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. Since that time, scuba diving, called diving, began to develop rapidly. Dominican Republic is the place where scuba divers like to go.
Types of diving
With the opportunity to be under water for a long time, the following types of diving appeared:
- recreational - scuba diving, positioned as a safe rest and entertainment;
- technical - involving a variety of dives, 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 the implementation of which they get paid, it can be any research, but this is a separate and big topic.
Our article is about recreational diving, which has gained popularity among tourists in many sea and ocean resorts. It is available to any tourist who has no health restrictions if the vacationer studied at courses at the dive center.
Underwater tourism
Diving is a fascinating sport. Thanks to him, the diver reveals the wealth of the underwater world, which can not be compared with anything. The Dominican Republic is known in the world not only for its magnificent resorts and vibrant 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 for divers in the Dominican Republic, and diving centers are opened in the resorts to teach beginners how to dive.
One of the best places where divers like to go, of course, is the Caribbean. 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 for immersion in the Dominican Republic tourists need to be fluent in English or spoken Spanish. There are no Russian instructors. Beginners must go through training and take a test before diving. Without this, diving services will not be provided.
Dangerous hobby
Diving is considered a cool and interesting, but dangerous hobby, as there are situations when it can actually be like that. The most common risks associated with being under water are injuries caused by pressure drops, hypothermia, or breakdowns. All this can be fatal. But in most cases, all these dangers are more characteristic of professional diving. When recreational diving, an instructor is always present next to the diver, who will immediately respond to any sign of a beginner.
It is worth noting that diving is an expensive task. 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 bought, the cheaper it will cost a tourist. But diver operators do not advise beginners to take a lot of dives. Health problems even for people who are strong-looking can arise at the training stage, and even after not very deep diving, ailments in the form of headaches, tinnitus, nosebleeds can appear. As a result, you will have to give up diving.
Punta cana
Diving in the Dominican Republic is most popular in the vicinity of Punta Cana. At this point, divers can dive from February to November. The remaining two months of the year are seasonal winds. The places are shallow, there are underwater caves and sunken ships. In accordance with the training of the diver, local diver operators offer underwater tours. Many hotels collaborate with dive centers. The result of this interaction is free diving training for hotel guests. Such training costs separately about 3,500 rubles.
A spectacular sight opens up for divers in the form of tunnels, caves, clusters of small fish and stingrays. Shark nannies may be encountered. There, in Punta Cana, there is a huge wreck that has become home to many fish and marine life. For 90 years it has turned into a reef.
Decent diving in the Dominican Republic, according to experienced divers, mainly in places that belong to the Caribbean. In the waters of the Atlantic, which is mostly Punta Cana, there are fewer fish and the underwater world is not as rich as in the Caribbean.
Boca Chica Resort
The small resort of Boca Chica and diving in the Dominican Republic - for those who are no longer surprised! It is famous for a variety of dives to various depths. Experienced divers will be interested in looking into underwater grottoes and caves, the splendor of which will amaze even the most experienced traveler.
The most beautiful in the Caribbean are coral reefs, colored with various colors. It creates the illusion that he was in an underwater paradise. Feeding ocean fish with your hands and exploring the sunken ships, and even in Boca Chica, divers can get acquainted with the amazing phenomenon - halocline - and see what is hidden from the sun. And all this can be found in underwater caves, which are safe to swim in in Boca Chica.
Boca Chiki Caves
In order for a diver to get permission to dive, enough experience from 10 dives and more and the OWD course is enough. Interesting for divers is the cave Padre Nuestro, which has a length of one hundred and fifty meters. The depth of immersion in it is from 3 to 12 meters. At the very end of the diver's cave, a surprise awaits - a large air hall. Here you can come up and breathe air without scuba gear. Stalactites and stalagmites form magical arches.
The cave of La Sirena is extraordinarily beautiful, which nature has created for millennia. The water is incredibly clear, visibility more than 100 meters. The bottom is visible to the smallest pebbles, like many fish. Beautiful stones and shells from the bottom can be taken to the surface.
Recognized Diving Sites
The diving overview in the Dominican Republic will be incomplete, if you do not recall a few resort areas, 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 the ships, lying at a depth of about one and a half tens of meters. Here in the bay at the bottom lies the pleasure boat Atlantic Princess. It was specially flooded in 2008. Experienced divers love to dive into underwater caves, where they are interested in meeting with the inhabitants of the underwater world. You can touch turtles and stingrays, and they will not 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 presented on one of the best diving sites of The Wall - "Wall". The underwater slope ends with a wall extending to a depth of 100 meters. On the wall there are 2 steps at an altitude of 25 and 40 meters. A sharp underwater transition from the reef to the void, when there is nothing under your feet, although you don’t fall, but breathtaking, those who plunged in these places share reviews. This unique place is located among the virgin nature of the small island of Catalina, where crystal water, silk sand and palm groves. It is a natural national park.
Another of diving's favorite diving sites is La Caleta. This is a fleet of sunken ships 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 not find in the underwater world of the Dominican Republic! Surprisingly, the fact that is undeniable is that the North Atlantic humpback whales swim every year to the Dominican Republic to the Samana Peninsula in the month of January. This is their favorite honeymoon destination. There are special tours to the Dominican Republic so that tourists can watch whale games. The best time for such excursions is February, which accounts for the height of whale migration. Humpbacks are very large. The body of the female is up to 15 meters, the males are slightly smaller. The whale migration route is about 8,000 kilometers.
Snorkeling or diving with whales in the Dominican Republic is prohibited by law. Whales beat their fins and tails in the water, and they also jump out of it, which is unsafe for the life of people around them. Law-abiding tourists who are planning to visit the bay should be aware that during the period of their stay there, whales are not accessible for diving. Diving is a brave sport, therefore, there are those who, breaking the law, swim, albeit not close, but with whales.
Reviews
In the diving review in the Dominican Republic, our article gives useful tips for beginners, as well as options for places that are worth visiting for both experienced and beginners in this sport. Important feedback from divers and their impressions of the most interesting places in the Dominican Republic. Those who have visited this republic, athletes say, have discovered new natural wonders, and the Dominican Republic has presented unforgettable experiences to all scuba diving enthusiasts. In the underwater world - the most beautiful and mystical part of our world - I want to return again and again, these are the impressions athletes share.