Champagne Reef
A reef off Dominica's south-west coast where hot springs on the sea floor send streams of bubbles up through the water, a short way down the coast from Roseau.
- Arrival
- Douglas-Charles · DOM
- To the reef
- About 6 km south of Roseau
- Private jets
- Customs at DOM, about 6 am to 10 pm
- Best time
- February to April
The city
Bubbles over the coral.
Champagne Reef takes its name from the bubbles that rise from volcanic springs on the ocean floor. It lies at the northern tip of the Soufrière Scotts Head Marine Reserve, between 5 and 18 metres down, and divers and snorkellers share it. Among the sponges and crinoids you may meet hawksbill turtles, seahorses, frogfish and batfish, and there may be the remains of a Spanish ship from the seventeenth century.
The reserve was set up in 1998 and covers about nine square kilometres around Soufrière Bay, the partly flooded crater of a volcano that erupted from the seabed and then collapsed. A day pass costs US$5. February to April are the driest months.
- The vents Thermal springs on the sea floor, sending fine streams of bubbles up past the reef.
- Soufrière Bay A sunken volcanic crater, now part of the marine reserve.
- Scotts Head The peninsula at the southern end of the bay, where dive walls drop away into the open Caribbean.
Arriving
North-east runway, south-west reef.
Jets land at Douglas-Charles on the north-east coast, about 35 km from the reef in a straight line and 56 km from Roseau. Canefield, just north of the capital, is a strip for light aircraft.
- St Maarten 50 min
- San Juan 1 h 10
- Palm Beach 3 h 20
- Dallas 5 h 35
- Ibiza 8 h 50 long-range jet
When to go
February to April.
Roseau's figures, the nearest long-term record. The sea is warmest from August to October, at 29 °C, but those are among the wettest months, with close to 250 mm of rain. In February, March and April rain drops below 100 mm and the water is 26 to 27 °C.
- 29° J 136 27°
- 29° F 87 26°
- 30° M 93 26°
- 30° A 87 27°
- 31° M 137 28°
- 31° J 185 28°
- 31° J 108 28°
- 31° A 246 29°
- 31° S 250 29°
- 31° O 239 29°
- 30° N 252 28°
- 29° D 176 28°
Where to stay
The capital close by, Portsmouth up the coast.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
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InterContinental Dominica Cabrits Resort & Spa Rated five-star by Discover Dominica, with 151 rooms beside Cabrits National Park in the north-west.
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Secret Bay Two MICHELIN Keys for 22 villas, one on a rocky outcrop over the sea, with two secluded beaches below.
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Fort Young Hotel A four-star hotel on Victoria Street whose own dive centre runs daily dives and whale watching from the hotel dock.
Where to dine
Where to book on the island.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Dominica. These are a Fodor’s Choice in Roseau and the tasting-menu restaurant of Secret Bay.
- The Palisades Fodor’s Choice Caribbean, seafood $$$ Fort Young Hotel, Roseau, about 6 km north
- Zing Zing Signature restaurant, Secret Bay Caribbean tasting menu Secret Bay, near Portsmouth, about 36 km north
Flying to Champagne Reef?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.