coldwaterlloyd
Contributor
So living on the west coast of Canada we are limited to charter vacation destinations .
One of the most affordable is Dominican Republic , however word on the street has it there is no diving there .
After further research I discovered Bayahibe on the Caribbean side has some nice shallow diving , right away the flags went up because I usually do not relate shallow diving to healthy reefs , usually hurricane / tourist damage did shallows in 20 years ago .
However being on a budget with the canadian dollar at 79 cents I took the plunge , booked a package with Air Transat all inclusive for the same price I pay for an airline ticket to most dive destinations , I can't lose going in .
Stayed at Be Live Canoa La Romana , a short ways away from Bayahibe .
After research here and on Trip Advisor I went with Diving Dominican Republic with Sharky , great choice .
The Mrs and I had a private boat for five days 2 tank dives .
Sharky picked us up at resort gate , short 5 minute ride to shop , don wetsuits and jump over to the dive boat .
I will get slayed for saying this on Scubaboard but the diving was as good or better than any major Caribbean destination .
The wreck of ST George was much more interesting than the Kittawake or the Russian Freighter I dove last summer .
It was the only dive deeper than 50 feet , the shallow reefs of Bayahibe are almost pristine , very little algae , no visible hurricane type damage I have seen everywhere else , the Sponges , hard and soft corals are huge and healthy .
With so much ambient light the colors are outstanding . No , there is no big life , but it is the same as I saw in Roatan , Bonaire , tons of macro and schools of tropical fish.
The first two minutes of the first dive I saw a huge seahorse , I knew right then this was going to be fun , it was and got better as we progressed down the coast .
Diving with Sharky , Pierre and Godo was perfect , very laid back and do what you like , dives were between 60-90 minutes , usually left due to getting chilled in the 78 degree water .
I do not like to return to Islands as there is too much to see and too little time to keep going back to the same place , I dove Cozumel 35 consecutive trips in a row before I ventured from my certification site .
Even when I really like a place I would rather try something new , however with the direct low cost charters flying out of Vancouver , I will probably return to Bayahibe at least once a year , very special laid back place , but don't tell more than ten of your closest friends , remember Canada , there is no diving in the Dominican Republic ....
One of the most affordable is Dominican Republic , however word on the street has it there is no diving there .
After further research I discovered Bayahibe on the Caribbean side has some nice shallow diving , right away the flags went up because I usually do not relate shallow diving to healthy reefs , usually hurricane / tourist damage did shallows in 20 years ago .
However being on a budget with the canadian dollar at 79 cents I took the plunge , booked a package with Air Transat all inclusive for the same price I pay for an airline ticket to most dive destinations , I can't lose going in .
Stayed at Be Live Canoa La Romana , a short ways away from Bayahibe .
After research here and on Trip Advisor I went with Diving Dominican Republic with Sharky , great choice .
The Mrs and I had a private boat for five days 2 tank dives .
Sharky picked us up at resort gate , short 5 minute ride to shop , don wetsuits and jump over to the dive boat .
I will get slayed for saying this on Scubaboard but the diving was as good or better than any major Caribbean destination .
The wreck of ST George was much more interesting than the Kittawake or the Russian Freighter I dove last summer .
It was the only dive deeper than 50 feet , the shallow reefs of Bayahibe are almost pristine , very little algae , no visible hurricane type damage I have seen everywhere else , the Sponges , hard and soft corals are huge and healthy .
With so much ambient light the colors are outstanding . No , there is no big life , but it is the same as I saw in Roatan , Bonaire , tons of macro and schools of tropical fish.
The first two minutes of the first dive I saw a huge seahorse , I knew right then this was going to be fun , it was and got better as we progressed down the coast .
Diving with Sharky , Pierre and Godo was perfect , very laid back and do what you like , dives were between 60-90 minutes , usually left due to getting chilled in the 78 degree water .
I do not like to return to Islands as there is too much to see and too little time to keep going back to the same place , I dove Cozumel 35 consecutive trips in a row before I ventured from my certification site .
Even when I really like a place I would rather try something new , however with the direct low cost charters flying out of Vancouver , I will probably return to Bayahibe at least once a year , very special laid back place , but don't tell more than ten of your closest friends , remember Canada , there is no diving in the Dominican Republic ....
