Question How is Scuba diving in Punta Cana Dominican Republic?

[SoggyPinkDiver]

We are thinking of going to Dominican Republic in February 2024. We are looking for reviews about scuba diving in the Punta Cana area including Catalina Island and Saona Island. What are the pros and cons of diving in the DR?
Thanks

 

[Richard Dayan]

I dove a lot in Dominican republic, in Sosua and Samana, I don't recommend scuba diving in DR at all. The reason is the people there, their behavior is VERY BAD, when they see you they will call you and treat you like a gringo, aka a simp.

Better off just using the beach to swim, and go to diving destinations like Cozumel, Roatan, ect. for diving. They don't take diving or protecting marine environment seriously at all over there.

I got robbed by the boat man more than 5 times. The weather is nice, the water warm but being treated as a gringo sucks, bad service, no respect etc.

Also, there is a very little amount of fish to see, because they love to do unregulated spear fishing with scuba gear, any fish or lobster is taken as soon as they become aware of its existence, even tho its illegal they still do it a lot and regularly.

I only went there because of covid.

And diving from a banana boat also sucks.

 

[Richard Dayan]

You would be lucky to see a parrot fish there, I think they are already extinct in DR, and 95% of the coral is dead also.

 

[JJR]

Punta Cana has nothing special to offer diving wise. If you want to have a decent diving experience in the DR, consider going instead to Bayahibe.

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

We are thinking of going to Dominican Republic in February 2024. We are looking for reviews about scuba diving in the Punta Cana area including Catalina Island and Saona Island. What are the pros and cons of diving in the DR?
Thanks

The diving out of Punta Cana isn't good. The best diving (and it is really good diving) is out of Bayahibe on the south Caribbean Sea side of the island. There is reef diving, wall diving, wreck diving and even a cave dive. I have been diving there twice a year for about 7 years now and are returning next April. I always use and highly recommend Scuba Fun. Diving in Bayahibe with ScubaFun
If you want to know anything else about the diving or the area, feel free to ask

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

I dove a lot in Dominican republic, in Sosua and Samana, I don't recommend scuba diving in DR at all. The reason is the people there, their behavior is VERY BAD, when they see you they will call you and treat you like a gringo, aka a simp.

Better off just using the beach to swim, and go to diving destinations like Cozumel, Roatan, ect. for diving. They don't take diving or protecting marine environment seriously at all over there.

I got robbed by the boat man more than 5 times. The weather is nice, the water warm but being treated as a gringo sucks, bad service, no respect etc.

Also, there is a very little amount of fish to see, because they love to do unregulated spear fishing with scuba gear, any fish or lobster is taken as soon as they become aware of its existence, even tho its illegal they still do it a lot and regularly.

I only went there because of covid.

And diving from a banana boat also sucks.

We have been to the Dominican 6 or 7 times times and the people there are some of the nicest people we have ever met on our travels. I have never seen anyone ever spearfishing and there is a huge amount of fish on the healthy reefs out of Bayahibe on the south Caribbean sea side.

Santuario de Mamíferos Marinos Bancos de La Plata y Navidad - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

UNESCO World Heritage Centre

whc.unesco.org

 

[Lhmcrm]

I was there six months ago. I would never go there again. The diving is terrible. There are too many places that have good diving in the Caribbean but Punta Cana is not one of them.

 

[jonhall]

I don't recommend scuba diving in DR at all. The reason is the people there, their behavior is VERY BAD, when they see you they will call you and treat you like a gringo, aka a simp.

Wow! I've only been to DR once (twice if you count a cruise ship stop) - stayed near Puerto Plata and dove in nearby Sosua. I can't say the same about the people - all local people we were around were okay - no different than other Caribbean countries we've been to.

If you're thinking vacation first, Punta Cana, from what I've heard from friends, is very nice. If diving is important, as you can tell from others, this is not the best place on the island, but you can get wet. We dove 10 days in Sosua when we were there and it was nothing special - just an opportunity to dive (it was the first time I saw an indigo hamlet and there were some large seahorses.) If this is a dive vacation then, as others have stated. Bayahibe is the place to go in DR.

 

[CathyE]

Catalina and Saona Islands are not really near Punta Cana. They are near Bayahibe, or the resorts located on Dominicus beach, about an hour from Punta Cana. There is nice diving in the Bayahibe area, we have also had some nice diving in the Samana area, but most of what I have read says to give Punta Cana a pass.

 

[CathyE]

To expand on my earlier comment, I thought the dives I did near Catalina were nicer than the ones right by Saona, but some of the dives along the park on the way to Isla Saona were very nice.
No sharks for those that need big stuff but lots of other interesting marine/coral life.
I would not bother with the 45m/1h (each way) drive for any of the dives if I was committed to lodging in Punta Cana. If you want to dive look at the resorts in Dominicus/Bayahibe area. Canadian tour companies usually list them under La Romana as the destination.

Note: edited to replace Samana with Saona.