Rebreather friendly in Dominica??

OceanOpportunity · 7th January 2008, 03:56

Hi all,

I'll looking to find an Rebreather friendly operator on the Island of Dominica (not to be confused with the DOminican Republic)

Thanks for any info!

babar · 7th January 2008, 18:43

We did a CME course in Dominica in April. We stayed at the Fort Young Hotel, they had a booster and oxygen available. We brought our own lime. I'd still call in advance

**hound** · 7th January 2008, 20:13

Dive Dominica and Cabrits were great to dive with. Carbits and Dive Dominica both mix Nitrox and were very willing to let me hook up whips etc. to fill my O2 tank. They did not have a booster.

Tell them in adavance since the 02 is a little hard to get (island time). I was working with 500-1200 psi most of the time and dove with 32% as my dil, doing a ton of flushing to preserve the 02.

Cabrits is in the North and a bit of a different venue than most of the other dive places. 6-8 divers on an open skiff and 2 divemaster. Very personalized and easy going.

Dive Dominica is very pro and food is included. (good home cooking)

I left a small jug of lime at Dive Dominica for the next rebreather diver to use. I pushed the sorb more than I would like to admit in public. My loop was near or above 90F despite the constant flushing which perhaps also helped prolong the material. Zero current and 82F water helped as well.

I didn't get a chance to get below 120' due to my wife's watchful eye so I can't comment on any deep diving, but the shallow stuff was nice. There is a good amount(actually huge amount) of subsistence fishing pressure. There were no reef fish longer than a foot or so in the north.

WATCH THE PLANE WEIGHT LIMITS! They seemed very arbitrary. No problem on the way down. On the way home there was a firm limit; you couldn't get on the plane with more than 75# per couple! I stuffed my full size meg in a carry on loaded with sorb both ways which helped. I had to overnight all my regs and backplate etc. home in a 50# package for $130.00 which seemed as cheap as overnighting something within the States.

I usually skip land based adventure and I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's really worth taking a day off or the afternoons off diving to see the Emerald Pool or do the all day hike to the Boiling Lake. It's a very pretty island. A rental car would be handy, but there are lots of very, very nice locals that will squire you around; don't mind the overly aggressive salesmanship. I can send you the names of some of the guys that drove us around and took us hiking.

Dive Dominica has unlimited shore diving and a good dock. The water is gin clear even right downtown.

-Matt

OceanOpportunity · 8th January 2008, 00:24

did you notice if Dive Dominica had access to helium?

7th January 2008, 03:56	#1 (permalink)
OceanOpportunity for a world of water Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Dolphin Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Inspiration Classic Other CCR Dolphin Home Build Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Providence, RI USA Posts: 594	Rebreather friendly in Dominica?? Hi all, I'll looking to find an Rebreather friendly operator on the Island of Dominica (not to be confused with the DOminican Republic) Thanks for any info! __________________ Michael Lombardi Oceans of Opportunity www.oceanopportunity.com Elected Director, Society for Human Performance in Extreme Environments MN'07, The Explorers Club Project Manager, Diving a Dream
(Online)

7th January 2008, 18:43	#2 (permalink)
babar Curmudgeon Current Rebreather/s: Evolution Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Inspiration Vision Evolution Sport Kiss Other CCR Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Southern California Posts: 425	Re: Rebreather friendly in Dominica?? We did a CME course in Dominica in April. We stayed at the Fort Young Hotel, they had a booster and oxygen available. We brought our own lime. I'd still call in advance __________________ Babar Evolution Plus Sport kiss
(Offline)

7th January 2008, 20:13	#3 (permalink)
hound Supporting Member Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 14	Re: Rebreather friendly in Dominica?? Dive Dominica and Cabrits were great to dive with. Carbits and Dive Dominica both mix Nitrox and were very willing to let me hook up whips etc. to fill my O2 tank. They did not have a booster. Tell them in adavance since the 02 is a little hard to get (island time). I was working with 500-1200 psi most of the time and dove with 32% as my dil, doing a ton of flushing to preserve the 02. Cabrits is in the North and a bit of a different venue than most of the other dive places. 6-8 divers on an open skiff and 2 divemaster. Very personalized and easy going. Dive Dominica is very pro and food is included. (good home cooking) I left a small jug of lime at Dive Dominica for the next rebreather diver to use. I pushed the sorb more than I would like to admit in public. My loop was near or above 90F despite the constant flushing which perhaps also helped prolong the material. Zero current and 82F water helped as well. I didn't get a chance to get below 120' due to my wife's watchful eye so I can't comment on any deep diving, but the shallow stuff was nice. There is a good amount(actually huge amount) of subsistence fishing pressure. There were no reef fish longer than a foot or so in the north. WATCH THE PLANE WEIGHT LIMITS! They seemed very arbitrary. No problem on the way down. On the way home there was a firm limit; you couldn't get on the plane with more than 75# per couple! I stuffed my full size meg in a carry on loaded with sorb both ways which helped. I had to overnight all my regs and backplate etc. home in a 50# package for $130.00 which seemed as cheap as overnighting something within the States. I usually skip land based adventure and I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's really worth taking a day off or the afternoons off diving to see the Emerald Pool or do the all day hike to the Boiling Lake. It's a very pretty island. A rental car would be handy, but there are lots of very, very nice locals that will squire you around; don't mind the overly aggressive salesmanship. I can send you the names of some of the guys that drove us around and took us hiking. Dive Dominica has unlimited shore diving and a good dock. The water is gin clear even right downtown. -Matt
(Offline)

8th January 2008, 00:24	#4 (permalink)
OceanOpportunity for a world of water Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Dolphin Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Inspiration Classic Other CCR Dolphin Home Build Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Providence, RI USA Posts: 594	Re: Rebreather friendly in Dominica?? did you notice if Dive Dominica had access to helium? __________________ Michael Lombardi Oceans of Opportunity www.oceanopportunity.com Elected Director, Society for Human Performance in Extreme Environments MN'07, The Explorers Club Project Manager, Diving a Dream
(Online)

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