A wall around Cabrits National Park, named for the huge barrel sponges standing off it. Cabrits Dive Centre publishes 15 to 120 feet (up to 37 m) over what it calls a sharply descending slope of mixed soft and hard corals and brightly coloured sponges, with a gentle current usually present, and PADI lists the site going down to 40 m, for deep divers.
Where it is and how deep
15.5811° N, 61.4752° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wall runs around Cabrits National Park, five minutes out from the dive centre, and Cabrits Dive Centre publishes the range as 15 to 120 feet, 4.5 m to about 37 m, over what it calls a sharply descending slope. PADI puts the bottom of the site at 40 m and lists it for deep divers, so the deep section comes first and stays short, and the rest of the dive is spent climbing the face.
The barrel sponges are the reason for the name: Cabrits Dive Centre describes them as huge and shaped like sharks' mouths, standing out of a mixture of soft and hard corals and brightly coloured sponges that covers the slope. The centre says there is usually a gentle current present, and the shallow end of the range at 4.5 m leaves reef to finish the dive over.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows Dominica: November–May gives calmer seas and the best sperm whale sightings; September–October bring the heaviest rain and hurricane risk.
Know before you go
- The site reaches 40 m and PADI lists it for deep divers, so the deep section is a short, planned part of the dive rather than somewhere to linger.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Shark's Mouth?+
PADI lists the site going down to 40 m (130 ft) and marks it for deep divers. Cabrits Dive Centre publishes the working range as 15 to 120 feet, roughly 4.5 m to 37 m.
Why is it called Shark's Mouth?+
For the huge barrel sponges on the wall, which Cabrits Dive Centre says look like sharks' mouths. The site itself is a wall around Cabrits National Park, with soft and hard corals and brightly coloured sponges over a sharply descending slope.
Sources
- Diving in Dominica — Cabrits Dive Centre
- Shark's Mouth dive site — PADI
More dive sites in Dominica
Wreck
The Nadine L., a 17-metre wreck (55 feet) sunk in 2003 as a first wreck dive
Reef
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Sand slope
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Reef
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Reef
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Reef
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Wall
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A two-ton eighteenth-century anchor grown into the coral
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Near-continuous schools of grunts and snappers on the wall top