|
|
Map of Scuba Diving in Punta Cana North Coast Diving Northern Coast Diving |
East Coast Diving
Scuba Caribe South Coast Diving Scuba Fun |
| Gary D. R. Salmon, PADI MSDT 83375
I have been involved in the Recreational Scuba Diving Industry as a dive professional for 11 years now. I have lived, worked and loved the Dominican Republic throughout the whole of this time. I have met thousands of divers of mixed nationalities through my work, many of whom were once my student divers and now own their own Diving Centers. Scuba Diving is a passion with me and I believe that the divers who shared that passion with me during my careers with "Jerry's Dive Center", Juan Dolio; "Calypso Diving Center", Juan Dolio, "Vinito's Diving Center", Juan Dolio; "Circe Watersports Adventures", Cumayasa; "Circe Watersports Adventures", Santana Beach and "Circe Watersports Adventures" La Romana, will agree when I tell your readers that the Scuba experience along the South East Coast of the Dominican Republic is as good in quality and diversity, if not better than, any other Caribbean destination. The local people are warm and friendly, the culture both interesting and highly entertaining, the country's geography rich in it's diversity. Boasting rain forests, mangroves, the largest salt water lake in the Caribbean (Lago Enriquillo) lying 140ft below sea level and home to more than 1,000 crocodiles, the highest mountain in the Antilles (Pico Duarte at 10,400ft), cascading waterfalls in the Jaragua National Park, vast expanses of fruit, tobacco and sugar plantations, both dry and wet caves some containing historical graphic evidence of the existence of the original Taino indians that inhabited the island for thousands of years before and the invasions of the Spanish Conquistadors and the reknowned British pirate, Sir Francis Drake. The list wouldn't be complete without mentioning the obvious. The South East Experience offers some of the most idilic beaches in the Caribbean. "Miches", "Bavaro Beach", "Punta Cana", "Saona Island", "Bayahibe" and "Catalina Island" all offer you their own touches of paradise. "Catalina Island" as well as having white powder sand beaches, is itself perhaps the best of the Scuba diving experiences in the Dominican Republic. It has been nominated as 1 of the top 10 diving destinations in the Caribbean and received an excellent review from Conservation International during one of their visits to the island prior to a planned convention at the Caribbeans most luxurious resort of "Casa de Campo", La Romana. For those of you that didn't know Mr. Harrison Ford is not only a very talented actor but is also the chairman of Conservation International and an enthusiastic Scuba diver. Dr. Sylvia Earl compliments a list of illustrious personalities and celebreties who actively participate in the research into the wellbeing of both our fresh and saltwater environments. I had the pleasure of diving with and coming to know a number of the vanguard of marine biologists sent ahead by Conservation International and was delighted to hear that in there findings they had given the underwater topography in Catalina Island and other diving sites along the coast a rating in their "Reef Check" program of in excess of 15% for the thriving soft and hard coral growth on the sea bed. "Excellent!" And stated to be much healthier than many of the better known Scuba diving destinations. The next time your readers consider just where to go for their next Scuba Diving adventure, I suggest that they try a little of the fun and excitement of diving the Dominican Republic. I believe they won't be disappointed! This review and appraisal of just some of the wonderful things on offer to visitors to the Dominican Republic is the personal view of Gary D. R. Salmon, PADI MSDT 83375 who has lived and worked there for the past 15 years. Dive Master Gary Salmon MSDT 83375 - has passed away, and the Ashes spread (by his wish) in the “La Caleta Marine Park” –. Furthermore – a commemorative plaque has been placed on the “Hickory”. |
| Melia Caribe Tropical - Scuba Caribe ~ Leah |
Scuba Caribe - Five of us went on the Catalina Snorkeling ($90)/Scuba (+$60per dive) excursion. It was quite a windy day and there ended up being a number of people who were sick on the catamaran. These two dives were my first two as part of getting my scuba license. It was definitely a great place to learn to dive! Jorge was my divemaster and he definitely made sure my dives were interesting, although at the end I did have to do all of my skills (including towing him back to the catamaran!) The snorkeling from the Catalina beach was excellent. The water was very clear and there was a large amount of marine life if you stayed close (or under) the rock wall.
If you can get one of the divemasters to show you around the reef it is well worth it.
