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You can spend weeks on Dominica doing one hike after another and still not feel you've even scratched the surface of all there is to do. And that's just on land. Dominica's diving is every bit the adventure as its hiking. In Soufrière Bay, Johnson and I descend onto a site where the Atlantic and the Caribbean meet in a confluence of currents that sustains a raucous multiplicity of sea life. The underwater geography here was created by both the bold, violent strokes of seismic forces and the patient artwork of corals. Massive pinnacles of rock, the ragged edges of a volcanic crater, are smothered in golden sea fans. Gigantic black coral trees host dozens of tiny, juvenile trumpetfish, attesting to the fecundity of the waters. In one dive I find both the largest sponge and largest example of rare pillar coral I've ever seen. There are jawfish, mantis shrimp, pistol shrimp and fields of garden eels. On one small coral head, I see several species of anemones each with its own set of uniquely symbiotic species. The reef here is an uninhibited celebration of natural selection. After the dives, we head back out on another Anchorage Dive Center boat, this one a big motorcat equipped with hydrophones able to listen in on some of the locals. Just a mile offshore, a chattering burst of clicks spits out of the speakers. Sperm whales. “They're close,” says the captain scanning the water. A moment later, “There she blows!” And it is indeed a she. Dominica has a year-round resident pod of sperm whales made up of females and their calves. The big males come down in the winter to challenge each other and to mate with the females in the warm waters off the island. After one mother whale arches her back and lifts her broad, trademark tail to propel her deep into the abyss to hunt squid, her young calf approaches our boat. The canoe-size newborn rolls onto its side to look up at us through a shallow curtain of water, one side of its tail fluke lazily breaking the surface like a shark's fin. From just a few feet away, I can clearly see the whale's eye. It looks like it wants to play, and I almost expect it to wink and ask if I'm up for an adventure. Where to Stay: Dominica At a primo spot in downtown Roseau, the Fort Young Hotel (767-448-5000; www.fortyounghotel.com) boasts 53 guest rooms and suites, each with a private balcony. This recently renovated property includes three restaurants and a bar, a health and beauty center and a dive shop.
Related Links from Caribbean Travel & Life: Dominica: Tall is the Island
Dominica's Rare Parrot Playground
Soufrière, Dominica
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