Dominican Republic

[Robert van Brussel]

Hey guys, i'm also headed to the southe east dom rep june 7th for a 6 month instructor course w/ the caribbean dive college/pelicanosport. Any recommendations on the punta cana/bavaro area and the bayahibe area would be mucho appreciated. Also, if anyones had ann experience w/ the company i mentioned, feedback would be useful also... And,...I'm hoping i made a wise decision to commit to so much time here, think i'll get tired of it? Should i do a 2 month course and move on elsewhere? Thanks, thefishyfinger

Hi Fishyfinger,

I worked for several years at the east side of the Dominican Republic and liked it a lot.
The Atlantic Ocean is not the Caribbean Sea but has also his high lights, I saw pretty amazing stuff there aswell.
I worked with Pelicano as a baseleader and had a good time where I worked (they have more divecenters).
Ferry Sneekes is the Padi Course Director who is in charge of the dive college, an outstanding professional who will guide you trough your courses as a mentor and friend. Ofcourse you still have to study yourself!!

Bayahibe is the place where I work right now and is totally different and not comparable to Punta cana. There is much more ''life'' after work, at Punta Cana than at Bayahibe.

To get a good impression about what is going on, in the diving industry, be involved for 6 or 7 months continuously, is not bad at all.

Good Luck

Robert

 

[StingRob]

I've been to La Romana several years ago... very nice...
Moments, places and things: Dominican Republic – Neptuno Divers - dive places

 

[Jaeger45]

How are water conditions in Bayahibe? Hopefully going to be there in 2 weeks for a bit of R and R with the family, and hope to get some diving in.

What do you recommend for wet suits in the area this time of year?

 

[DRsharky]

Right now the water temperature is 29C / 84F, ocean was calm last week, visibility on some dive sites closer to the shore 10m / 30ft, the rest 20 - 25m / 60 - 80ft. But we had a heavy rain yesterday, that will affect the visibility today and tomorrow. 3mm wet suit should be fine

 

[Michael67]

Did you do the internship with ferry sneekes....did you get all that you wanted...thanks

 

[ekretchmer]

I'm thinking of going to the DR in mid January. I will be staying at an ALl Inclusive Resort (TBD) but interested in going diving with a good dive shop. Any recommendations?

 

[DRsharky]

Could you please specify the resort and the location. Dominican republic is quite large, so it's hard to tell.

 

[Dhboner]

Hi!

My wife and I are heading down to Punta Cana in mid-January and will be staying at the Occidental Grand. The trip is not specifically a dive trip (my wife is not certified and it is more of a second honeymoon after 30 years of marriage). The dive operator at the hotel is Sea Pro and I have read some pretty poor reviews about their operation (faulty regs, disinterested divemasters, poor attention to safety). Dressel Divers gets great reviews but they are quite a bit more expensive and insist on one check-out" dive regardless of your log book and certification status before you can join their "excursions".

Has anyone had any first hand experience with Sea Pro or could anyone offer some tips top make sure we have safe and memorable dives while we are there.

 

[Dhboner]

No help...opinions?

 

[DRsharky]

Sea Pro is a Dominican dive op, I've heard from other people the same, but I was never diving with them so I cannot confirm if it's true or not. On the other hand Dressel is known as one of the safest dive ops on the island. Yes, their prices are a bit higher, but you know the saying, you get you you pay for. I don't know how they do the check out dives, but we take new clients to a shallower dive site on their first dive wit us too. Some people might feel very comfortable in the water after 20 dives, some are not so sure after 50 dives.
Since it's not a diving vacation for you, I would suggest to walk around other dive shops. Each resort has one, and talk to people who went diving with them already.
For local diving around Punta Cana - we had clients coming from one resort to dive with us yesterday, they said they didn't like the diving there at all. So they didn't mind paying extra money for the taxi to come here and enjoy a day trip with two dives in our area.
(Congratulations to your 30th anniversary, we had ours in February)