FYI – Doing the Catalina Island trip and getting my Open Water Scuba Certification (included Catalina trip, snorkeling, PADI text, dive tables, classroom time, quizzes, pool dives, final exam and 4 ocean dives) cost $509, much cheaper than at home! This is definitely the place to do it!
| EdeNH Real Arena Punta Cana ~ Brad |
Scuba Diving - at the resort excellent equipment and great dive instructors. But if you book the Catalina dive they out source and the equipment is old and not in working order. My first dive I ended early as my PFD wouldn't inflate and my regulator was not working. Did not feel safe doing the second dive. So I snorkeled. Had to wait around until the crew was finished partying before we headed back. The trip to Catalina Island was so scenic. Really must spend more time in the country - it was amazing. They did give me a partial refund. I would take the advise of other divers and book Catalina Island with the Scuba Caribe at the Melia next door. It was good but a very long trip left at 8:30 in the morning and returned at 7:30 at night.
| Paradisus Palma Real — Scuba Caribe ~ Thomas ~ N.Y., U.S. A. |
I am a PADI certified, advanced + diver with over 400 Caribbean dives in my log book. I just returned from a vacation in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. I stayed at the Paradisus Palma Real Resort from Feb. 8 through 17, 2008. It is an all-inclusive resort and advertises that scuba diving is FREE. The dive operator associated with the resort is Scuba Caribe. Their web-site also advertises that the diving is FREE for hotel guests. Prior to my arrival, I E-Mailed Scuba Caribe indicating my diving level and experience. I also informed them that I had all my own dive gear and would want to make two tank dives daily from 2/9 - 2/15. I asked if there was anything I must do prior to arrival. Their response was positive and indicated no further preparation on my part was necessary. No mention was made of any additional fees or charges.
Upon arrival, I checked in with the Scuba Caribe personnel, completed the dive waiver and diver information sheets and again told them of my intention to make daily two tank dives for the next seven days. I was then, must to my shock, informed that only ONE dive was free and any additional dives wold cost me $60.00 each. There was no Scuba Caribe manager available with whom to register my dismay. I complained to an assistant manager at the resort but she told me there was nothing she could do. I provided her with copies of my E-Mail correspondence with Scuba Caribe. She too was astounded and promised to contact Scuba Caribe and get back to me. She never did.
The next morning ( Feb. 9) I did a two tank dive with Scuba Caribe. They have no dock at the resort and picked myself and two other (just certified) divers up in an elongated row boat with an out-board motor, no shade or onboard facilities ie a dry table or rinse tank for my camera, water or any other refreshment or even a boarding ladder etc. We dove two sites; "Cuevitas" (max depth 38 feet) & "Park Reef" (max depth 33 feet) . Both sites were very silted over with minimal sea life and horrendous surge. Re-boarding their craft was difficult given the minimum assistance from the apparently inexperienced boat driver ( I hesitate to insult real and experienced boat captains by calling him a captain).
Upon our return to shore, there was still no admitted Scuba Caribe manager available to discuss their primitive diving operation or their surprise charges for free diving. I then informed the staff person present that I would not be diving with them any further nor would I be paying them any money. Upon check-out I did not recieve a bill.
In conclusion, from my limited (two dive) experience there I cannot in clear conscience recommend this location for an enjoyable dive experience for any serious divers or this questionable dive operator. I was not contacted with any explanation of this matter by anyone from Scuba Caribe during the rest of my stay at the resort or to date. Suffice it to say my long awaited dive vacation was a bust. I would advise any diver contemplating a dive vacation to the Punta Cana area to be wary of this primitive and shady dive operation.
| Iberostar Dominicana - Dressel Dive ~ Jen - Ohio |
My husband has completed two vacations diving with Dressel Dive shop, he did his coarse work at home with our local dive shop and his open water certification with Dressel in Riveria Maya, and this trip completed his deep diving/navigation certification with Dressel. With both locations my daughter and I have taken day long excursions with the dive shop along with husband for us to snorkel. We have had much better excursion day trips with the Dressel Dive shop vs. taking excursions with Apple. With Apple they take hoards of people, not only from the resort your staying at, but also from lots of other resorts, and round you up like cattle on a charter bus picking up everyone from other resorts takes up too much time. Plus with such large groups of people it's not as personal and private attention as Dressel. Also, with dive/snorkel trips with larger groups you don't see as much ocean life when 50 people all get off a boat as when 20 people do.
Last year we went to Catalina Island...it was beautiful...only 10 of us with the dive shop on a basically deserted island, the most beautiful beach I've ever seen...Catalina Island excursion is the one to take while in the D.R., but go with Dive shop, not tour group like Apple. This time we took the Dressel trip to Saona. we left with about 15 people from our resort in a smaller tour bus and drove to the Iberostar in Bayahibe. We picked about 5 more people there, they put the scuba divers on one boat and the snorklers on another boat. They offered soda, rum and beer all day on the boat. We did one snorkel spot for about an hour while other boat went diving, then we met up with the divers on the island for lunch. The beach was rather rocky and very shallow, we were very disappointed with the island. Yet, very surprised by the great lunch buffet we were served there...better food than at the resort. While there we saw many other tour boats bringing in large groups...I'm certain we had a better lunch and trip then them...Dressel did a great job with a small group and the people they hired to cater our lunch. Then we separated again of an hour or so to snorkel and dive. Then met up again at a sand bar in the middle of ocean that was really nice and clear and saw many starfish. Although again I had issues with people holding the starfish out of the water for such long periods of time. Then drinking games started while we were at the sandbar, most had a great time and were safe and didn't take it too extremes, yet one man from Demark downed an entire bottle of rum himself and the ride home on the bus with him, in a small Speedo was an adventure to say the least, and a jaw dropping experience for our 15 yr.old daughter. A local Dominican tour guide named Jose' came on the trip along with our Dressel Dive tour guide and he was excellent, he taught us so many things about the local culture, and pointed local plantations and tress...we really adored him...and tipped him well.| Occidental Grand Flamenco - Sea Pro Divers ~ Kraeg & Anna |
We took advantage of the on site SCUBA company (Sea Pro Divers) and would not recommend it to anyone.
