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Dominican Republic Bayahibe

3K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  Paulus 
#1 ·
I'm off to the Dom Rep, Bayahibe, in a couple of months with a newly qualified Ocean Diver, I'm DL.

Can anyone recommend any good dive companies out there in the south east region, or any to avaid?
Also how relaxed are they out there? I don't want them to try and pressurise us into doing any diving outside of our BSAC limits? I'll be keeping a close eye on my OD but I don't want him getting tempted by being offered more than he can do.
 
#2 ·
It's about 12 years since I was there, stopping at Punta Cana on the Atlantic side.

I dived with the in-house outfit attached to our Iberostar hotel.

We did a day trip by road to Bayahibe to get a high speed RHIB out to Catalina Island where there was a protected Coral Reef. It was the only decent diving I saw there.
There were still kids snorkeling there who were breaking off pieces of coral for trophies :(

Anyway, the diving wasn't particularly onerous.

The fringing reef on the Atlantic side is barren rock. Long since wiped out by dynamite fishing apparently. There was some diving to be had on the seaward side of the reef but the boat trip across the reef could be "interesting"!

I wasn't on a diving holiday and was a fairly inexperienced diver.
If I ever go there again I'd do some research first.

We liked Dom Rep but never really got about much.
I think we missed a lot!

Enjoy your holiday.
 
#4 ·
One enduring memory of my trip to Dom Rep was relating to what was going to be my last dive of the trip, just off shore over the reef. I think they called it Shark Reef just to give it a pulse.

On the original booked day I walked down to the dive center only to be told that all boat traffic was grounded due to a tropical storm warning.
The conditions out to see were rather calm but hey-ho!
Next day same story.
Third attempt was my last chance. Flying home 36 hours later.

The sea conditions were the worst I'd seen all holiday. Big swell making it over the reef and big breakers up the beach.

I was told the tropical storm warning had been lifted and the dive was on!

The boat was a small wooden craft with an outboard and tank racks and we launched from the beach.
It was fun...honestly.

There was a gap in the reef that the boat driver aimed for and timed to hit it on a peak in the swell.

I don't get sea sick but some punters were gagging once we arrived on site. The dive was a bit drab until one young chap demonstrated perfectly how to throw up through a regulator while yo-yoing up and down on the safety stop.
The fish loved it too.
 
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