I started writing this in the "Punta Cana... depressing" thread, but thought it might better stand alone.
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On a related note, I just got back from Sosua, which is on the north coast near Puerta Plata, so a totally different thing... but bear with me!!
I got pretty friendly with some of the DMs up there, and got the low-down.
Basically all of the diving near any of the main tourist areas sucks. Where I was would be considered the best of the lot, and believe me, nothing special.
BUT, it seems that the DR may have some hidden gems.
To the NE, there is Samana, which is humpback whale territory in the winter. Enough siad. No, actually, there is a bit more... there is a *reason* that humpbacks spawn at the Silver Banks, and even visit the coast: FOOD. And other pelagics know it too. So, you need a kick-*ss boat, but if you go 20 miles or so due north, there is evidently awesome open ocean diving year round.
To the NW, you gotta get near Haiti, which is a bit scary, but there is evidently a gorgeous bay with (I think) seven coral islands that are supposed to be beautiful both above and below the water.
And finally, this one DM *raved* about southwest coast diving. It's basically virgin. Really. For a couple hundred miles. As in no one lives there. So that means no fishing either. On the other hand, there are basically no hotels. But there are pirates and bandits; again, you are near Haiti. From what I gathered, this is either liveaboard territory, or caravan with guards (I'm not kidding). But, just maybe, there's some fantastic diving there that no one really know about.
We had some beers with some other dive folks on my last night (errr, that was last night), and speculated... one DM even went and got a depth chart to help us think it through.
PR, DR (Hispaniola, technically), and Cuba are basically the entry point for north Atlantic waters into the Carib... and DR is in the MIDDLE!! And, being the second largest island after Cuba, with the highest mountain and likely the most diverse biosphere, it's a fantastic food source.
OK, maybe we had too many Presidentes, but I am betting that the DR has a lot more going for it in terms of diving than anyone knows (yet).
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On a separate note, where I was in the North Coast was very cool. I don;t like the big resorts, nor the resort communities... Sosua and Cabarete have a good local scene, restaurants, bars, activities (kitesurfing rocks!), etc. Safe, good attitude, you name it. Still inexpensive. Definitely going back.
__________________
On a related note, I just got back from Sosua, which is on the north coast near Puerta Plata, so a totally different thing... but bear with me!!
I got pretty friendly with some of the DMs up there, and got the low-down.
Basically all of the diving near any of the main tourist areas sucks. Where I was would be considered the best of the lot, and believe me, nothing special.
BUT, it seems that the DR may have some hidden gems.
To the NE, there is Samana, which is humpback whale territory in the winter. Enough siad.
No, actually, there is a bit more... there is a *reason* that humpbacks spawn at the Silver Banks, and even visit the coast: FOOD. And other pelagics know it too. So, you need a kick-*ss boat, but if you go 20 miles or so due north, there is evidently awesome open ocean diving year round.To the NW, you gotta get near Haiti, which is a bit scary, but there is evidently a gorgeous bay with (I think) seven coral islands that are supposed to be beautiful both above and below the water.
And finally, this one DM *raved* about southwest coast diving. It's basically virgin. Really. For a couple hundred miles. As in no one lives there. So that means no fishing either. On the other hand, there are basically no hotels. But there are pirates and bandits; again, you are near Haiti. From what I gathered, this is either liveaboard territory, or caravan with guards (I'm not kidding). But, just maybe, there's some fantastic diving there that no one really know about.
We had some beers with some other dive folks on my last night (errr, that was last night), and speculated... one DM even went and got a depth chart to help us think it through.
PR, DR (Hispaniola, technically), and Cuba are basically the entry point for north Atlantic waters into the Carib... and DR is in the MIDDLE!! And, being the second largest island after Cuba, with the highest mountain and likely the most diverse biosphere, it's a fantastic food source.
OK, maybe we had too many Presidentes, but I am betting that the DR has a lot more going for it in terms of diving than anyone knows (yet).
__________________
On a separate note, where I was in the North Coast was very cool. I don;t like the big resorts, nor the resort communities... Sosua and Cabarete have a good local scene, restaurants, bars, activities (kitesurfing rocks!), etc. Safe, good attitude, you name it. Still inexpensive. Definitely going back.