The staff that run it are as always, very friendly and polite. They were ready on time with all equipment ready to go but this experience has prompted my fiance and I to buy our own regulators and BCDs as there was some kind of problem with each and every piece of equipment used by us and the other divers with us.
Once on the water, the staff mostly kept to themselves. Our dive-master went over a few hand-signals to be used under the water, but didn't give us any indication of what we would be doing on the dive. There was no additional equipment brought with us so in the event of a malfunction that person would have to sit out their dives. As we all seemed to have problems with our regs at one time or another, we tended to push the limits of safety for sake of continuing the dives. There is as much blame on ourselves as the dive-masters for this decision.
The dives were relatively uninteresting with the same 4 or 5 types of fish following us for the free handouts the dive master kept with him. At one point the divemaster grabbed a relatively uninteresting fish to show us, but outside of that he mostly swam and waited for us to catch up. I am a relatively new diver but other masters I have been down with went out of their way to point out interesting locations, find cleverly hidden wildlife and in general spice up the dive to provide more to talk about in the boat between dives.
We were rushed between dives to a new site where the dive was a bit deeper requiring a break on the way back up. This wasn't mentioned by the divemaster and although we should all be aware of it, it is definitely one of those things that should be discussed before going into the water.
The dive masters didn't seem very concerned when we mentioned the issues we found with their equipment. The owner of the shop said she would look into it, but two days later, on our second set of dives, we noticed no difference.
The dives were unintersting, the equipment was faulty, and the divemasters were clearly only doing a job, rather than providing a service. I wouldn't recommend using this company at all. (Sea Pro Divers)
| Barcelo Bavaro caribe - Scuba Caribe - Sea Pro Divers ~ Chuck and Sharon |
There is a dive centre on the beach run by Scuba Caribe I think they run most of the dive centers along the beach. We booked a 10 dive package for $500 US. There are a dozen dive sites all in front of the resort and all 15m or less making it great for beginners and recreational divers. The reefs however are not all that lush and were not as full of life as we would have liked. There have been many years of abuse, and too many watercraft have caused a lot of damage. There is a shipwreck further down the beach that they dive every Tuesday. Because of the 20 min boat ride they make it a 2-tank dive and dive also on a reef nearby. We used our last 2 tanks to go on a full day excursion to Catalina Island with Scuba Caribe. The trip cost $90US/pp, which includes snorkeling. Diving is $90US/pp extra for 2 dives. The diving and the reef is awesome and we highly recommend it over the diving at the resort. If you only do 2 dives do these! The first dive is on a wall and the second at 10m in what they call the “aquarium” and that’s a perfect description! Each dive is also about 50 min. The day also includes a BBQ lunch on the beach with all the drinks and a couple of hours to lounge on beach chairs. Here’s a link to pictures of the dive sites: http://www.taucher.net/photos/land.html?kategorie=Dominikanische+Republik
| Sirenis Tropical - Sea Pro Divers ~ Ken and Nancy |
we were in the dominican republic from october 25 to nov 1 and stayed at th the sirenis tropical suites the resort was wonderfol,the staff was so so good, and we dove with sea pro....it was the best, we signed up with manuel and went to catalina island to do 2 dives....the reefs were so healthy,fish everywhere...but the quality of the dive shop was above and beyond...small boats, definitly not a cattle boat...my hisband and myself are both certified divers and we went with a friend who had never done this before...he did the resort course and then did one dive at catalina island...one on one with fabio, he is going to get his certification...we will return to the d.r., stay at sirenis again and dive with no one but sea pro....ask for manuel....
| Ocean Sand/Blue - Pelicano ~ Kristine ~ Canada |
| Fun Royale Tropical ~ Sea Pro ~ Freedom Ryder & Wossa |
The on-site dive operators are Sea Pro. We have many dives between us, and we have dived all over the world. Judging from our previous experiences with many diver operators, I would rate Seapro as possibly one of the unsafe, and worst dive operators that we have dived with to date.
