A cave and canyon dive under Toucari Bay on Dominica's north-west coast, fifteen minutes by boat from Portsmouth. PADI lists a canyon, an arch and a cave on the one site among healthy corals, and Cabrits Dive Centre, which calls it perhaps the most beautiful dive in Dominica, describes coral archways to swim under and bubbles rising from the reef floor. The published profile runs 9 m to 30 m.
Where it is and how deep
15.6107° N, 61.4672° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Boats run fifteen minutes north from Portsmouth to Toucari Bay, and Cabrits Dive Centre publishes the range as 30 to 100 feet, about 9 m to 30 m, so the dive is worked as a multi-level: the deep ground first, the shallow ground last. PADI describes the landscape as a canyon, an arch and a cave, and those three features are what the dive is built around.
Cabrits Dive Centre describes healthy reef, coral archways to swim under, bubbles rising from the reef floor and fish everywhere, and says its instructors and divemasters make it their favourite dive. PADI's sighting list for the site runs to angelfish, butterflyfish, wrasse and barracuda, with a frogfish possible rather than expected. With the shallow end of the range at 9 m, that last stretch can run long.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
| 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 includes a cave and coral archways, so the usual overhead rules apply: a light each, an agreed turn point and fin technique that does not stir the bottom.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Toucari Caves?+
Cabrits Dive Centre publishes a range of 30 to 100 feet, roughly 9 m to 30 m, so it is a multi-level dive with the deep end at 30 m and a long shallow finish over the reef and archways.
Where is Toucari Caves?+
In Toucari Bay on Dominica's north-west coast, north of Portsmouth and the Cabrits headland. It is a boat dive, a fifteen-minute run from the dive centre.
Sources
- Diving in Dominica — Cabrits Dive Centre
- Toucari Caves 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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