The carnival itself was an experience, except for the noise at night. The Dominicans were all very friendly and proud of their country. Drugs seem to be a problem and on several occasions we were offered drugs on our walks to town. Panhandlers were rare. The main drag was littered with trash, and not very sanitary, but the mountain rivers were extremely clean and drinkable. Tap water was excellent. We would go back, but it is pretty far down the list.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Most Carribean destinations
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	surge
Water Temp	79-81°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	20-60 Ft/ 6-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Depth limits and bottom time. 100 ft. on first dive and 70 feet on second dive. One hour max, although we were sent up several times after 50 minutes.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Dive Dominica/Castle Comfort in Dominica

Dive Dominica/Castle Comfort, Dec, 2004,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Dive Dominica/Castle Comfort in
Dominica