Playa Rincon@Samana, Dominican Republic Creative Commons Photograph by Navacho
Is Scuba diving in the Dominican Republic on your bucket list of things to do? If not, maybe it should be. The Dominican Republic occupies slightly more than half of the island of Hispaniola that they share with Haiti. You really do not hear much about tourism in the Dominican Republic, which is actually very strange, as the country has the highest tourist arrivals in the Caribbean. Land mass-wise, it is also the second-largest Caribbean country.
The Dominican Republic offers the scuba diver and snorkeler an outstanding range of dive sites. You will find great coral reefs, exciting wall dives, shipwrecks, and enticing caves. There are both shore diving and boat diving. The vast Silver Banks is a perfect liveaboard destination. The Dominican Republic is also noted for clean water with the deepest blue. Diving in the north is in the Atlantic Ocean, while the south is in the Caribbean Sea. Each offers different diving experiences.
The Dominican Republic is very rich in history and culture. No matter what part of the country you visit, you will find a strong culture to explore. Visitors can stay in large modern all-inclusive resorts or in smaller family-owned resorts and hotels. It is great to get out and explore after your day of diving.
Where Should You Scuba Dive in the Dominican Republic?
Your first difficult decision is figuring out where is the best place for you to visit. The country has six international airports, three major cruise terminals, plus a number of ports for smaller vessels. There are 11 tourism areas, of which 7 support scuba diving plus diving off the coast. Here is a little about each area. This list starts on the north coast and moves clockwise around the island.
Atlantic Scuba Diving in the Dominican Republic
These destinations dive in the Atlantic Ocean.
Puerto Plata & Sosúa: This north coast destination is on the Atlantic Ocean face of the island. As such, the ocean is rougher and most of the dive sites are better suited for advanced divers. Currents and depths can be an issue here. Sosúa is a large cove nearby that does have calmer waters and many shallow dive sites suitable for Open Water Divers.
Samaná: Located on a small peninsula in the northeast portion of the island and nearby small islands, Samaná is not as well known as many of the other locations. The diving, however, is outstanding. Still being on the Atlantic side, some conditions may be best suited for experienced divers. However, the small islands and the south-facing portion of the peninsula do offer a number of dive sites that are sheltered and perfect for novice and Open Water Divers. Pinnacles, deep reefs, and wrecks are the most common dive sites here. It is also along the migration path of humpback whales. If you love beaches, some of the best beaches in the world can be found here.
Silver Banks/ Liveaboards: The Silver Bank is part of the much larger Sanctuary for the Marine Mammals of the Dominican Republic. The Sanctuary is tasked with protecting a number of marine mammals. The Silver Bank, which is about 60 miles (ca. 97 km) north of the island, is the largest known breeding and calving zones for humpback whales. At the season's peak, over 5,000 whales can be found on the bank. Silver Banks is all within recreational diving limits, ranging from 30 feet (ca. 9 m) to 95 feet (ca. 29 m). Most of the liveaboards depart from Samaná with check-out dives done before heading to the banks. Puerto Plata is also another departure point.
Caribbean Sea Scuba Diving in the Dominican Republic
These destinations face the Caribbean Sea side of the island. While in reality, the Caribbean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is often calmer than the Ocean itself. Reefs are more intensive and marine life is more varied.
Punta Cana: Punta Cana is one of the most popular tourist destinations and offers outstanding diving. Located on the easternmost point of Hispaniola, it is a Caribbean Sea destination. The longest reef in the Dominican Republic, located directly off the beaches. The location has a number of shore dives. Divers will explore outstanding reefs and wrecks. There are also a number of caves and caverns. The marine life is varied, with both small and large species found.
La Romana & Saona Island: This is a tourist destination that is still relatively unknown but with an excellent reputation. The reefs off La Romana have little or no current, but are healthy and teeming with marine life. This makes them perfect for new divers and those looking for a relaxed dive. The great visibility also makes this great for photography. Saona Island is nearby and offers both dive sites for the beginning divers and for those that are more advanced. Some great drift dives can be found here.
