Divers love to find new and different places to take diving vacations. Not many great places to dive are as untouched as the sites off the Island of Dominica. The first time most people hear the name of the island of Dominica, they think of the Dominican Republic. But this is not the country that shares the island of Hispañola with Haiti. Located between the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, Dominica has no large international airport, the largest planes that land there are turbo prop Dash 8's of LIAT or the American Eagle.

If you would like to get a view of Dominica, you can go back and watch the very popular Pirates of the Caribbean. The second and third movies of the Pirates Trilogy were filmed on location in Dominica. The beauty of the Nature Island of the Caribbean was a wonderful backdrop for the movies!

Dominica does not have the white sand beaches that draw so many tourists to the more developed islands of the Caribbean. But the waters off Dominica become very deep only a little way off the island. And a recent discovery of "champagne water" makes the effort to get to Dominica all the more worth it.

Just south of the village of Pointe Michele there is a sub-sea area in which the water is filled with tiny bubbles, earning it the title of champagne water. It is a wonderful and extraordinary place to dive, even though not many have yet had the experience.

For years the Southern Caribbean has been the most underrated of the tourist spots in the Caribbean region. There were tourists who were regulars at the eastern or western Caribbean cruises who didn’t even think of detouring to the southern parts. But the ensuing air scare post 9/11 meant that tourists became keen to venture to new places they could reach without flying. Thus, the hitherto unpopular Southern Caribbean Cruises soared in popularity. The islands of Aruba, St. Berth's, Dominica, Barbados, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Antigua, St. Kitts, and Nevis are the more popular ones among the lot.

The Southern Caribbean Cruises have won favor with the tourists in such a short time mainly due to the fact that they offer a varied palette. You have beaches and the associated sundry beach activities in Aruba, Antigua and Barbados, while Guadeloupe’s charm lies in the myriad forms of scenery found here. You have here tropical rain forests, mountains and volcanoes. You have a slice of France at St. Barth. Here you will find quaint roadside cafes, swank boutiques with a mind-boggling array of merchandise, upscale restaurants for fine dining experiences, and a hip beach culture. The ambience is so French that you will almost feel that you would walk into the Eiffel Tower at the next turning. Grenada and Dominica, not yet evolved as tourist hotspots, have retained their old world and laidback charm and this adds to their attraction. After all, there’s never a dearth of city slickers who yearn for a piece of quiet once in a while.

Though ships, the luxury liners and the budget ones, ferry all throughout the year, still winter is the best month to visit the Caribbean islands. For one, you can escape the sweltering summers and also avoid the ferocious tropical storms that pound the region every year during June to November.

The southern Caribbean should feature in every traveler’s itinerary, for this is a region which offers both scenic beauty and a multifaceted cultural milieu, which make for a truly enriching experience.