champagne reef

[kates70]

Boy, this looks a lot different from our trip 2 years ago. Back then, we had to bust an ankle just to get to the reef ... on our way back, i decided I would swim, rather that walk. Saw two turtles on the way back!

 

The reef (and bubbles) are about 4 feet from the shore. Very close, and not very deep at all. A really great snorkel!

[SpiderPig]

The bubbles are maybe 40 to 50 feet from the shoreline in approximately 20ft of water. You can float on the top and see them. I should have some photos very soon (hopefully). I will post when available.

[kates70]

I conferred with DH and he confirms 4 to 6 feet from shore. I will have to wait and see when I return and April. It's strange because i vividly remember the bubbles starting very close to shore. Can anyone else comment on this? Is my memory getting that bad :)

[m1m1_mail]

Just came back from there, used Irie Safari are +767 440 5085 (office) or iriesafari@cwdom.dm

If you are calling from the US dial 1-767-440-5085.

 

The boss is Clem Johnson and he's a real gentleman.

 

 

The charge was $5 for a guide for 90 mins

$12 for snorkel equipment if you need it.

 

I was very happy with the service and the bubbles are amazing. Took some pictures with a crappy underwater disposable, if they come out I will post them.

 

Brand new boardwalk right across the beach, no problems walking there. Facilities very nicely maintained they look new. Absolutely no need to use a boat in my opinion.

 

Taxi's - you'll get mobbed when you get off the cruise ship, it's approx 20 min drive each way not sure what they charge (I paid someone $180 for the entire day)

[m1m1_mail]

Comment to the remark about don't go if you are a novice snorkeller - I'm not a strong swimmer and not a talented snorkeller either.

 

I used Irie Safari, paid $5 for the services of a guide and had no problems at all. They rent all the equipment for an extra $12 which includes an inflatable life vest (which I used).

 

I definitely recommend the Champagne snorkelling, the owner Clem was a real gentleman and the guides were great.

[kruisinkris]

I have been to Dominica before but I never snorkeled there. Actually, my only experience has been at a Disney water park! We will be there in Feb and I have reserved a snorkeling trip through Princess to the Champagne Reef. I have some concerns and need some honest opinions and information. I can swim and used to swim in the ocean when I was younger. As I have gotten older, though, I don't really like going in deep water. However, I will float around in the lake with a life vest on with no problem. Also, I had shoulder surgery in Sept. My physical therapist said I should be OK to snorkel by that time as long as it is fairly calm water and I am wearing a snorkel vest and am just casually swimming - meaning, not trying to quickly swim bearing all of my body weight.

 

So...Are the waters fairly calm there? I watched the video on youtube but couldn't tell how deep it was. About how deep is it? Are you always given a vest and does is provide the same amount of "float" as a regular life jacket? If you are snorkeling from a boat, is it OK to stay fairly close to it if you are unsure? If we don't do the snorkeling through Princess, is there snorkeling equipment at Champagne Reef to rent? How much does it cost? If you go to the end of the pier to snorkel, about how deep is it there?

 

I REALLY do want to snorkel on this cruise, but I guess I need some detailed info to get myself psyched up to do it. I appreciate all the info anyone can give me.

 

We were there in April 2005 & I am a NON SWIMMER. We took the tour through Princess. They were GREAT! They required all of us to put on a life jacket (although the strong swimmers didn't need to inflate them). Most of the group (including some children) followed a guide for quite a while through the reef & bubbles and my DH said it was spectacular!

 

As for me, I love to see the fish but am quite a pansy. They not only made sure my life jacket was secure, but led me on a life preserver "donut" around the ship to some close reefs (the most colorful I've ever seen) and to some of the "bubble spots". It was really cool. I was able to stay close to the ship. The water was very calm & clear (although I'm sure THAT can change depending on the weather) I wasn't in the water very long because they were gearing it to my comfort level BUT IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY!

 

The shore seemed fairly close but I think if we were to do it again, I would STILL choose to do it from a ship since they can get closer to the reefs & "champagne bubbles".

[kands6191]

Thanks, Kruisinkris. That's exactly the kind of information I was looking for. I feel much better now about going.

 

That's what I love about this forum. You can ask just about anything and someone out there will have good information for you.