We booked 4 single tank dives each, and paid $270 for the 8 dives. We asked many questions regarding the type of boat we would be diving from, and asked if the boat had all usual safety equipment you would expect a dive operator to carry. It was confirmed that the boat was a big boat with a sun deck, and we were showed a picture of the boat which looked awesome. Satisfied that Seapro where the ones to book with, we paid our cash and met them as arranged the following day in the lobby.
We were a little bit surprised to see when we arrived at the shore, a small rib type hard boat which was a million miles away from the picture we had been shown the day before. No real problem as we had dived from similar boats before, so we left to go diving.
Within 5 minutes of leaving we had allegedly reached our dive site, the coast was within spitting distance so it seemed they just wanted to drop us into the water to get our dives completed. The Dive Masters pre-dive briefing, was just that, brief to the point of non existent, and into the water we dropped. We were basically greeted with a dead and polluted sea bed that contained nothing much more then a few fish, a couple of bottles and a tire.
The second dive was no different from the first, only in the exception that when we had surfaced from the dive, our boat had gone! We were left bobbing in the ocean trying to spot our boat, with our ‘Dive Master’ blowing on a whistle trying to attract some attention.
After several minutes of not knowing what was going on, a smaller boat arrived and picked us up. The guy said that our boat had to leave as they had lost some snorkelers from another party and was needed for the search.
Day two of diving: This time we were on another small hard boat, but with 14 divers, 2 x Dive Masters and the skipper, 17 in total. The boat was so packed that you could barely sit down, and with dive kit on the boat it was horrendous. This time we departed to Airport Wall, and there was a decent size swell that was rocking the boat and making some people on the boat a little uneasy.
Once we arrived at the dive site, they hurried people so quickly into the water, you could see the less experienced divers hadn’t time to probably set up correctly, or had done any checks. I could see one guy in the water struggling, face mask off and no regulator in his mouth, swallowing sea water and shouting that he needed back on the boat and was clearly panicked.
We completed the two final uneventful dives on this day, and the icing on the cake was surfacing from the last dive by ourselves, to find all the staff back on the boat drinking beer!
All the boats we dove from had no radios, oxygen or any kind of communication or safety equipment. Ultimately, we felt that Seapro was there to take your money, unfortunately to ensure you received quality diving and safety was way down their list of priorities.
| Riu Bachata - Scuba Caribe ~ Simon ~ UK |
I have recently returned from a holiday in the Dominican Republic, staying at the Riu Bacchata. I would like to point out a few things regarding the Riu Bacchata Dive centre and water sports centre there, which I feel should be pointed out from a safety point of view. Fistly the dive centre. As an experienced Rescue Diver I did 5 dives with them over 3 days, and although the diving was good, I would like to pass on the following observations. Firstly NO Oxygen is carried on the dive boats! So in the event of a dive accident, it could be up to an hour until Oxygen administration can be carried out. Also there is no obvious First Aid kit carried, so again be aware. Although there were at one point up to 16 divers on our boat, there was only 1 Life Jacket!!! And both boats suffered engine problems whilst at sea! And had to have batteries swapped over etc. With regard to dive courses, I was able to asses the level of instruction whilst at the centre, and found it to be of a low standard, simple things like not teaching divers to lay down their cylinders and BCDs etc also I saw that a number of the regulators being used for the courses regularly began to free flow due to sticky valves!
With regard to the Water sports. My main concern is that Jet skis use the same area as kayak and peddelo users and I witnessed many a near miss!!
SO BE Warned!!
| IFA Bavaro Village Resort - Neptuno Bavaro ~ Andrea ~ Oakville, Ontario, Canada |
My daughter and I stayed at the IFA Bavaro Village Resort in the Dominican Republic from Aug 14 to 21st.The main objective of our trip was to compete the second part of our Padi Scuba course. We were pleasantly surprised to find a Padi certified centre on the beach. The dive centre is named NEPTUNO BAVARO. The centre is run by Robert who is a really nice laid back guy.
Our diving instructor was Cinzia and I cannot express enough great things about her. She is thorough while providing her students with great dives. The first dive, I had a difficult time getting my ears to equalize and Cinzia was right by my side guiding me patiently. She made the course a memorable adventure. I didn't have enough money and needed to go to the bank and Robert was nice enough to let me pay after the course, and he gave me a discount! The rest of the dive team are great also, always a smile for you. I have to mention the doctor at IFA, I had him check my ears after the problem with the first dive and he found some inflamation. He sent me to the pharmacy for drops which made the rest of the dives with no ear problems. Best of all he didn't charge me for the visit which usually cost $90.00US. The highlight of our Dominican trip was our diving experience thanks to Neptuno Bavaro, you can contact them at www.neptunobavaro.com.
| Coral Marien - Sea Pro Divers ~ Terri |
I emailed Marco ahead of time about diving (I went here to do my 4 checkout dives). All you need to do is go to the SeaPro Divers table by the towel shack by the pool. Jose signed me up - he is great! Was $200 + $15 paper processing fee. Instructions are given Monday (I had already completed mine back home). Tuesday and Wednesday are dive days. Well - it had rained causing poor visability so no diving Tues - and again on Wed. By Thursday I was picked up by the bus at 7:45am and we went diving - to a lake - 2 hours away! It was a small disappointment but I got to chat with other people from other resorts and see the countryside. The freshwater lake was very small
but cool in that it was surrounded by stone and was very clear and blue.
