Dive Review of Nature Island Dive/Jungle Bay Resort and Spa in
Dominica

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Nature Island Dive/Jungle Bay Resort and Spa: "Good Caribbean Diving", Nov, 2021, by David Marchese, PA, US ( Sr. Contributor 20 reports with 29 Helpful votes). Report 11769.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This was our first international trip since covid. We chose Dominica based on other positive reviews in UC and on the Dominican covid policy. We needed to show proof of vaccination and have a negative PCR test prior to departing. Upon arrival, all documents were reviewed again, and everyone was administered an antigen test. I thought this was a great policy and allowed me to put covid essentially out of my mind and just enjoy the trip. That being said, masks were still required while in transit vehicles and in the common areas at Jungle Bay resort. Restaurant staff all wore masks during meals. All guests seemed to abide by the rules and we (fortunately) didn't encounter any of the "ugly Americans" described in recent UC articles. Jungle Bay Resort is fantastic. I found myself constantly staring at and admiring the craftsmanship and details of all the buildings, furniture, and amenities. Staff was as friendly, efficient, and accommodating as could be. We purchased the "half-board", which I'd highly recommend. That includes breakfast and dinner and allows you to order anything off the menu. I had a 5 course meal every night (appetizer, soup, salad, entree, and desert). Wine was $5/glass. Jungle Bay provided free transport to/from the dive shop (independent from the resort), which is about 5 minutes away. All dive sites are 5 - 15 minutes from the dive shop, and the boat returns between dives. The dive master hunts lionfish on each dive. (she typically brought back 15-25 from each dive), and the dive shop serves delicious lionfish sandwiches for lunch ($5). We had a surface interval of about an hour between the first two dives, and about 90 minutes between our 2nd and 3rd. Breathing air (nitrox is not available), we had to really watch remaining NDL times on the 3rd dives. The diving was pretty good with lots of colors and good fish life (but not much variety in color or life between sites). There are a couple of swim-throughs, and the topography was pretty dramatic with pinnacles, walls, big coral heads, and white sand, and sometimes all of that in a single dive. As is the new normal with the Caribbean, hard corals are nearly nonexistent, with sponges and soft corals having taken over. Refrigerator-sized barrel sponges were numerous on every dive. Unfortunately, there were very few "big stuff." In our 21 dives, we saw two turtles (in the distance) two eagle rays (in the distance), two nurse sharks, and two southern rays. Tropical fish density was pretty good on most dives. Visibility was between 40 and 75 feet with 60-70 being the norm. Our one night dive was excellent. We saw about a dozen lobster, three octopus, basket stars, eels, etc. It was pretty much non-stop critters that we didn't see at all during the day. This was our first trip with an all-female crew. Deserie was the head DM, Joy was the assistant DM, and Naz was the boat captain. These three were competent and enthusiastic, and ran a great operation. It was like diving with caring friends. There was next to no current on most dives and the seas were pretty flat. The weather changes from hot and sunny to a downpour instantly, but the downpours typically last 5 minutes. On our last day, we didn't dive and opted to hike to the boiling lake instead. We are in good shape and have done some serious treking around the world, but the hike to boiling lake is one of the toughest we've done. It's about 7 miles r/t but either steep up of steep down the whole way. Some sections are vertical requiring ropes, and there are several stream crossings. Take serious hiking shoes. But it's worth it! It's like being on a primordial planet at times, and the lake boils like a pot on high.
Websites	Nature Island Dive Jungle Bay Resort and Spa
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Caymans, Turks & Caicos, Bay Islands, Bahamas, Fiji, Saba, Maldives, California, Revillagigedo, Cozumel, Midway, Kona, Galapagos, Panama, Palau, Tahiti, Cocos, Malpelo, Tonga, PNG, Komodo, Sulawesi, Holbox, Solomon Islands, Belize, Komodo, Raja Ampat, Wakitobi, Alor, Marquesas, GBR
Closest Airport	Douglas-Charles (DOM)	Getting There	Via Puerto Rico
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas	calm
Water Temp	83-83°F / 28-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	40-75 Ft/ 12-23 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	The dive master set the maximum depth and wanted everyone to follow or at least stay within sight of the DM.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	no
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 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		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	There were two of us with full DSLR rigs. There was one small rinse bucket on the boat only big enough for one, but it wasn't an issue since the boat returned (5-10 minutes) to the shop between dives. There is a big rinse tank at the shop, but no dedicated camera work station. There is a covered picnic table that would suffice.

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Dive Review of Nature Island Dive/Jungle Bay Resort and Spa in Dominica

Nature Island Dive/Jungle Bay Resort and Spa: "Good Caribbean Diving", Nov, 2021,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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 Nature Island Dive/Jungle Bay Resort and Spa in
Dominica