kwinter
Contributor
Ask 3 people and you'll get 5 different opinions. I have experience with 3 different areas of the DR for diving and I wouldn't hesitate to go back. The diving is not spectacular but it can be pretty good if you know what to look for.
There are lots of all-inclusives at fantastic prices throughout the DR. No better bang for the buck anywhere. It's broken down into different areas. Punta Cana is probably the best known and most visited resort area. Nice beaches depending on time of year, but it probably has the worst diving of all. It is swept by Atlantic currents.
Puerto Plata is in the north on the Atlantic coast. Rough diving except in summer, but I've heard it has the best dive sites and the best chance to see large critters and even whales. We've never gone there because we go in the spring and it would be too rough and cold.
The Juan Dolio and Boca Chica areas are not far from Santo Domingo. Boca Chica is very convenient to the La Caleta marine preserve, but it may be a bit more crowded because it is a favorite destination of the locals. Juan Dolio is a bit further, but has some beautiful beaches and nice resorts. There is a decent wreck right off the beach, but the reefs are a bit drab after destructive fishing practices. Not terrible, but don't expect Cozumel. A day trip to Catalina Island and wall is worth it from here. There is also a fantastic cavern/cave system that goes by several names. We dove it as "cueva taina", which just means cave of the tainas (an extinct indiginous people). We didn't need cave certification, but we made sure we were with a very experienced cave instructor. There are plenty of lines to follow and an interesting halocline. It was a fnatastic dive, despite the lack of sea life.
The La Romana/Bayahibe area had the best diving we've been to in the DR. Some terrific resorts and great deals. It's especially good if you fly into La Romana airport nearby. We had to fly to Santo Domingo and ride 2 hours because of our frequent flier mile limitations. But it was worth it. 4 nights in a 5 star-resort for $237 a person a couple of years ago. It's probably gone up a lot since then. The local reefs were mouch more colorful and vibrant than in Juan Dolio. This is also very close for a day trip to Catalina, but the better excursions were to Catalinita (little Catalina) and Saona islands. Terrific dive sites. There is also a fresh water cave in the middle of nowhere near a horrible Haitian squatters camp. The cave serves as the fresh water supply for the Iberostar and you actually swim under the hotel and see the supply pipe. It wasn't nearly as good as the cave near Boca Chica, but it was an interesting one-tank dive.
Don't expect much from the dive operators other than low prices. Regular dives were only about $20 each and the excursions were very reasonable. But the boats (if you can really call them that) are small dinky outboards with no amenities at all. You won't have a problem finding good divemasters that speak English because the DR is a favorite destination for European divers. But the boat captains don't speak a word of English, and most of the DMs we dove with barely spoke Spanish at all.
For divers on a limited budget, the DR can't be beat. the prices at the resorts are so ridiculously low, it pays to upgrade to the nicest one you can afford. This will get you better food (although still not restaurant quality) and slightly cleaner accomodations.
Good luck with your plans. PM me if you want specific recommendations.
Ken
There are lots of all-inclusives at fantastic prices throughout the DR. No better bang for the buck anywhere. It's broken down into different areas. Punta Cana is probably the best known and most visited resort area. Nice beaches depending on time of year, but it probably has the worst diving of all. It is swept by Atlantic currents.
Puerto Plata is in the north on the Atlantic coast. Rough diving except in summer, but I've heard it has the best dive sites and the best chance to see large critters and even whales. We've never gone there because we go in the spring and it would be too rough and cold.
The Juan Dolio and Boca Chica areas are not far from Santo Domingo. Boca Chica is very convenient to the La Caleta marine preserve, but it may be a bit more crowded because it is a favorite destination of the locals. Juan Dolio is a bit further, but has some beautiful beaches and nice resorts. There is a decent wreck right off the beach, but the reefs are a bit drab after destructive fishing practices. Not terrible, but don't expect Cozumel. A day trip to Catalina Island and wall is worth it from here. There is also a fantastic cavern/cave system that goes by several names. We dove it as "cueva taina", which just means cave of the tainas (an extinct indiginous people). We didn't need cave certification, but we made sure we were with a very experienced cave instructor. There are plenty of lines to follow and an interesting halocline. It was a fnatastic dive, despite the lack of sea life.
The La Romana/Bayahibe area had the best diving we've been to in the DR. Some terrific resorts and great deals. It's especially good if you fly into La Romana airport nearby. We had to fly to Santo Domingo and ride 2 hours because of our frequent flier mile limitations. But it was worth it. 4 nights in a 5 star-resort for $237 a person a couple of years ago. It's probably gone up a lot since then. The local reefs were mouch more colorful and vibrant than in Juan Dolio. This is also very close for a day trip to Catalina, but the better excursions were to Catalinita (little Catalina) and Saona islands. Terrific dive sites. There is also a fresh water cave in the middle of nowhere near a horrible Haitian squatters camp. The cave serves as the fresh water supply for the Iberostar and you actually swim under the hotel and see the supply pipe. It wasn't nearly as good as the cave near Boca Chica, but it was an interesting one-tank dive.
Don't expect much from the dive operators other than low prices. Regular dives were only about $20 each and the excursions were very reasonable. But the boats (if you can really call them that) are small dinky outboards with no amenities at all. You won't have a problem finding good divemasters that speak English because the DR is a favorite destination for European divers. But the boat captains don't speak a word of English, and most of the DMs we dove with barely spoke Spanish at all.
For divers on a limited budget, the DR can't be beat. the prices at the resorts are so ridiculously low, it pays to upgrade to the nicest one you can afford. This will get you better food (although still not restaurant quality) and slightly cleaner accomodations.
Good luck with your plans. PM me if you want specific recommendations.
Ken