Elin (pronounced Uh-lane) and Chi-Chi were the scuba instructors. Both great and professional! Elin speaks very good English and German and who knows what else. You will be in good hands with these guys. We stopped for lunch on the way back too. Remember to bring your referral papers!
| Coral Marien - Sea Pro Divers ~ Jeff |
I am a certified diver and went scuba diving for 3 days (6 dives) with the hotel sponsored Sea Pro Divers. They were very professional and the equipment is in reasonably good shape. Purchase a multiple dive package and you will get a good price. I paid $200 for 6 dives with equipment included. I also purchased 2 more dives for $50 but the weather prevented this and they easily returned the money. The staff of Marco, Jose, Francisco and Carlos will make your diving effortless. Our dive guide, Carlos, is a fish; for every breath he takes I required 3! The diving is by rolling backwards off the boat. The reefs at Sosua were only about 40% alive as pollution, fishing, boat anchors and divers have taken their toll. Our snorkel tour to Paradise Island was on one of the few healthy coral reefs on the north of the DR and was excellent.
| Catalonia Bavaro scuba diving center ~ Angie |
Our visit to Catalonia Bavaro included 3 dives with the dive shop on site.
My boyfriend and I both have our open water diver from PADI, and are pretty inexperienced. The shop is run by Christian and staffed mostly by German people who speak English, German, Spanish. So communication is not a problem. I found the staff to be friendly, not pushy by any means. Also, they were very good about the pricing... ie. pay as you go, and the price would continue to drop as if we'd bought a package in advance.
The equipment seemed fine, although my lack of experience may cause me to be ignorant about that kind of stuff.
The dives themselves were good. Marco took us out and led the group well.
We saw quite a few fish and different corals... although not the best diving it sure beats Ontario! The visibility was OK, there was quite a bit of debris in the water (possibly from all the storms this year?), but Marco made sure we had good dives by providing opportunity for different sites/types of dives.
All in all I would reccommend both the resort and the dive shop!
| Scuba Caribe - Riu Merengue ~ Wolfgang, Uwe and Jose |
Ok, first of all the Scuba Caribe water sports centre is really at the Riu Bacchata but it's only next door (well over the hill anyway). I am a PADI open water diver and a BSAC ocean diver with only about 12 dives under my belt so I am fairly inexperienced (but I have dived in Hawaii, Bulgaria, Zakynthos and the UK so I have seen various different dive schools and conditions).
I did 6 dives between Sunday 10th July and Tuesday 12th July with Wolfgang as the dive leader and Jose and Uwe as dive masters. 1 dive was aborted due to unexpected and unseasonal jellyfish (probably due to the recent hurricane) but the other 5 were great. All staff members strongly emphasise safety and proper diving etiquette (take only pictures and leave only bubbles!!) and exhibited extreme professionalism. As a typical Brit, English is my only language but the dive briefings were held in as many languages as were required.
The school uses predominately Scubapro gear and it was all in very good condition. The kit was a 3mm shorty, BCD, mask, snorkel, weightbelt, regs (with the gauges showing bar or psi) 15litre aluminium cylinder and slipper fins. After 6 dives my feet were a little tender so next time I'll take my boots and fins but other than that there were no kit problems for either myself or any of the other divers.
Dives leave from the beach in the school catamaran which held 20 divers comfortably, entry is by giant stride from the rear and re-entry is up a short ladder, bottled water is provided and I would strongly reccommend sunscreen, t-shirt and hat as the sun is very strong.
The dive sites vary, some are only 20 minutes away but others are more than an hour. A point to remember is that this is diving the Atlantic - seas aren't particularly rough (by UK standards) but I still saw several sea-sick divers (even on the way out!!) and if you need to be sick -DO IT FROM THE BACK OF THE BOAT, please.
Great staff and crew, lovely dives and a fantastic time.
| Barcelo Bavaro Beach - Scuba Caribe ~ Jim Canada |
We spent one week at the Barcelo Bavaro Beach resort in Punta Cana and did 11 dives with Scuba Caribe which is on the beach of the resort. The prices were not cheap at $52 / dive and two tank dives at $104. We purchased an 11 dive package which included two trips to the Island of Catalina for $563 so this reduced the cost per dive. I found the staff to be extremely friendly and organized. They ran a very safe operation. They adhered to their policy of no more than 6 divers per dive master, and everyone was well briefed before the dive.
