NEW Member from Dominican Republic

[ynot.b.diving]

Hola everyone, just signed up as a new member here. Relocated to Punta Cana from (Punta) Canada back in October to pursue a life goal to be a PADI dive instructor.

I'll ask a question out of the gate. Just picked up a MARES Rover BC (new to me) and the Ergo power inflator button sticks. Is it worthwhile to do an overhaul or simply swap out the inflator/deflator unit? Any source recommendations are appreciated - sources here are very limited and shipping is not cheap.

Oh, and if you coming to the DR, I'm excited to meet members and new students.

Cheers,

 

[RobPNW]

Interested to hear about diving in DR.

 

[hehatemefrisbee]

Interested to hear about diving in DR.

It's ok at bayahibe, very bad in punta cana

 

[ynot.b.diving]

Interested to hear about diving in DR.

The diving on the south coast/ Caribbean Ocean is calmer and offers better visibility, this is true but "very bad" is a relative term for Punta Cana.
Dealing with the heavy winds and seasonal flow of the Atlantic can prove challenging.
In my experience, if you're a seasoned diver looking for a dive adventure trip, this is not the place.
If you're a traveler who enjoys diving along with beach, culture and exploring, there's plenty to see & do.
If you're new to diving, it's a great place to get your OW.

IMO, given the choice I'd definitely look to the Philippines, Maldives, Cozumel, Roatan, Thailand, Red Sea for extraordinary diving (many more I'm sure I'm not aware of).

But, I'm here and working on settling in to a new country & life. The training area we go to at Playa Blanca ALWAYS has large schools of fish, lobster, barracuda, and on good days octopus, turtles, nurse sharks. There are a few cool wrecks, good coral life and beautiful beaches.
I haven't dove the Bavaro side for 3+ years, so I can't say what it's like now.