News
Diving with… Virginie & Rémi Granger, Cabrits Dive Centre, Dominica
In this ongoing series, we speak to the people who run dive centres, resorts and liveaboards from around the world about their businesses and the diving they have to offer…
What is your name?
Virginie & Rémi Granger
What is the name of your business?
Cabrits Dive Centre Ltd, Portsmouth, North Dominica
What is your role within the business?
We are the 2 owners.
How long has the business operated for?
It opened in 2000, we bought it in February 2017 and restarted it in June 2017.
How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?
We started to dive in 2009. We are FFESSM Instructors 2*, CMAS 3*, we are PADI Instructors and Virginie is MSDT.
What is your favorite type of diving?
Reef diving, wreck diving and finally every kind, we just love to be underwater.
If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you what would it be?
An exceptional destination off the beaten track, Dominica is a delight for all those who like exploring underwater depths, whether snorkeling or with tanks. The area near Portsmouth offers a magnificent variety of unspoiled underwater wealth of fishes and corals which is rare to find. Seahorses, frogfish, morays, barrel sponges, tube sponges and massive coral reefs animate these waters. Eighteen large sites have been identified by the past dive centre and there are still many to be discovered.
What is your favorite dive in your location and why?
Toucari – The topography is really special, which means a multitude of refuges for underwater life and abundant marine life.
What types of diving are available in your location?
Coral Gardens, arches, tunnels and a great pier.
What do you find most rewarding about your current role?
To share our passion with others, and show our underwater wonders.
What is your favorite underwater creature?
Shrimp, frogfish, octopus, turtles,…What we like the most to watch is the underwater creature’s behaviours.
Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?
3 hotels are coming soon, and a restart of the nearby university.
As a center what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?
No problems at the moment, but maybe soon, it will be to find good employees.
Is your center involved in any environmental work?
We do regularly beach cleaning, and underwater clean-ups. After hurricane Maria, we have done a voluntourism package and included a lot of clean-ups, specially at Toucari bay.
How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkeling industry overall? What changes would you make?
We did not have time to develop these activities very much. For the next season, we should have an freediving partner who should bring us new divers.
What would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?
Stunning underwater worlds where flora and fauna flourish present a great richness that is unique to this part of the world.
Where can our visitors find out more about your business?
You can reach us on our website: www.cabritsdive.com
or on facebook : www.facebook.com/CabritsDive/
or on whatsapp : +1 767 276 53 73 / +1 767 617 40 77 / + 33 6 72 41 23 73 / +33 6 63 61 41 43
Over the next 12 months, specialist scuba holiday company Dive Worldwide will be supporting Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation with donations collected from client bookings to any one of its stunning dive destinations around the world. The independently-owned operator expects to raise £3000 for the UK charity.
Manager at Dive Worldwide, Phil North, said: “We’re especially excited to work with Bite-Back and support its intelligent, creative and results-driven campaigns to end the UK trade in shark products and prompt a change in attitudes to the ocean’s most maligned inhabitant.”
Bite-Back is running campaigns to hold the media to account on the way it reports shark news along with a brand new nationwide education programme. Last year the charity was credited for spearheading a UK ban on the import and export of shark fins.
Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’re enormously grateful to Dive Worldwide for choosing to support Bite-Back. The company’s commitment to conservation helps set it apart from other tour operators and we’re certain its clients admire and respect that policy. For us, the affiliation is huge and helps us look to the future with confidence we can deliver against key conservation programmes.”
To launch the fundraising initiative, Phil North presented Graham Buckingham with a cheque for £1,000.
Visit Dive Worldwide to discover its diverse range of international scuba adventures and visit Bite-Back to learn more about the charity’s campaigns.
MORE INFORMATION
Call Graham Buckingham on 07810 454 266 or email graham@bite-back.com
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
MK25 EVO Din mit S620Ti-X
Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
More information available on www.scubapro.com.
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