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This year we visited the Dominican Republic and we choose a resort in Punta Cana. Punta Cana is a new area, located in the easternmost coast of the island, only seven kilometers away from the Punta Cana International Airport.  It features the longest coral reef in the whole island, about 30 kilometers long. There, the Punta Cana Diving Center operates with its base at the Punta Cana Beach Resort. The center is a member of the PADI International Resort Association. It offers full service operation with retail maintenance, air fill, rent and sale of diving equipment and underwater photography service. Resort course and certificate from open water dive to assistant instructor are available. Twelve spots for diving from six to 30 meters are included in the different programs. Beginners to advanced and professionals may also enjoy the visits to reef cavern wrecks or participate in night dives and excursions to Catalina and Saona Islands. The Punta Cana Group is ecology-oriented, and maintains an active program for the preservation of the flora and fauna of the area. |
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The Dives during these 2 weeks |
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The numbers in front of the dives correspond with the numbers in my logbook. |
| 32 |
Isla Catalina
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Catalina Island (Serena Cay). A good dive for the experienced is the “wall” off Catalina Island. Divers are taken to the site by boat, a voyage of about 20 minutes, from a dock in La Romana, which is about a two hour’s drive from Punta Cana. This is probably one of the few places large fish, such as grouper, can be found. Most of the big species around the island’s popular coral reefs have been thinned out by intensive spear fishing. The shallower dive of about 25-30 feet off Catalina Island is simply beautiful. An abundance of purple sea fans, orange, brown and grey gorgonian gardens, and a variety of multicolored, fluorescent fish surround one as you wander about in an excellent visibility of 90-100 feet and good light refraction. We had a nice dive but not very special.
Depth: 25 meters
Divetime: 50 minutes |
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| 33 |
Isla Catalina
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A little bit more fish life but not special. The day trip to La Romana was nice because we got to see a little of the island. You cross a river where they supposed to have filmed some of the Apocalypse Now movie. There is sugar cane, sugar cane and sugar cane all around you. On the way back we had a lot of “vitaminas” or plain rum. Elvin, the dive center photographer had a lot of fun with his imitation of Donald Duck and the interior of he rum bottle he kept in his hand all the time.
Depth: 12.6 meters
Divetime: 49 minutes |
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| 34 |
El Pepe Cavern
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A dive in a sweet water cavern close to the hotel but in the middle of the jungle. Lots of mosquitos so be sure to bring a good repellent. Racquel got stung 15 times in under 10 minutes. The entrance to the cavern is in green murky water but once you descent the cavern itself is very nice. Clear warm water with a mysterious glow from he surface. The cavern is wide enough to be safe. We were pleased to be asked to do this dive because Manolo explained that you have to be a good and calm diver to do this. If you swim to hasty you kick up to much of the sand which can causes serious problems. There are nice rockformations and some strange looking critters. At the end of the cavern where it starts to become a real cave I found a weightbelt, fully loaded! So things can get hairy here I suppose. I tried to find information on this cave on the internet but was not successful so far. If you have any info or pictures I would be happy to receive this and put it on the website.
Depth: 8.6 meters
Divetime: 41 minutes |
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| 35 |
Marina Deep
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SHARK!
Our first shark in the wild spotted by the one who is afraid of them; Racquel! It is a small nurse shark sleeping under some rock in the sandy bottom. It was very easy to approach it and it wasn’t disturbed at all by our presence. A little bit of current along the dive was not to bad. The Belgian diver who was with us aborted the dive because he felt seasick.
Depth: 22.1 meters
Divetime: 25 minutes |
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| 36 |
El Aquario
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Nice dive. A lot of rays and pictures taken by Elvin. Racquel didn’t like this dive at all. Can’t remember why.
Depth: 9.6 meters
Divetime: 56 minutes |
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| 37 |
Entrada de las Cuevas
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Nothing special except the “love-shell” racquel gave me and of course I lost it again. Visibility is not great. Not much in the logbook.
Depth: 13.8 meters
Divetime: 53 minutes |
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| 38 |
Anchor Reef
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Again a dive with poor viz. There are other divers in the group but I can’t remember any of them.
Depth: 17.8 meters
Divetime: 52 minutes |
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| 39 |
El Aquario
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With Scubart as a divemaster we explore this place for the second time. There is a strange current and at the end of the dive we have to pull ourselves along a rope to get to the entrance point. Small eagle ray and a lot of tropical fish perhaps because of the current?
Depth: 9 meters
Divetime: 47 minutes |
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| 40 |
La Boya
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The best dive so far with again a nurse shark and three rays. Unfortunately no tortugas or moray eels. A Dutch guy Sander is doing his second intro dive and he has a very good dive.
Depth: 14.5 meters
Divetime: 50 minutes |
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| 41 |
Marina Deep
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Last dive this holiday. The usual fish, 2 baracuda and one ray. Quiet dive with nothing else to mention.
Depth: 18.4 meters
Divetime: 48 minutes |
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 You can tell by the lack of great stories that diving in the Dom Rep is not very special. We did 10 dives in 14 days and it compares to our Mexico trip a lot. The hotel is nice, the entertainment is not our taste and the feeling of being in a deluxe prison comes to my mind again. There is a large fence around the premises and guards are at the gates. When you walk through the gate over the beach there is nothing but waste along the sandy shore. This is certainly not a divespot to recommend to others. If you disagree please e-mail me your thoughts.
Keep diving,
ScuBart |
