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If you have dived in Dominican Republic before, please share your experiences: Dive spots you would recommend, which Dive Center you used, Fishes & Diving, Visibility, Currents, etc. Please post your comments in the section below, by doing so you will help fellow divers to plan their next trip
The Dominican Republic is not as well known nor promoted as other Caribbean destinations. That does not however mean it is not an outstanding Scuba diving destination.
Many of the leading scuba diving destinations in the Caribbean were first “discovered” by scuba divers. They were among the first tourist to visit and the infrastructure that developed catered to them. As tourism grew and attracted others, the scuba diver was already an important portion of the industry. The scuba diving and tourism industries grew differently in the Dominican Republic. The divers were not the driving force, so much of the tourism industry there see scuba diving as just another activity.
You can still think of the Dominican Republic as a secret destination for divers. Once you get past the promotion of the all inclusive resorts, you will find the diving here rates with the best of the Caribbean. It is a year round destination, however, The conditions between the two coast are seasonal as are trips out to the silver banks.
In this page you will find more detailed information about scuba diving in Dominican Republic.
Table of contents
Best Dive Review
There are three major areas that attracts the majority of the visitors, they are Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata and Punta Cana. While the diving is great in each of the areas, the seasons impact the diving here and it is sometimes unpredictable.
Punta Cana, as an example, is subject to strong currents created by off shore storms. Divers who are not comfortable with the currents or find their diving canceled can always head to Catalina island.
Catalina Island is about a hour and a half drive away and then a short distance off shore. The diving here is more protected and many consider it the best diving in the Caribbean.
There are some other destinations where calm waters are generally found year round such as in Juan Dolio, Bayahibe, and Boca Chica. Boca Chica is near Santo Domingo and the gateway to the La Caleta Underwater National Park and La Sirena Cave.
Samana Bay is another great destination within the country and seasonally a few liveaboards relocate here. Humpback whales are known to spend time her as they migrate. Also, it is the closest place to the off shore Silver Banks.
How to dive Dominican Republic?
How you dive the Dominican Republic is influenced by the style of diving you want to do and your skill levels. In the three major tourist areas, you will find many all inclusive resorts that provide scuba diving as an option. If you are looking for a dive orientated vacation, they you may want to look at a small resort located away from the major tourism destinations.
While the Dominican Republic does not have a year round liveaboard industry, the fact that liveaboards relocate here for a portion of the year should show you that in season this is a great liveaboard destination.
Where to stay?
I usually use this website to book in advance my hotels in Dominican Republic as they usually have the lowest rates I find. I like it because it's free to cancel and change the dates.
Best time to dive in Dominican Republic
The diving season here is year round like most of the Caribbean. Being at the northern edge of the Caribbean Sea there is slightly more seasonal differences. The south side of the island is the Caribbean Sea where water temperature averages 28°C/83°F in summer and 24°C/76°F in winter. The winter has better sea conditions then the summer. The north side faces the Atlantic and is slightly cooler.
However, here you will find that the summer has calmer conditions and greater visibility then the winter. The Dominican Republic shares a large island with Haiti. Both countries are subject to hurricanes and sometimes they can be very severe. The hurricane season runs from June to October and should be taken into consideration while making plans.
Top liveaboards in Caribbean & Dominican Republic according to divers reviews
Dive courses
Scuba Diving conditions
As mentioned above, the conditions depend greatly on the time of the year. Dive sites near land and a river may have reduced visibility after a rain. You may find visibility as low as 6 meters/ 20 feet. However, when it is not raining the visibility is considered very good with 30 meter/ 100 feet being common.
Snorkelling in Dominican Republic
Snorkeling trips is an activity that most of the large resorts promote as an additional thing to do. There are a number of shallow and calm water reefs that provide excellent condition for snorkeling.
Fishes and Coral
There is a great variety of marine life in the waters around the Dominican Republic. The humpback whales that visit the Silver Banks and a few of the bays in the northern portion of the islands are a highlight in February and March.
Year round you will find different species of pelagic such as eagle rays barracuda, nurse sharks, jacks and turtles. The reefs have strong presences of reef fish among the healthy reefs.
Diving Safety
If you are planning an upcoming dive trip or travelling to Dominican Republic, it is a really good idea to invest in travel insurance for scuba diving, because you never know what could happen and when you might need it (because accidents do happen!). I recommend this diving insurance as they offer worldwide coverage and focus on providing scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.
The Dominican Republic may not be high on your choice of diving destinations, however, you should seriously consider making it so. Diving pressure on the reefs is virtually non existent. The dive operators seldom create dive calendars, preferring instead to select the daily diving based on conditions and the diver’s skill levels.
Photos Dominican Republic
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Barracuda SchoolPhoto by Matthieu Billaud -
Barracuda Black FinPhoto by Yann Hubert -
Whitetip Moving FastPhoto by Jihye Lee -
WhitetipPhoto by Matthieu Billaud -
Barracuda Alone In The Blue SeaPhoto by Jihye Lee -
Barracuda Face Scary SmilePhoto by Jihye Lee -
School BarracudasPhoto by Jihye Lee -
BarracudasPhoto by Jihye Lee
Travel Guide
Now that you know all about the underwater world, you might want to start planning your scuba holiday! Check out our Dominican Republic Travel Review for information about how to get there, activities and excursions, where to stay, and more.
