Dominican Republic

[Tom52]

We will be at Punta Cana in late December and would like to get a couple of dives in. Is the Lionfish problem significant and how do the dive companies feel about us bringing our spears?

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

You need to travel to Bayahibe to get dive in .
About an hour west on Caribbean .
Diving is very good , there are lionfish but not as many as you see elsewhere , they will take you out hunting them if you desire .
Scubafun is good and Sharkys offers a private boat , great options at reasonable prices , you just need to figure out transportation
Under rated dive destination IMO

 

[Wandersome]

I concur with Coldwater. I've contacted two Dive operations in North DR. One in Puerto Plata and the other in Monti Christi (Right by the Haitian border.) I did not ask about lion fish or Spear fishing. On the dives I have made in North Haiti near the border I have not encountered any Lion fish. These however were not in locations where folks normally dive and the diving was marginal. I plan to Dive North DR mid January but have not decided exactly where to go.

As for Bayahibe, there are several good dive operations there. The Diving there is decent IMHO but I have little experience in the Caribbean. (Most of my diving in the last 7 years has been in Asia) Some of the dives are decent wrecks and others are to what I would call "Staged" dive sites. All said and done, you get wet and see new things. I hope to do several more dives all over Hispañola in 2016 than I have had in 2015.