Teddyc911
Guest
Has anyone been diving in the Dominican Republic? We have an opportunity to go there and are wondering if anyone has any info on the place. We will be staying near Santo Domingo.
Diving in Dominican Republic
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DiverDave65
Contributor
Santo Domingo is in the south and I've only visited Sosua (north shore) several times. I dive there but it is not great...just something to do during the day. There is one great wreck in the area but the rest of the coral reefs are kind of ragged out, dying coral, lousy visibility etc.
I like the local ladies, though, so it is a trade-off!
I like the local ladies, though, so it is a trade-off!
Walt1957
Contributor
Did you go yet? We were just there and dove out of Bayahibe, about 1.5 hrs away from Santa Domingo. It is on the Carribean coast. I mostly dove with Scuba Fun, and they were GREAT! Whatever you do don't use Gri Gri Divers. They were dangerous, had bad rental equipment (mine was checked with Scuba Fun, and I was doing a dive when they weren't going out).
RV
Contributor
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I had a report of the Santa Domingo/Boca Chica <--> La Romana area.. it may have been lost in the summer SB crash....
I can think of no reason to ever go back again no matter how cheap it is.... There are so many other/better places to go for the same money and better diving...
I can think of no reason to ever go back again no matter how cheap it is.... There are so many other/better places to go for the same money and better diving...
I'll second what Walt1957 said. Scubafun is a great shop with a fun group of DM's working the boats. As far as diving goes I was really surprised has nice the diving was at Bayahibe. A little off the beaten path but worth it if you like a laid back atmosphere.
Craig
Craig
where (what resorts) did you guys stay at in the Bayahibe area? Know about Romana (?) area
bcrab63
Registered
RV:
I agree with RV. I was in Puna Cana during Thanksgiving last year and did 4 dives with Scuba Caribe. They were my first ocean dives, so of course I was totally impressed! My friends were not at all impressed, however they have been diving for years and have been to lots of other places. The vis was not very good, and we didn't see too many fish. Now that I have dived other places, I certainly wouldn't recommend diving in DR to anybody.
Now the staff at Scuba Caribe was incredible! They were very patient with me, because I was a little overwhelmed and extremely nervous at first.
Best bet is to get a hold of John at www.scubafun.info He has contacts for local places to stay. He set us up with a local Italian that had some condos. I think we paid like 60USD/night. The rooms were clean, they had AC, but the beds were small. I think it's a European thing.
Again, if your expecting a 5 star resort area, Bayahibe may not be for you. But they do have a resort a few miles away, Called Dominicus. A very nice place, but very expensive. Check out www.wyndham.com/destinationsandinterests/destinations/dominican/main.wnt
I've have heard that the diving around Punta Cana was not that good as bcrab63 said.
Once you get on the south east corner things get much better. Again, I was very surprised at how nice the diving was after what I had heard about the DR.
Craig
Again, if your expecting a 5 star resort area, Bayahibe may not be for you. But they do have a resort a few miles away, Called Dominicus. A very nice place, but very expensive. Check out www.wyndham.com/destinationsandinterests/destinations/dominican/main.wnt
I've have heard that the diving around Punta Cana was not that good as bcrab63 said.
Once you get on the south east corner things get much better. Again, I was very surprised at how nice the diving was after what I had heard about the DR.
Craig
scubasaint
Guest
I did 5 dives in Punta Cana this past May, and also dove with Scuba Caribe. The diving was ok, but that's all. As stated, the reef was mostly dead and there was not much marine life. I've heard that the sites are over-fished, and it appeared that way. With that being said, it was still decent and I enjoyed it, but more of a dive to use to help improve your skills.
I have heard that the diving on Catalina Island though is excellent. I have some friends who dove it and they loved it. It has also been recognized as a top Caribbean destination to dive in a magazine I once read. Most dive shops will do trips there a few times a week, and it should be less than 3 hours to get there if you have the time.
I have heard that the diving on Catalina Island though is excellent. I have some friends who dove it and they loved it. It has also been recognized as a top Caribbean destination to dive in a magazine I once read. Most dive shops will do trips there a few times a week, and it should be less than 3 hours to get there if you have the time.
Walt1957
Contributor
We stayed at Sunscape Casa Del Mar. It had a few issues, but was quite nice overall. To be honest the one thing about it all that I disliked is that it is hard seeing such extreme poverty and knowing there is nothing you can personally do about it. But the diving was really nice. Staying at an all inclusive place is the way to go in the DR. Casa Del Mar even includes all the free drinks ... not much of a drinker myself anymore, but for those who drink it is a nice benefit.
We saw a ton of rays, and eels, a shark, several lobsters, and a crab whose claws would have made a nice dinner for four. All in all it compared favorably to Costa Maya and a few other popular sites that have recently blown away in hurricane Dean. It was not the best I have dove, but worth the time and money. The reefs there are not dead (not in Bayahibe, at least) but the larger fish are definitely not present in any numbers.
The very mild current drift diving we did was great (some sites there have current, others don't). You could move along with no real effort, but the current was mild enough that you could stop to look carefully at something. When we dove Costa Maya that was not possible because the currents were too strong to be able to fight them for long at all.
I did not dive the Santa Domingo area, but heard from several others that I dove with that it is not nearly as nice. This was not the nicest place I have been, but for the money it was worth going and I would consider doing it again.
We saw a ton of rays, and eels, a shark, several lobsters, and a crab whose claws would have made a nice dinner for four. All in all it compared favorably to Costa Maya and a few other popular sites that have recently blown away in hurricane Dean. It was not the best I have dove, but worth the time and money. The reefs there are not dead (not in Bayahibe, at least) but the larger fish are definitely not present in any numbers.
The very mild current drift diving we did was great (some sites there have current, others don't). You could move along with no real effort, but the current was mild enough that you could stop to look carefully at something. When we dove Costa Maya that was not possible because the currents were too strong to be able to fight them for long at all.
I did not dive the Santa Domingo area, but heard from several others that I dove with that it is not nearly as nice. This was not the nicest place I have been, but for the money it was worth going and I would consider doing it again.
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