 

Thanks again.:)

[scuba214]

Does anyone know if Irie Safari offers guided shore diving at Champagne reef?

[kands6191]

Well, I'm back from my fabulous cruise and one of my highlights was snorkeling Champagne Reef! I am so grateful for the info I received on this thread. I went ahead and booked the tour through Princess. I also floated around on a donut for a while while I worked up my courage to put my face in the water. I finally was able to, but found that my mask was leaking just under my nose. I started to hold the mask over my nose tightly with one hand and extend the other arm to hold the donut. I quickly got the hang of breathing through the snorkel after that. Of course, by this time most of the experienced snorkelers were finished and back in the boat! But they let me go over to see the bubbles and spend as much time as I wanted. It was beautiful and I feel such a sense of accomplishment.

 

So if there is anyone out there who is afraid like I was, I encourage you to try it. Even if you never are able to get your face in the water, you can still see beautiful fish and urchins.

[kands6191]

I just went back and read the question about how far away the bubbles were from the shore. If you look on the pictures that were posted...looked at the second one with the people standing on the shore. If you look at the rocks that extend out into the water, you will see a tiny vertical post near the middle of the rocks. That is the area where the bubbles are mostly concentrated. The experienced snorkelers then went even further out to see the reef and fish. My husband said there was a lot to see further out.

[OnlyMe]

kands6191, thank you so much for posting your experience!!! I too am 'afraid' and am not sure I'll be able to put my face in the water but would love to see the bubbles and fish and your post has convinced me to at least give it a try ... thank you!

[kands6191]

You're welcome! I consider my experience (limited as it was) to be the highlight of my trip. I feel like a whole new world has opened up for me and I look forward to snorkeling again. I am going back in Nov and I am encouraging my kids, 10 and 13, to learn to snorkel.

 

Post after your experience. I'd love to know how it goes for you!

[woodofpine]

As indicated, champagne reef is very close to shore, maybe 30-50 feet max depending on tides. It is a reasonably small area. There is a spot called 'the bathtub' a little loop in the reef with really hot water from the volcanic vents.

 

When I went (by boat) they hadn't put in the walkway, and shore entry was considered tricky because the rocks are baseball to grapefruit sized polished smooth and slippery when wet (and its always wet).

 

Warning: Champagne reef and its surroundings has a LOT of fire coral (the yellow lichen looking stuff). Accidently touch that and your in for a Zinger! :eek: (I know! It goes away in 5-10 minutes but feels like a wasp for the first couple.)

[iratherbesailing]

Does anyone know if Irie Safari offers guided shore diving at Champagne reef?

 

We just came back yesterday and yes Irie Safari does offer guided shore diving. My 17 year old son and 14 year old daughter also did this with me. They loved the experience. Clem Johnson has excellent staff and a clean facility. His prices are very reasonable and he can arrange transportation to and from the ship.

[faircruise]

No facilities at all - nothing is there except the new boardwalk put in to help people get to the water from shore

 

I was at the Champagne Reef in early Jan. 08. I was with a group of 3 others. I am not a big swimmer, and not too interested in snorkeling or much less scuba diving; but this place was still very nice and all was positive.

We arrived at Champagne Reef after an approx. 20 min. ride from our Carnival Destiny ship. Our taxi driver stayed there, waiting for us while he chatted with several other drivers. We paid a small fee (I think around $3) to enter since the area is a nature preserve.

The top level landing has a full service bar area with sodas, water, and all sorts of drinks/snacks. This area is shaded and the floor is tiled. There is a large bathroom on the premises. It is clean and stocked. There are tables for sitting/eating, as well as a pair of plastic lounge seats. Since you're high up, the view from there is very pretty.

The three in my group all rented the snorkeling equipment from the very courteous and friendly owner, Clem Johnson. We then all started to make the trek down to the beach area. There is a long wooden (sturdy) walkway which runs parallel to the beach. It is about 10 feet off the ground (which is the beach below). On this walk, it's worth it to look closely at the nearby trees, where you'll probably spot lots of pretty birds and some BIG lizards; good photo-op!

Once off the boardwalk, you make your way onto a very rocky area. Shoes or sandals are really needed for this stretch! Once down at the snorkeling site, the folks just literally "slide" (there is a big plastic mat) into the entrance of the water. As mentioned, I do not snorkel, so I just stayed behind on a towel while my group went in. Note: there is not a lot of space to lay out a towel, for the area is quite rocky. But I did find a little corner of flat area, which was even shady (!) for me.