The boat is quite large, holding I would guess as many as 16 divers.
This was a big advantage since in big waves, the boat was much more stable and it also has a ladder for exit.
The trip to Catalina is a long drive (1.5 hrs) each way. The first dive on the wall was ok but the second dive in the "aquarium" was very good. They provided lunch after the two dives. Spending time with divers from around the world was also enjoyable.
Scuba Caribe have a great website, scubacaribe.com, which allowed me to determine most items before going down. I also sent them a few emails and they responded promptly.
I took down all my own equipment and they stored it in their building which saved having to lug it back to my room daily. The diving in the area of Punta Cana is not outstanding but I found it enjoyable. Most dives were between 40 - 50 feet. I would highly recommend Scuba Caribe.
| Scuba Caribe - Bayahibe - Casa Del Mar -- Brieyana - U.S.A. |
Scuba Caribe does an excellent job. I took their Discover Scuba Diving program and ended up doing four open water dives. It was a blast. They really take the time to teach you in the pool first so that you feel comfortable when you go into the ocean. Our instructor was Ellie, the dive master at Scuba Caribe, and he was excellent. We went on all of our dives with him and even hung out with him after diving on our last evening. Rodrigo is also wonderful and hilarious. He does a beautiful job with the underwater video and photography of the dives. Out of the water, he will keep you on your toes. We also liked Anna, who organized the dives, and Chris, another scuba instructor, although we didn't spend as much time with them. Of the dives themselves, I enjoyed the Gauragauo dive and The Wall dive at Catalina Island. We saw lots of aquatic life on the Gauragauo dive and the reef wall was just amazing. At ! the wall, you begin as if you are on the ocean floor and then all of the sudden you go to the edge and the reef becomes an entire wall. It was breathtaking. I truly miss the diving and the staff at Scuba Caribe (especially Ellie and Rodrigo.)
| Merlin dive school in Sosua - Chris |
Snorkeling and Scuba diving: my wife, my son and I are certified PADI Scuba Divers. This was a wonderful opportunity to dive in a warm, high visibility location and a true education for my son. It was a first for all of us to dive down South. The variety and colour of the local underwater flora and fauna was wonderful. We saw puffer fish, large crabs, rock fish, flounder, sting ray, moray eel, coral, sea urchins, sea fans … the list goes on. You can also see a large variety of these fish just by snorkeling off the front of the resort which sits on a beautiful, protected bay. We SCUBA'ed with a local dive shop (Merlin: http://www.tauchschule-merlin.com/main.php) who were just wonderful and right across the street from the resort. They were recommended by a couple of diving friends and turned out to be not only very safe and professional but also very accommodating and reasonably priced. On one occasion they waited for us an hour past their usual excursion time to let my son and I get in one more dive after we had returned from a day trip into the island countryside. They even offered to give my young daughter a free Discover SCUBA lesson if she was interested.
| Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus ~ Jon |
This was the number one reason, we chose this resort. Both I and our friends had visited on previous trips to dive with Dressel Divers while staying in Punta Cana (in 2005 and 2006). We’d been impressed with the diving conditions, marine life and quality of the dive center.
In 2 weeks, I did 14 dives including 6 dives during all day excursions (Saona Island and Catalina Island (twice)) and 1 night dive. I dove on the St. Georges wreck 3 times; each time was slightly different as the conditions changed, as did the marine life. I did the Catalina Island excursion twice, once by myself and once with my family and friends. I think this is the best choice if you only do 1 excursion, the wall on the first dive is very nice and the Aquarium on the 2nd dive has lots of marine life. On this excursion both dives were done before lunch, so you had the afternoon to relax at Catalina Island and on the boat ride back. The trip back includes a cruise along the River Chavon and a visit to “Altos de Chavon” which is definitely worth the climb of 300+ steps … be sure to bring your camera.
My wife did 7 dives and enjoyed them all. My son (8) and daughter (10) both tried the scuba pool experience which they enjoyed. My daughter took to it like a fish and decided she wanted to do the Discover Scuba course. She ended up taking the course (1 hour in the classroom, 1 hour in the pool) plus 2 open water dives to 40 feet with an instructor (Renaud). She really enjoyed this, and thanks to Renaud’s careful direction is now a budding scuba diver. She ended up doing two more dives with us (both with an instructor) when we did the excursion to Catalina Island.
The daily diving is very organized … 2 dives per day, 8:45AM and 1:30PM … Deep dive in the morning, shallower dives in the afternoon. The dive center operates 5 boats and depending on the day and number of people will determine which boat is used. The boats were busy but not overloaded while we were there. The boat rides are relatively short 10 – 20 minutes, so the briefing and gear assembly is generally done at the dive center, so be there on time.
