Dominica has always been one of my favorite dive sites.  The diving is great with wonderful visibility and wall diving and topside it is an island with beautiful waterfalls, Carib Indians crafts hiking and many other activities.  Also Dominica is still off the beaten path of most cruise ships, so the island maintains much of innocence.

In Dominica (pronounced “dom-in-eek-a”) underwater tunnels teaming with schooling fish lead to vertical walls and lava pinnacles are found side-by-side with rich shallow reefs.

Offering one of the healthiest reefs in the Caribbean, a diversity of coral and marine life, underwater visibility ranging up to 100 feet, a varied underwater terrain, and a number of full service dive operators offering equipment and excursions for divers of all skill levels, it’s easy to see why Dominica can usually be found at the top of the list of the world’s top dive destinations.

And now, Dominica’s dive operators are featuring a variety of dive packages, just in time for you to plan your next scuba adventure. Among the packages and deals available to travelers are:

Al Dive – Al Dive is now offering the “If U Dive Al Dive” package which includes five days of two-tank boat dives, one night dive n’ dinner combo, plus all taxes and Marine Park fees. The package is only $450 per person and is valid November 1, 2007 through April 30, 2008. For more information call 767-440-DIVE (3483), email aldive@aldive.com or visit http://www.aldive.com/.

Anchorage Hotel & Dive Center – Anchorage Hotel is now offering the “6+1 Free” dive package through July 2008 starting at just $757 net per person and $972 gross per person, based on double occupancy. The package includes seven nights standard/poolside accommodation with a free upgrade to superior/oceanfront accommodations, complimentary full day dive trip in the North, including one extra dive, full breakfast daily, 11 boat dives with fresh fruit juice and water, Marine Park fees, roundtrip airport transfers, unlimited shore diving, tanks, weights and belts 24/7, welcome drink, use of kayaks and all taxes and service charges. For more information call 767-448-2638, email anchorage@cwdom.dm or visit http://www.anchoragehotel.dm/.

Cabrits Dive Centre – Cabrits Dive Centre, the only PADI 5 star dive operation in Dominica, offers daily dive tours along the beautiful North West Coast line. As the only dive operator located in the North of Dominica, Cabrits Dive Centre specializes in small groups to emphasize your “Sense of Discovery.” Cabrits Dive Centre also offers a wide range of dive instruction to accommodate all divers from the novice to Dive Master! Double-tank dives start at $75 per person. For more information call 767-445-3010, email cabritsdive@yahoo.com or visit http://www.cabritsdive.com/.

Castle Comfort Lodge – Save money with the “7 Night Dive Adventure Package” which includes seven nights accommodation, seven breakfasts, welcome drink, roundtrip airport transfers, five days of two tank morning boat dives, unlimited shore diving, use of sea kayaks, a free winter bonus whale watching trip and land adventure trip, taxes and service charges. This package is available November 1, 2007 through April 1, 2008 and starts as low as $1150 per person, based on double occupancy. Group specials also available: five double divers [10], pay for nine and ten double divers [20], pay for 18. Call 646-502-6800, email dive@cwdom.dm or visit http://www.castlecomfortdivelodge.com/.

Fort Young Hotel – Named Dominica’s Leading Hotel in the 13th Annual World Travel Awards, Fort Young Hotel invites you to see what all of the excitement is about for yourself! The “Fort Young Hotel Dive Package” includes five nights accommodation, full breakfast daily, roundtrip airport transfers, three days of two-tank boat dives with tanks, weight and belts, site user fees, welcome rum or fruit punch and all taxes and service charges on package features. The package is valid now through May 14, 2008 for just $702 per person, based on double occupancy. For more information call 800-581-2034, email fortyounghotel@mindspring.com or visit http://www.fortyounghotel.com/.

Nature Island Dive – Nature Island Dive is now offering the “7 Night Summer Special” valid for travel July 2008 through October 2008. The package includes seven nights accommodation, 10 dives each, unlimited use of sea kayaks and mountain bikes and Government VAT tax for $820 per person, based on double occupancy. For more information, call 767-449-8181, email natureidive@cwdom.dm or visit http://www.natureislanddive.com/.

Known as “The Nature Island” and located between the French West Indies islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Eastern Caribbean, the independent nation of Dominica (pronounced “dom-in-eek-a”) is the largest and most mountainous of the Windward Islands, encompassing an area of nearly 290 square miles. Of volcanic origins with mountains reaching heights of nearly 5,000 feet, rainforests that are considered among the last true oceanic rainforests in the world, more than 365 rivers, waterfalls, boiling lakes and pristine coral reefs, Dominica’s natural diversity is truly unique. Dominica is also home to the last remaining settlement of the Indigenous People of the Caribbean – Carib Indians. Where man and nature live in harmony, adventurers, nature lovers, and responsible tourists alike will revel in the Island’s eco-tourism options which include scuba diving, snorkeling, mountain biking, kayaking, horseback riding, nature tours, hiking/trekking, whale, dolphin and bird watching, sailing and fishing.

Dominica continues to be recognized for its attributes and responsible tourism efforts, including being the first country in the world to receive Benchmarking designation from the prestigious eco-tourism organization Green Globe 21 and ranking as the only Caribbean destination in the top five happiest countries on earth in the Happy Planet Index (compiled by Britain’s New Economics Foundation).

For more information on Dominica, contact the Discover Dominica Tourism Authority at 866-522-4057. Or, visit Dominica’s official website: http://www.discoverdominica.com/.