Bryan Cunningham
Contributor
Hi
has anybody been diving in Punta Cana, DR? If so, what is it like? Any good dive operators??
has anybody been diving in Punta Cana, DR? If so, what is it like? Any good dive operators??
Punta cana?????
- Thread starter Bryan Cunningham
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Dhboner
Contributor
Bryan,
Do a search and you will see dozens of reviews. In a nutshell, the reef at Punta Cana is in pretty poor shape although there are a fair number of critters to see and there is a lot of surge. The dive op's all use small boats and you backroll entry and hand your gear up at the end of the dive and "propel" yourself back into the boat...so keep your fins on! There is a wreck (The Astron) but the dive op's will only go there when the sea is calm (which is pretty rare in Punta Cana).
The best diving in the DR is on the south coast centred around the village of Bayahibe (near La Romana). Let me know if you need any more information (I've been down there ALOT).
Bob (Toronto)
Do a search and you will see dozens of reviews. In a nutshell, the reef at Punta Cana is in pretty poor shape although there are a fair number of critters to see and there is a lot of surge. The dive op's all use small boats and you backroll entry and hand your gear up at the end of the dive and "propel" yourself back into the boat...so keep your fins on! There is a wreck (The Astron) but the dive op's will only go there when the sea is calm (which is pretty rare in Punta Cana).
The best diving in the DR is on the south coast centred around the village of Bayahibe (near La Romana). Let me know if you need any more information (I've been down there ALOT).
Bob (Toronto)
OP
Bryan Cunningham
Contributor
Thanks Bob
I arrange dive trips from Toronto and had a customer that has already booked a trip there, he was asking about thed diving. Your response was much appreciated.
Bryan
SCUBA DESTINATION DEALS - HOME
I arrange dive trips from Toronto and had a customer that has already booked a trip there, he was asking about thed diving. Your response was much appreciated.
Bryan
SCUBA DESTINATION DEALS - HOME
Scuba_Noob
Contributor
Not great diving in Punta Cana. Like Dhboner says, there's a lot of dead reef, though it can still be a fun dive with a decent amount of fish. If your customer wants, he could book a trip to Bayahibe (which from PC, takes a couple of hours by vehicle), where the diving there is much much better.
Check which dive shop operates out of his hotel or to his hotel. I used Seapro, which is all right, but it seems like they cater to inexperienced divers. Scubafun operates out of Bayahibe, and I've heard that they're very good.
Check which dive shop operates out of his hotel or to his hotel. I used Seapro, which is all right, but it seems like they cater to inexperienced divers. Scubafun operates out of Bayahibe, and I've heard that they're very good.
buton
Contributor
I just read that they built a highway from Punta cana to bayahibe before the trip was hour and a half now it is around 45 minutes.
Bayahibe is the place to go for diving, book the saona excursion you won't regret...
[video=youtube;r9r-BLMsGuY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9r-BLMsGuY&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]
Dive with scuba fun...
Bayahibe is the place to go for diving, book the saona excursion you won't regret...
[video=youtube;r9r-BLMsGuY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9r-BLMsGuY&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]
Dive with scuba fun...
I went to PC as a novice diver in May 2011. I'm about 6 hours from getting on a plane to go back (still as a novice diver). I thought the diving was pretty cool. There where a lot of fish and a few swim-throughs. As a novice, I found it entertaining. The Astron was cool. It sits at about 40'.
As for dive operators, I went with Pelicano Watersport. They had decent sized catamarans. I stepped off on my dives and climbed up a ladder to get out. The staff was very acommodating to my limited experience. They were also very polite and respectful of people who had been diving for years..
As for dive operators, I went with Pelicano Watersport. They had decent sized catamarans. I stepped off on my dives and climbed up a ladder to get out. The staff was very acommodating to my limited experience. They were also very polite and respectful of people who had been diving for years..
I plan my first ever Caribbean trip and because Dominican Republic is the most affordable for us I started to browse the threads. It seems everyone recommends Bayahibe for scuba diving, but is it possible to do same cenote dives as well? I read there are some caverns which is OK for recreational divers but are they really safe?
Dhboner
Contributor
There are no cenotes that I am aware of. There are some caves and some shops will take recreational divers into the caves without proper training or redundancy. No matter what the dive operator tells you it is NOT safe to dive a cave without proper cave training and equipment. If your dive op takes you to a "cavern" and you can see daylight at all times, you can safely dive provided you have your buoyancy dialed in and you have a qualified guide.
Bob
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