After about 45 mins., my group came out of the water. They were all very happy with the snorkeling and went on and on about how cool the little underwater bubbles were!

At this point, we made our way back up to the platform area, returned the snorkeling gear, had a few drinks/snacks from the bar area and changed into dry clothes. It was very nice once again talking to the owner of Irie Safari and staff there. They made us feel welcomed and were very accommodating the entire time. :)

[aquamarine57]

We snorkeled Champagne Reef in Dominica in March 2008. This was, by far, the best snorkeling anywhere in the Caribbean - and we snorkel ALOT.....Taxi from the pier to the restaurant/changing rooms, place to buy tickets/rent snorkel gear was quick and easy. The restaurant is a nice place to sit and wait for your taxi back. The boardwalk is a nice stroll along the beach. We saw iguanas mating and huge, colorful catepillars on the land side of the boardwalk, so I am glad we went this way instead of by boat. You do have to walk along some big, smooth rocks - not a problem in sandals or water shoes. There are two guys at the end of the boardwalk that I think are government employees. They kept an eye on everything, also were a great source of information - really nice guys. Did not seem like there would be any problem at all leaving belongings on beach, this place is remote and can't get to it except by boat or via boardwalk. They had a heavy plastic "runway" from the beach into the ocean. The reef itself was extraordinary. It was the healthiest coral we have seen in a long time. The abundance and variety of fish was fabulous. We snorkeled right in front of the beach area, and also off to the left beyond the rock outcropping. Along this side you swim through a coral canyon with gorgeous sites on both sides. On the ocean side of the canyon is a drop off with more fabulous fish. The vents that let the bubbles up are to coolest things. We loved it. Spent about 2 hours here, would have done more. We snorkeled with our 4 kids, ages 7 - 16 and it felt safe for all of us. We HIGHLY recommend this!

[ColoradoCruzers]

Aquamarine and/or anyone else who has visited the reef,

Do you remember how much the taxi was from the ship to the area at Champagne Reef? Was it easy to find a taxi? Was the restaurant/rental/changing room place the Irie Safari establishment previously referenced? Did you need advance reservations? Does anyone know if a brand new scuba diver could go on a safe, easy guided dive and could the rest of the family tag along and snorkel? Thanks for any answers you could provide.

[aquamarine57]

Hi....loads of taxis/minibuses available. We paid $10pp round trip(there were 8 of us) and the driver stayed and played checkers with some other taxi drivers while we swam and snorkeled, then drove us back to the ship. There is only one snack bar/snorkel rental place near the parking area for Champagne Reef. You have to buy tickets there, they are (I think )two or three dollars. We did not have reservations. We snorkeled from the beach. There was a boat of a few scuba divers that was there at the same time. They tended to stay at the drop off, but we could definitely see them. Some of the time we swam along side them. At one point we thought there was an area of amazing vents/bubbles.....but it was a couple of scuba divers hiding behind the reef! Snorkeling here was really the high point of our trip.....easy, relatively inexpensive, and just spectacular reefs and loads of fish.

[ColoradoCruzers]

Just posted this on the Scuba/Snorkel board and thought it belonged here as well. Please excuse the double posting.

 

Just returned from the 6/1 sailing of the Carnival Destiny.

 

On Tuesday the 3rd we arrived in Dominica. What a beautiful, magical island. Big Mama, our driver arranged thru Clem at Irie Safari, arrived at the dock promptly at 11:45 and drove us to Irie Safari, right at the entrance to Champagne Reef. He stayed and waited for us and I think was a bit put out when we decided to return to the ship instead of taking a tour with him of their lovely island. But I was tired. Clem Johnson was great to deal with through email and by phone. I met Francesca, my divemaster/buddy. It was just the two of us. She gathered all my gear together. Clem hauled our tanks down to the beach for us. The walk to the beach starts right from their dive shop, down some stairs and along a boardwalk to the water. There is no beach. It is what I would call large cobbles. There was a small problem with the inflator hose on my BC, so I sat on a big rock and watched as my DH and sons went off with their own guide on a snorkel adventure while Francesca walked back to the dive shop to fetch a new BC for me.