Diving Reviews for this region
Jamaica
Jamaica is a great vacation and scuba diving destination in the Caribbean Sea!
Aruba
The island of Aruba is surrounded by outstanding reefs, and has a number of wrecks.
Cuba
The marine protection programs in Cuba has resulted in pristine coral reefs.
U.S. Virgin Islands
The United States Virgin Islands – America’s Caribbean. Outstanding scuba diving in a vacation haven.
Cayman Islands
You can dive a different dive site every day for a year!
Bonaire
Bonaire has been voted the Best Shore Dive Destination 22 consecutive times by the readers of Scuba Diving Magazine.
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Kitts and Nevis has excellent scuba diving that is close to shore meaning short boat rides. Being a small island, dive boats can always find a sheltered dive site in poor weather.
The Caribbean
The Caribbean is one of the most dived destinations in the world. A great destination for beginners as well as experts. With thousands of dive sites it offers something for just about everyone.
Saba
Saba offers Scuba divers site sites that are pristine and loaded with marine life.
Turks & Caicos
The Turks & Caicos Islands provides Scuba divers with a dive experience not easily matched.
Saint Martin
A great selection of wrecks and reefs for divers of all skill levels.
Bahamas
The Bahamas offer a wide range of diving sites. There are sites that are great for learning to dive and others for experienced divers. Cave divers will find many opportunities.
Dive spots reviews in Caribbean & Dominican Republic
Liveaboard Reviews in Caribbean & Dominican Republic
Jardines Aggressor II
The Jardines Aggressor is a liveaboard o
MV Caribbean Explorer II
The Caribbean Explorer II departs from e
Juliet Sailing & Diving
The almost 32 meters Juliet is a schoone
MV Turks and Caicos Explorer II
The MV Turks & Caicos Explorer II is
MV Turks & Caicos Aggressor II
The MV Turks and Caicos Aggressor II is
I dove Punta Cana and Catalina Island.
Punta Cana – The visibility was often minimal, the reef and fish varieties not the best. Often had currents or rough water. Not an issue for me but beginners had issues.
Catalina Island – One of the best dives I have ever done and i have been everywhere. Put it at the top of your list.
this will be my 3rd year going to dominican republic.
the first was a complete disaster,
staying at the “Be Live Hamica”
in Boca Chica…
NEVER STAY HERE.
this place will completly ruin your vaca.
from
-water dripping from the rooms up stairs.
-to cockroches in the beds/your lugage
-even the wall safe hanging by 1 bolt on the wall.
i went snorkeling while staying at this dump. i cannot remeber the name of the oparator how ever BRING at the least YOUR OWN MASK & ESPECIALY YOUR OWN SNORKEL.
the tour we took had a big tub of random mask/snorkel doust diesel fuel as a disinfectant. “YES,, DIESEL FUEL”
they would grab a mask frum the tub, hose it down with sea water, and in you go.
there was rainbow fuel stains on the surface of the water around every person in the water.
of the 1 hour time we had in the water, most people could only tolerate10 minutes of the horrible feums.
not to mention how appalling the polution floating on the surfface was.
My second year.
much better.
we stayed at the IberoStar Bavaro 20 mons from airport
great clean rooms, staff was eger to meet your expectations.
and the on site dive shop opareted by Dressel Divers was a no brainer to get O.P. water cetified.
the calm waters that surounds Catalena Island & Sona Island was a great first time divers experience.
i mean… i was hooked.
i come back home
(North Shore of Lake Huron Ont.Can) from that 7 day trip.
i started buying up my own gear.
got the advance & nitrox cert. in Tobermory ontario at the fantom 5 national underwater park. (great diving).
owning a pontoon boat all this is a no brainer.
So this winter (March 2019)
we’re going back to IberoStar Bavaro,
this time the hole family is comeing 14 days.
my dad being 76 years old is getting O.P water cert with Dressel Divers.
im excited to take some of the advanced reserved excurssion apon return.
Hi Joel!
Anyway, glad to hear that the second time was great!
Sorry to hear about that crappy first vacation! I’m guessing that a bad all inclusive happens at least once as us Canadians (and most fellow americans) escape the cold at least yearly!
Thank you very much for reading Divezone and taking the time to drop a review. It sure is a huge help for other divers planning their trips! Looking forward to read you after your upcoming trip!
Also, thought I should let you know that we’ve recently added Canada to our diving destinations and there’s a page for eastern Canada here: https://divezone.net/diving/eastern-canada – We’d be thrilled if you ever feel like dropping a review on diving in Ontario!
Best wishes for the new year + safe bubbles as always!
While visiting Punta Cana, Dressel Divers told us that the diving was better on the Caribbean coast (Catalina, Soana) than the Atlantic coast. We opted to go off the Atlantic coast due to the proximity to our hotel (Hard Rock). We were disappointed with the dives. The Astron wreck had virtually no marine life despite good conditions. Coral Garden was somewhat better but still disappointing. The highlight was seeing 2 dolphins while in transit between the 2 dive sites. Next time, I will make the trek to either Saona or Catalina.