Juan Dolio: This is one of the most popular destinations for those who enjoy resorts. It is also great for divers. The bay area offers numerous dive sites suitable for divers of all skill levels. The reefs offer a great variety of marine life and healthy corals with calm seas. Outside the bay and the breakers, you will find deeper dives and perfect drift dives. There are also some deep wrecks suitable for recreational divers.
Bayahibe: Dive sites here are mostly close to shore and have little or no currents. There are some wrecks and further offshore a number of wall and drift dives. Inland tech and cave divers will have a number of freshwater caves available.
Santo Domingo & Boca Chica: Santo Domingo is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Founded in 1496, it was the commerce center of the New World and is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Caribbean. Diving here has shallow no current sites as well as Spanish-era shipwrecks. La Caleta Underwater National Park is here, offering great diving.
Top 5 Dive Sites
Picking the top 5 dive sites in a country that has 8 diving destinations, which each has dozens of great dive sites, is a daunting task. It is also one that will bring a great deal of dissenting opinions. I looked at 3 lists of the top 10 dive sites and found 26 different sites, with none of them on all 3 lists. I have only dived a few of the areas, however, I was very impressed with each dive I did do. This selection of dive sites covers different types of diving in different locations.
The Aquarium on Catalina Island: Catalina Island is just off the coast of La Romana and is a part of the Parque Nacional del Este (National Park of the East). There are a number of great diving sites around the island. The aquarium site is a shallow dive that is also used by snorkelers. The site offers a pristine reef that has a high variety of coral and marine life. Visibility is normally outstanding with little or no currents. This site is also often visited as a third dive after doing drift dives along a wall dive also off this island.
Airport Wall Puerto Plata: As the name suggests, this wall dive is located near the airport in Puerto Plata. The wall starts in about 30 feet (9.14 m) of water and drops to about 100 feet (ca. 30 m). The wall itself is rich in coral and filled with marine life. The many cracks and crevices are home to smaller marine life. This site is generally done as a drift dive for experienced divers.
La Sirena Cave in Santo Domingo & Boca Chica area: This area of the Dominican Republic is saturated in caves both underwater and on land. The La Sirena is a flooded cave on land between Santa Domingo and Boca Chica. This freshwater cave system has two different tunnels leading to two caves. La Sirena is reached from the main entrance and is both above and below the water. A second tunnel leads to Cueva Del Indio. Both caves are outstanding. This site is for certified cave divers. After your dive, enjoy dinner in one of the local restaurants that are inside a cave.
The Aquarium Playa Blanca (Punta Cana): The longest coral reef in the Dominican Republic stretches from Punta Cana to Bavaro. The Aquarium Dive site (El Aquario) is great for novice and junior divers, with depths between 16 feet (ca. 5 m) to 23 feet (ca. 7 m). The reef is home to porcupine fish, sandfish, barracuda, eagle rays, grunts, and parrotfish. This is often a second dive for a nearby wreck, Enriquillo RM-22, that is best for advanced divers because of currents and depth.
Penon Reef, Saona Island: Saona Island is another portion of the Parque Nacional del Este (National Park of the East) located a short distance from La Romana. Penon reef's diversity of marine life and superb coral formations makes this a must-do dive. Manatees share the reef with squid, scorpion fish, moray eel, stingrays, and giant puffer fish are a few of the species that are often spotted at Penon.
Let's go Diving
The Dominica Republic does not have the reputation for diving as Cancun and Cozumel do. It also does not have crowds. You will find a range of accommodations from simple and inexpensive to elegant and high-priced. The cost of diving is similar to other Caribbean diving destinations, and also has many outstanding shore dive sites that you can do for the price of a rental tank. Let's see, bucket list add Dominican Republic, now which destination will you add?
