Dive Review of Fort Young Dive Center in
Dominica/Southwest (leeward) side

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Fort Young Dive Center: "Great diving, wonderful people and suburb accommodation: Dominica", Nov, 2014, by Edmond Kay MD, WA, US ( 1 report). Report 7952.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	With good visibility, calm seas and an incredible profusion of tropical fish this was a five-star dive to remember. One of my benchmarks for a high-quality dive is to see at least one juvenile spotted drum, and on this trip I saw 20 or more (I lost count). All sizes and shapes from a tiny newly hatched baby, to multiple juveniles and many adult Drum. Of course, the wide variety of fish and sea snake was mind-boggling. We saw seahorses on almost every dive, and unusual sites like the Caribbean octopus showed up frequently. At Champagne Reef volcanic hot water bubbled out of vents in the seabed to create a very unusual effect (hence the name). The sea temperature was 87 to 89°F (no thermocline) and the daytime ambient air temperature was 90°. While a thin wetsuit was recommended for the frequent diver, it certainly was optional. Lionfish were present but culled frequently by Divemaster’s and trained and willing volunteers. On the last evening the hotel staff prepared the scrumptious feast including Lionfish Ceviche and Breaded Lionfish. If all the Caribbean sites trained volunteers to safely collect invasive lionfish, IMHO there would be much less trouble with encroachment. Of course careful attention to removal of poisonous spine was overseen by experienced dive masters and a diving physician was along on the trip. Other memorable sites included giant barrel sponges in profusion, and half of the sponges had interesting critters inside of them like the Caribbean Basket Star and various forms of crab and shrimp. I will include a link to a video, and a photo collage of one diver’s experiences. The only negative thing about the trip was the unpredictability of the Caribbean Airline LIAT. The standing joke was that LIAT stood for “Leave Island Any Time”. I was one of the lucky ones and my flight was the only delayed two hours. My connecting flight from Puerto Rico was also delayed and this allowed me to stay on time and make my connection, but no one else in our group had such good luck. Tight connections do not work in the Caribbean. While mosquito repellent is necessary in Puerto Rico and sand fleas can be an annoyance, we had no need for insect repellent of any kind on Dominica. There was plenty of rain in the rain forest but all the water ran off quickly to the sea. We left our windows open all the time and had absolutely no trouble with biting insects. The people of this Caribbean island were cheerful and friendly, helpful and welcoming, the place felt safe everywhere we went. Just about every night there was some new festival or celebration and the entire month of November is celebrated as their Independence Day (month). Parades, parties and happy people were encountered everywhere. This is an island run by the Caribes and we were the only white guys around, unless you count the 3000 cruise ship passengers that landed every day. Those visitors melted into the landscape as they were ushered to their various destinations, and there was plenty on land to see. We swam upstream through a narrow chasm to be pummeled by waterfall, and for the more adventurous a boiling lake (literally) awaits exploration after a long hike in the rain forest. Quite a memorable trip. Video: [youtube.com link] Images of the trip: [facebook.com link]
Websites	Fort Young Dive Center
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Pacific Northwest, Fiji, Australia's GBR, Little Cayman, Roatan and Bonaire
Closest Airport	Douglas-Charles Airport	Getting There	Flights to Dominica all land first in Puerto Rico and from there a Caribbean Airline (LAIT) takes you on an unpredictable "milk run" through the islands until you reach your destination. "Island Time" guarantees a very unpredictable departure so best leave a huge layover in PR when going home so you do not miss your connection. From the airport in Dominica you take a bus or taxi for a 90 minute ride through the rain forest. Sit in the front seat if you are prone to motion sickness.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, no currents
Water Temp	87-89°F / 31-32°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	100-150 Ft/ 30-46 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	Recommendations for each site given in thorough intro before each dive. Dive Master carried high visibility slate and pointed out sights of interest frequently during the dive. Accommodations could be made for the more adventurous.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	Well equipped shop and knowledgeable staff (note: I am not a photographer but I heard no complaints)

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Dive Review of Fort Young Dive Center in Dominica/Southwest (leeward) side

Fort Young Dive Center: "Great diving, wonderful people and suburb accommodation: Dominica", Nov, 2014,

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 Fort Young Dive Center in
Dominica/Southwest (leeward) side