Divers are generally separated into 2 groups – experienced and in-experienced, each with it’s own dive master/instructor, even if they are on the same boat. This lets each group do what they need to without slowing the other group down.
Gear rental and storage
Very good, there is a dedicated room for customers equipment, we left our gear there (except computers and camera) and felt it was quite safe. Our daughter rented gear and it was very good. 72 liter tanks are available on request (useful for my wife and daughter).
Dive Center Staff
The dive center staff, instructors and boat captains were all excellent. Yannick runs the front desk and speaks about 5 different languages, Bobby, Renaud, Yoram, and even the new guy, Ryan, are all excellent instructors who speak several languages. Andre (the crazy Brazilian) is the leader for most of the excursions. The boat staff and captains are all very helpful.
The marine life is plentiful and the reefs are in good shape; we got some good underwater photos (we took about 450 in total) and saw some unusual fish. Notable sightings: Barracuda, Octopus (night dive), eels (green and spotted), trumpet fish, rays, lots of ballonfish (some very large), lobsters, crabs (several different kinds), large schools of fish (grunts, parrot fish, jacks, needlefish), flame scallop, bristle worms, garden eels, many different groupers, etc …. Too many things to list. We didn’t see much large marine life, it was lots of small and fascinating things that made for a great diving and photography experience.
Some underwater photos: http://flickr.com/photos/eagleknees/sets/72157604037542962/
| Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus ~ Gary |
Diving Center: Dressel Divers
The short story is that the Dive Shop and Snorkel trips are over priced and the selection they offer compares with going to a steakhouse for a vegetarian meal. My wife an I have stayed at this resort three times. We can concur with most of the information in the other reviews. The food and the hotel etc are generally very good to excellent. Unfortunately, the dive center and the snorkeling trips due not compare with the rest of the experience. First the resort is 20 minutes by boat away from a nice reef in Bayahibe. The charge $39.00 US per person for the trip, while the Wydman, one resort over, charges $15 US for the same trip. Second, the resort is 30 minutes by boat away from Catalanita, perhaps some of the best snorkeling anywhere in the Dominican. They only go there once a week, on Saturday.
| Caribbean Divers - Boca Chica ~ Patrick - Colorado, USA |
I visited Boca Chica in October 2006, and decided to complete my Open Water Certification for scuba.
Caribbean Divers was my choice, and it is located on the beach next to the Hamaca resort. The experience was excellent.
Markus is the owner, and Jutta was my instructor.
Both were friendly and professional. Before my first dive, Jutta took me out to the lagoon to verify that I knew the basics. Then we took a boat out to a dive site, where the exercises required for certification were performed. Afterward, we swam around the reef, with Jutta pointing out things that would have escaped me. The abundance of life was amazing, and the water was clear and warm. We saw stingrays, puffers, and reef fish of all description.
After a break, we took our second dive for certification, which was much like the first, though at a different dive site. A while later, I took my third dive of the day, just sightseeing. By this time, having found scorpion fish, flounders, lobster, barracuda, and the biggest puffer I’ve ever seen (I’m an avid snorkler), I was hooked on scuba diving.
The next day I completed my other two certification dives, and added another sightseeing dive. Each dive was at a different location, and every time I saw new things. At one site we found an anchor half buried in the coral. It was at least 3 meters tall, and obviously came from a large ship. I dove this day with a diver from Costa Rica, and a group of German divers. More eyes led to more discoveries, and the day was rich with new experiences.
My third day brought three more dives, two with the German group, and one with Jutta. Again, it was a fabulous day.
The friendliness and professionalism of the team at Caribbean Divers will draw me back for return visits whenever possible.
| Scuba Fun - Bayahibe from Brian ~ Canada |
There is a dive shop associated with the resort called grigri divers, but Betty and Dylaina had arranged to take their open water certification through ScubaFun in Bayahibe, so the three of us did our diving through them. We did six dives: El Faro and Penon both near Saona Island, Guaraguao and Ojosde Marie which were both close by Bayahibe, and the Wall and the Aquarium which are both at Catalina Island. All of the dives were good, although the wall was the least spectacular but none of us had ever done a wall dive so that part was interesting. The remaining sites all had terrific coral and sponges. Fish life was OK. One dive group that went out with ScubaFun had a pair of bottlenose dolphins join them for a minute or two but we were never that fortunate. The snorkeling north of Saona Island and above the wall at Catalina was pretty good. Here’s a link to a few of my dive/snorkel pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/557587287rFKtUS
| Scuba Fun - Bayahibe from Julie ~ USA |
Recently, my husband and I returned from a diving trip in Bayahibe. We dove with Scuba Fun and took a scientific reef monitoring certification class with an organization called Reef Check. First I will share with you our review of the dive shop and then tell you about the reef check experience.
