Experience the spectacle of Dominica’s rainbow-colored seascape

Located in the south-west, at the northern tip of the Soufriere Scotts Head Marine Reserve, this is a mixed black sand and rock beach famed for its snorkelling  reef and submerged volcanically active fumaroles.

Champagne Reef, named for the bubbling waters rising from volcanic thermal springs on the ocean floor, attracts diving and snorkeling enthusiasts from around the world. The reef’s plummeting cliffs and towering volcanic formations perfectly match Dominica’s massive mountains and gorges.

Whether diving or snorkeling in these warm waters, you’ll encounter a dazzling explosion of color. The reef holds a paint box of sponges with names like pink azure, red rope, yellow tube, and purple vase, to name just a few. And greeting you as you go are countless crinoids, also known as water lilies. These marine animals attached themselves to coral and sponges, waving delicate tubular wands of red and yellow, each one hypnotizing in its beauty.

Matching the color and variety of the sponges and crinoids is a fascinating range of underwater creatures—octopus, rays, trumpet fish, parrotfish, frogfish, batfish, hawksbill turtles, seahorses, sea snakes, and eels. You may even encounter the remains of the 17th-century Spanish shipwreck.

Don’t miss your chance to dive into the beauty and surprise of the Champagne Reef.