 

After assembling our gear she had me wade into the water and sit on my tank and slip into my BC. That was a new one for me! She then brought out my fins for me. After maybe a 5 minute surface swim we reached the point where the dive would begin. It really wasn't much of a swim, more like a leisurely backfloat out to the reef.

 

Once under water, OMG! It was incredible, the beauty, the marine life. It was a good thing I had a regulator in my mouth or my mouth would have been hanging open the whole time.

 

Francesca went slow, constantly making sure I was always ok and nearby. She had a slate on which she wrote all the marine life I was seeing and would also name fish when I pointed and asked what they were. The list is long but some of what I saw: parrotfish, arrow crab, eels, squid, spotted drum, yellowtail snapper, pufferfish, lizardfish, beautiful corals in all the colors of the rainbow, feather duster that closed when prompted and opened so beautifully. She also pointed out some cannons and huge anchor chains that had been there for some 300 or 400 years. We did our safety stop by piddling around at the bubbles for a few minutes at 15 feet. It is amazing how warm the water from these vents really is. And just like people say, it is like swimming in a huge glass of champagne.

 

All told, maximum depth was 60 feet, bottom time was 53 minutes. I wore only a rash guard again, but should have worn my 3mil wetsuit. I had a hard time warming up after returning to the ship. Took a couple hours and a long hot shower to rectify.

 

When we surfaced, I was almost at a loss for words, the feeling was incredible. I get goosebumps just writing about it. I now know that I am spoiled :D having such personal experiences on my first 2 dives.

 

Many thanks to Clem Johnson and Francesca at Irie Safari for making my second ocean dive the absolute highlight of my entire vacation. The folks at Irie Safari were so welcoming and friendly. By the way, Francesca is the only female instructor on the island, as well as the youngest. And I would not hesitate to dive with her again. Next week would not be too soon.

 

I also would like to mention my DH and sons found their guided snorkel to be an incredible experience as well. I'm sorry I didn't get the name of their guide, as I would like her to know just how special she made their day. My husband couldn't say enough good things about her and how she pointed out all the things they were seeing or were about to see. Their contact info is:

Clem Johnson

Irie Safari

Anse Batteau, Pte Michel

Box 2078, Roseau

Dominica, West Indies

(767) 440 5085

(767) 275 7001

iriesafari@cwdom.dm

 

If anyone has questions or comments I would be happy to reply.

 

~Machelle

[momofcbp]

 

If anyone has questions or comments I would be happy to reply.

 

~Machelle

Thanks so much for all of the info. Could you please tell us the cost for the taxi, and the scuba. I assume you are not certified and that it was a discovery scuba?

[stephi]

Is there a possibility to store belongings such as camera etc while you are snorkeling? This is what I am most concerned about if talking just a taxi and not a tour...

[akpsoccer]

Is there a possibility to store belongings such as camera etc while you are snorkeling? This is what I am most concerned about if talking just a taxi and not a tour...

 

i was just there about 3 weeks ago and we did not do a tour, we just got a taxi from where our ship was docked and went by ourselves. We just kept all of our stuff on the beach on some of the huge rocks...most of the day there was NO ONE else on the beach or snorkeling, so it wasn't ever a problem. When other people came, they also just put their things on the rocks/ground

[bluewave]

Are there any land tours that include a snorkel stop at Champagne reef? It sounds like a place not to miss for folks like us who love to snorkel - but it is my first time visiting this island and there seems to be many "not-to-miss" spots! We'll be there in a few weeks on the Summit. I really need to get my shore plans in place!

[138east]

A group of us on the Explorer on 2/1 just booked with Levi for a land tour that includes Champagne Reef.. You can see our discussion on the RC Meet & Mingles - Explorer of the Seas 2/1/09.

[mcmarya]

We were at Champagne reef last week. There is indeed a boardwalk most of the way to the entry spot and the rocks have been cleared away pretty well making the walk fairly easy. We did not take our fins and opted for water shoes because we read about the rocky walk. But, we wished we had brought the fins along. The day we were there, the water was very calm and visibility was good. I couldn't find my underwater camera in the backpack so didn't get any pictures of the bubbles. If anyone has a picture to share I would love to have one.