Since previous reviews, Scuba Fun has changed hands and is now being run by a friendly American Ex-pat from Arizona called John. The operation is well organized and professional. Equipment is in good shape. Obvious investments have been made in the business – they have several new boats. The entire staff, from the receptionist to the dive masters, to the boat captains, all seems to like working there.
We did a quick refresher dive before taking the reef check class and then went out again after we completed the course to practice our skills. We were accommodated both times in our desire to practice some specifics – not herded into a group with different interests. We highly recommend Scuba Fun and would return to dive with them in the future.
The purpose of the Reef Check course (the reason we planned the trip to DR in the first place) is to teach recreational divers skills to gather data for long term monitoring and management of coral reefs. Our class offered full certification and was a combination of lecture and practice in the field. We learned about general reef ecology, signs of damage and imbalance, and how to recognize and count certain indicator species of fish and invertebrates like shellfish, gorgonians and urchins. The instructor happened to be the PhD marine biologist coordinator for the entire region.
Our paltry $50 registration fee included underwater clip boards, DVDs of lectures and slides, a very good training manual, snacks during lecture times, our tanks and the boat for the practice session. We did have to rent any equipment we didn’t bring (although our instructor kindly loaned a BC_
It was a very worthwhile course. I improved my skills as a diver (gotta have good buoyancy to write on a clip board underwater) and generally enhanced the diving experience (learning to recognize the differences between a butterfly fish and an angel fish) – plus we felt like we were actually giving something back to the ocean that has brought us so much enjoyment. It had been 4 years since we dove before this trip and I am already planning my next trip to do a reef check dive (La Paz). There are sites and classes all over the world – I definitely recommend the course to anyone that wants to enrich the diving experience as well as get some good eco-karma. Plus I think because it is travel for a volunteer, non-profit organization, some of your diving expenses might be tax-deductible (check with your CPA first on that though)!
By the way, if you go, sunset from the patio of the Bahia restaurant with a glass of wine is a sublime experience. Follow it with dinner at Café Cubano and at least once make sure to make your way once to the back-street Café Christiano for the best grilled chicken, with a yucca like thing and a papaya smoothie for all of $4.
| Northern Coast Diving ~ Ian |
Our whole trip may have been ruined if not for the great staff of Northern Coast Diving Aquasports who took very good care of my son and helped him to experience scuba diving. They were caring, professional, friendly and really displayed an affinity for kids and sharing their sport in a very positive enjoyable experience . They took a child who was tentative and gave him the confidence to experience scuba and go to a depth of 36 feet in the ocean.
There is a terrific group of people at Northern Coast Diving Aquasports who will ensure this is the most memorable experience of your Dominican holiday even if you have never tried it before. Nathalia took the time to speak to my 10 yr old son in a very comfortable manner and then prepared us for the experience through a very easy to understand orientation. Next Igor took us into the pool and went over the basic skills and equipment we would need, we were well prepared for our discovery dive and ready for the challenge. Clive was the instructor who took us on the dive and he was very patient and was with my son every step of his dive. Colin came along not only as a photographer but was also there to lend a hand and offer encouragement.
The true “experience of a lifetime” was the scuba drive and it was the best $130 investment I have ever made compared to the waste of $400 at Ocean World. If you really want an exciting invigorating experience in the Dominican, skip Ocean World and experience diving with the folks at Northern Coast Diving Aquasports.
As the banker says "Save your money"
| Northern Coast Diving ~ Jason |
I organized with the dive shop directly, not through my resort. They seem fairly flexible in terms of bookings. They arranged a cab from my resort for $10US, which was good as the posted rate is $50 roundtrip.
The diving company seems pretty well setup. I rented all my equipment and did 2 dives on a clear and calm day. One big thing I found different from diving at home is I didn’t setup my own gear (it was already on the boat), and because of this they didn’t properly size my BCD on the first dive.
As there is no dock in Sosua, all the dive shops go directly from the beach. This means you don’t take much with you on the boat, unless you want it to get wet. The boats themselves are relatively small 20’ boats so gearing up is easiest in the water.
First dive was down to a wreck, with the top around 100ft and bottoming out around 130. Very clear water. I’m not a very experienced diver to really compare; but the marine life was not exactly plentiful. There were still enough things to see to justify the dive though.
After the dive we returned to the beach for a rest. Make sure to bring along your own water to drink, as none is readily available.
Second dive was to a reef right in the bay. This was shallower, keeping our max depth to 40’ or so. The reef has more marine life to look at, and many different sea urchins.
Some schools of fish, a small Eel (I think), and even a barracuda. This dive was in a very active area, with many boats going right over head, so much care must be taken when surfacing.
All in all the diving was a good experience, and good value for $85US all in. I would recommend the dive shop to others.