Reviews - Dominica Island Blog: Sharing Every Dominican Moment with the World

11 Aug 2007

Douglas Bay

Written by Dan in Information, Reviews No Comments →

Leaving Portsmouth, bear right where the road goes straight into Fort Shirley on the Cabrits and you will soon reach Douglas Bay. We first visited this spot in 1987, and then again in 1992. Back then the beach was long and broad and bottom along the entire area was sandy.

Alas, storms changes that. But there is still a sandy beach and sandy bottom area just at the beginning of the bay, on the left as you enter. The swimming beach is excellent, sandy with a very gradual slope and no waves or current to speak of.

A nice surprise awaits the snorkeler who ventures up the beach about 30 yards out. There are rock/coral undersea islands that abound with beautiful marine fauna. Each island tends to have a dominant fish species; one has a school of sergeant majors, another mostly blue chromis, and so on. You’ll also spot the occasional moorish idol, butterfly fish, discus, etc.

As is the case with Toucari, the sandy areas between the rocks and the beach may have sand dollars that a snorkeler can easily dive to collect. In Douglas Bay you may also find varieties of starfish, harmless white sea urchins, and even a conch.

Fort Shirley, Douglas Bay battery

Photo By:dimitrisokolenko

From the beach at Douglas Bay you can also snorkel towards the left back towards the rear of the Cabrits. The undersea vista is of rocks and undersea life preferring a rocky habitat.

This post was guest blogged by Dan Tanner

Toucari Beach

Written by Dan in Reviews 1 Comment →

Toucari is on the road between Portsmouth and Capuchin. Leaving Portsmouth, bear right where the road goes straight into Fort Shirley on the Cabrits and pass through Douglas Bay. Where the road forks into toward Capuchin or the Northern Link Road, bear left towards Capuchin. You will ascend to Morne a Louis (some very nice homes on the left overlook the back of the Cabrits) and then down a really steep and tortuous set of hairpin curves with high rock walls into Toucari Bay.

Photo By:Cliffton Flamboyant via Tropica-Pictures.com

The street at the bay has a nice new sidewalk, and there’s a dock and swimming beach on the left as you enter. There’s also a nice refreshment spot, Angela’s across the road from the beach. Toward the far end of the bay you’ll see a seawall. At the far end of this seawall is a very small sand beach next to a cemetery. This is a great place to snorkel. Go straight out and then right. There are reefs all along the way with abundant fish and coral to view.

And here’s something really interesting: There is a stairway at the mid-point of the seawall. And about 20 yards into the bay directly in front of the stairs you will find that volcanic gas bubbles up from the sandy bottom. Some gas vents remain open and bubble constantly. Others open to emit a bubble and then close until emitting the next one. There are a few rocks with vents in the area too. The gas bubble field is not as extensive as the one at Champagne, but Toucari is free. And while both Champagne and Soufriere (where we’ve heard there are also undersea bubble vents, we have not been there to see them), Toucari is in the north, while the other two spots are near each other in the south.

Another thing about Toucari: Ask around when you arrive and you can probably find someone to take you out in a boat around the bay cliffs on the end near the cemetery. Above the water you’ll see some interesting caves in the beautiful cliffs, and very close to the cliffs in shallow water (shallow enough for snorkelers) there is a very old wreck of a wooden ship that you can explore. The wreck is open, there is no hull to go into; you can swim around and over the wooden ships’ ribs that rest on the bottom. There are plenty of tropical fish there too.

Take a leisurely snorkel swim from the coral end to the dock end of the bay and you are likely to spot sand dollars within an easy snorkel dive to reach.

This post was guest blogged by Dan Tanner

Sand Bay Beach

Written by Dan in Reviews No Comments →

Sand Bay, also sometimes called Middle Bay, is an Atlantic beach in Marigot, the town just to the east of Melville Hall Airport. We only learned of it this year after coming to Dominica for the past 20 years by seeing a beautiful photo of it taken by Dominica’s leading author and historian Lennox Honychurch that appeared on the HHV Whitchurch 2007 calendar.

Sand Bay is a wonderful beach. There’s plenty of soft clean sand and areas to play and picnic. You can opt for sun or shade under coconut (watch for dropping fruit!) or almond trees. The swimming is excellent, with very gentle wave action, no current to speak of (at least not in the bay), and a fine sandy bottom. There are coral-encrusted rocks you can swim to; we snorkeled to them but did not see anything interesting. Mainly the rocks tend to mitigate the wave action, and they make the bay a pretty sight from higher vantages.

There are paths leading from the road to this beach from near the Marigot police station, from the Marigot hospital (but you will have to wade around a rock at the end) and from the old fishery harbor. Every path has steps cut into the area’s characteristic red clay, because the bay is sheltered. That means you’ll have to go up and over and down again from the old fishery. The easiest path begins near the police station. Just park there and ask for directions.

We’ve been told that it is not a good idea for us (we’re white Americans) to go there by ourselves because the men who have a hut on the beach “aren’t friendly”, but they seemed quite nice and friendly when we went there on a Sunday with our friend and neighbor (a woman and her three children). Perhaps they were disarmed by the tricks that our dog Ranger performed for them. Also, on Sunday the beach had other local families present, and both cricket and soccer games in progress. And the guys at the hut may have juices, soda, or even beer to sell, as well as their own CDs.

This post was guest blogged by Dan Tanner