Diving the Dominican Republic in Dec.

[scuba_frog]

Have a trip planned to the DR in mid-Dec. Staying at the Meliá Caribe Tropical (All Inclusive) in Playa de Bávaro, Punta Cana. I am a DM. My buddy is an AOW diver. We both have quite a few dives under our belt, but would still prefer "relaxing" dives. A few questions:

1. Looking for a reputable dive operation. Will need operation to rent BCD's and weights. Will be bringing the rest.
2. Suggested Dive sites? Any recommendations...prefer marine life over wrecks, but will not rule them out either.
3. Any idea on average water temps and vis that time of year. Exposure suit suggestions. I prefer a 2mm long sleeve jump suit. Will that be ok.
4. What is the night diving like. Is it worth hauling lights.
5. Anything else I may need to consider.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[zeppelindiver]

Hi Scuba Frog,

The diving the DR is in 2 different oceans & they are radically different. On the east & north side of the island you will be diving in the Atlantic, on the south side you will be diving in the Caribbean. The Caribbean waters are clearer, calmer & warmer & the reefs in the Parc Nacional del Este are outstanding. The DR was one of the first countries to make its coral reefs protected areas & the diving there is superb and uncrowded, it seems not many divers know of it. It's also not all that convenient when you are staying in Punta Cana as the diving there is not good & you'll need to take a shuttle bus or cab for a 1 1/2 hour drive to get to the good spots. In the Caribbean you will be fine in a 3 mil wetsuit, we were there at the end of Nov, in the Atlantic its much colder with lots of seaweed.

The last time we were there a couple of years ago we dove with Scubafun out of Bayahibe on the Caribbean, it's a small village close to a larger town called La Romana. That area is considered by most to be the best diving in the DR, there are over 20 dive sites within a short boat ride, 3 wrecks, cave diving, sharks, manatees etc etc etc. The wall diving and reefs out at Catalina Island & Saona are stunning and the dive off Shark Point where the Atlantic Ocean & Caribbean Sea meet is an amazing experience, the line between the 2 bodies of water is sharply defined, both in the water & on the sea bed. They also do night dives with sharks that are very cool. There are a number of dive shops in Bayahibe & all of them will help with divers coming from Punta Cana. Scubafun is owned by a great guy from Arizona, I think his name is John but not sure on that, they gave great service, only 5 of us in the boat with 2 different DM's, both of them excellent. Their website scubafun.info has lots of great info about the area including a dive site map & descriptions of the sites.

If you dive the Caribbean side you will have a great time, we think that the DR is one of the most underrated areas in the world to dive.

 

[Dhboner]

The diving in Punta Cana is really not very good. The reef is pretty dead although you will still see the usual characters...morays, lion fish, stingrays. The diving on the south coast (La Romana/Bayahibe) is actually really good. There is an excellent wall dive off Catalina Island and a great wreck (old Russian freighter, The St. George). They just opened a new highway so the drive from Punta Cana to La Romana is now a little over 30 minutes.

 

[zeppelindiver]

Awesome, that's great news about the new highway! Now I want to get back there before everyone else learns about the place.

 

[Bryan Cunningham]

Does anyone have any photos, or video of "good" diving in DR, around La Romana? Have have not been able to find anything half decent and read such mixed reviews on the place. Would love to view some photos of the reef condition.

 

[buton]

I have a video on you tube ... diving in bayahibe was great especially the diving in saona.. Shoot me a pm

 

[Lionfish51]

I am going there October 5, 2013 and booked with Scuba Fun already, they will pick me up at Wyndam Beach Resort and keep my gear. Anyone going that time?
Rick

 

[Dhboner]

I am going there October 5, 2013 and booked with Scuba Fun already, they will pick me up at Wyndam Beach Resort and keep my gear. Anyone going that time?
Rick

You will LOVE diving with ScubaFun!

 

[twisni7010]

Videos from Bayahibe area:
Diving with Dressel Divers at Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus - YouTube
Buceo con Dressel Divers Iberostar en Republica Dominicana - YouTube

 

[Wildbill]

I have stayed at Melia Caribe back in June..... Excellent resort you won't be disappointed. As far as diving, I didn't get any in due to being told I was on the wrong side and didn't want to travel. There is a PADI dive shop that does lessons right on the resort though that I didn't know about ahead of time. So with that in mind, and you being a DM, you may be able to get a nice trip or two in right from the resort.