Diving in the Dominican Republic: reviews and photos

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

How to reach the seabed, puzzled since ancient times. In ancient Rome and Greece, there were divers who could hold their breath and stay under water for a long time. But people wanted more - to swim in the ocean. This became possible after the invention of scuba gear in the middle of the 20th century. It was from this time that scuba diving, called diving, began to develop rapidly. The Dominican Republic is a place where scuba divers like to go.

Types of diving

With the opportunity to stay under water for a long time, the following types of diving appeared:

• recreational - scuba diving positioned as safe recreation and entertainment;
• technical - involving this type of diving, in which it is necessary to use special equipment and methods that allow you to descend to depths inaccessible to amateur diving;
• scientific, military and professional - this is the work of professional divers, for which they get paid, it can be any research, but this is a separate and big topic.

Our article about recreational diving, which has gained popularity among tourists in many sea and ocean resorts. It is available to any tourist who has no he alth restrictions, if the vacationer has studied at the courses at the dive center.

Underwater tourism

Diving is an exciting sport. Thanks to him, the diver discovers the we alth of the underwater world, which cannot be compared with anything. The Dominican Republic is known in the world not only for its magnificent resorts and colorful carnivals, but mostly for underwater tourism. Diving in the Dominican Republic is incredibly popular. Currently, more than two dozen diving sites (dive sites) are available to divers in the Dominican Republic, and dive centers are open in resorts that teach diving beginners.

One of the best places where divers like to visit is, of course, the Caribbean Sea. The beauty of the underwater fauna, the secrets of sunken ships, coral reefs appear to the diver every time in a new way. It is important to know that in order to dive in the Dominican Republic, tourists need to speak English or spoken Spanish. There are no Russian instructors. Beginners before diving must be trained and pass the test. Without this, the immersion service will not be provided.

Dangerous hobby

Diving is considered a cool and interesting but dangerous hobby, as there are times when it can actually be. The most common risks associated with being underwater areinjury caused by pressure drop, hypothermia or scuba equipment breakage. All this can lead to death. But in most cases, all these dangers are more typical for professional diving. During recreational diving, an instructor is always present next to the diver, who will immediately respond to any sign of a beginner.

It's worth noting that diving is not cheap. A pair of dives in Punta Cana in the Caribbean will cost more than 11.5 thousand rubles. As in any business, the cost depends on the quantity. The more dives purchased, the cheaper it will cost the tourist. But dive operators do not advise beginners to take many dives. He alth problems, even for strong-looking people, can arise at the training stage, and even after not very deep diving, ailments can appear in the form of headaches, tinnitus, and nosebleeds. As a result, you will have to abandon diving.

Punta Cana

Diving in the Dominican Republic is most popular around Punta Cana. In this place, divers can dive from February to November. For the remaining two months of the year, seasonal winds blow. The places are shallow, there are underwater caves and sunken ships. According to the diver's training, local dive operators offer underwater tours. Many hotels cooperate with dive centers. The result of this interaction is free diving training for tourists staying at the hotel. Such training separately costs about 3,500 rubles.

Excitingthe spectacle opens before divers in the form of tunnels, caves, clusters of small fish and rays. Nurse sharks may be encountered. There, in Punta Cana, there is a huge sunken ship that has become home to many fish and marine life. It has turned into a reef in 90 years.

Decent diving in the Dominican Republic, according to experienced divers, mainly in places that belong to the Caribbean. In the waters of the Atlantic, to which Punta Cana belongs to a greater extent, there are fewer fish and the underwater world is not as rich as in the Caribbean Sea.

Boca Chica Resort

Small resort of Boca Chica and diving in the Dominican Republic - for those who will not be surprised by anything! It is famous for its variety of dives to various depths. Experienced divers will be interested to look into underwater grottoes and caves, the magnificence of which will amaze even the most sophisticated traveler.

The most beautiful in the Caribbean are coral reefs, colored with different colors. It creates the illusion that you are in an underwater paradise. Hand-feeding ocean fish and exploring sunken ships, and in Boca Chica, divers can get acquainted with an amazing phenomenon - the halocline - and see what is hidden from the sun. And all this can be found in underwater caves, which are safe to swim in Boca Chica.

Boca Chica Caves

In order for a diver to get a dive permit, experience from 10 dives or more and an OWD course are enough. Interesting for divers is the cave of Padre Nuestro, which has a length of one hundred and fifty meters. Immersion depthin it - from 3 to 12 meters. At the very end of the cave, a diver is in for a surprise - a large air hall. Here you can ascend and get some air without scuba gear. Stalactites and stalagmites form magical arches.

The La Sirena cave, which nature has been creating for thousands of years, is extremely beautiful. The water is incredibly clear, visibility is over 100 meters. The bottom is visible to the smallest pebbles, as well as many fish. Beautiful rocks and shells from the bottom can be taken to the surface.

Recognized dive sites

Review of diving in the Dominican Republic will be incomplete if you do not remember a few more resort places where divers also have the opportunity to dive to the depths of the Caribbean Sea. This is the bay of sunken ships - Bayahibe. In it, divers can make an underwater journey through the cabins, compartments and other rooms of ships lying at a depth of about fifteen meters. Here in the bay at the bottom lies the pleasure ship Atlantic Princess. It was specially flooded in 2008. Experienced divers like to dive into underwater caves, where they are interested in meeting with the inhabitants of the underwater world. You can touch turtles and rays and they won't bite or kill because they are friendly. Many divers want to find rare animals and take photos with them.

Diving in the Dominican Republic is also presented on one of the best dive sites The Wall - "The Wall". The underwater slope ends with a wall going down to a depth of 100 meters. There are 2 steps on the wall at a height of 25 and 40 meters. A sharp underwater transition from the reef to the void, when underthere is nothing with your feet, although you don’t fall, but it’s breathtaking, those who dived in these places share in the reviews. This unique place is located among the virgin nature of the small island of Catalina, where crystal water, silk sand and palm groves. This is a natural national park.

Another favorite dive site for divers is La Caleta. This is a shipwreck park surrounded by reefs. The inhabitants of the deep sea are octopuses, turtles and dolphins. La Caleta is located near the resort of Boca Chica.

About whales

What wonders you will find in the underwater world of the Dominican Republic! Surprisingly, the fact that is undeniable is that the North Atlantic humpback whales every year swim in the Dominican Republic to the Samana Peninsula in the month of January. This is their favorite honeymoon spot. There are special tours to the Dominican Republic so that tourists can watch the whales play. The best time for such excursions is February, which is the height of whale migration. Humpbacks are very large. The body of the female is up to 15 meters, the males are a little less. The migratory path of whales is about 8,000 kilometers.

Snorkeling or diving with whales in the Dominican Republic is prohibited by law. Whales beat the water with their fins and tails, and they also jump out of it, which is unsafe for the lives of people next to them. Law-abiding tourists who are going to visit the bay should keep in mind that during the period of the whales' stay there, it is not available for diving. Diving is a sport of the brave, so there are always those who, breaking the law,swims, albeit not close, but with whales.

Reviews

In the review of diving in the Dominican Republic, our article provides useful tips for beginner divers, as well as options for places that are worth visiting for both experienced and beginners in this sport. Reviews of divers and their impressions of the most interesting places in the Dominican Republic are also important. Those who have visited this republic, the athletes say, have discovered new natural wonders, and the Dominican Republic has presented an unforgettable experience to all diving enthusiasts. In the underwater world - the most beautiful and mystical part of our world - I want to return again and again, athletes share their impressions.