The Dominican Republic has a lot of marine life and beautiful reefs to explore. My experience with scuba diving in Punta Cana was incredible, but some of it did not go as well as I hoped.
Here is my experience scuba diving in Punta Cana, some of the best places to dive, and some things to look out for if you’re planning a scuba diving trip!
My experience with Happy Dive Center
Before arriving in Punta Cana, we searched for a dive center in the area and booked it online. We found a place called Happy Dive Center.
It took us a while to actually find the dive center because it was in a weird spot with no signs or directions on how to get there. We had to call them and have them meet us somewhere outside so that they could take us to their center.
When we finally got to the dive center, it was not what we expected at all. It was a room with only a small table and 2 chairs.
The dive guides were extremely nice, but very disorganized and overall not very professional. Though it was a safe environment, it still seemed very shady. They didn’t have very much dive equipment and were very limited in the supplies they had.
Because of their lack of equipment, I had to wear fins that were too small for my feet, making the dive very uncomfortable.
When it came time to do the dive, the overall experience was not very fun. It was awkward and it wasn’t a socializing or comfortable experience the way diving should be.
The most disappointing part was what we saw when we were diving.
The coral reefs lost most of their color, there was almost no marine life, and everything felt dead. It was really sad to see all the dead/dying reefs and the lack of fish in the area.
It definitely was not worth it, but I don’t completely regret the experience. It was important for me to see how the ocean life was in Punta Cana and how the coral reefs were effected.
My experience with Scubaquatic
Learning from our bad experience, we decided that it was important to splurge a little bit more and find a dive center that would provide us with an amazing experience.
We decided that a scuba diving excursion would give us everything we wanted in our experience.
We decided on a dive excursion with Scubaquatic!
Overall the experience was amazing and they were extremely professional. I felt safe and it was worth every penny.
They took us to Catalina Island where the reefs were fully alive and vibrant in color. We saw skates, sea horses, moray eels and so many other marine life. It was also a very social experience and we got to meet a lot of different people who all shared the same interest.
At Catalina Island, our first dive was at The Wall and our second dive was at the Aquarium, both full of healthy marine life.
After diving with Happy Dive Center and seeing how dead the reefs were, it was a relief to finally see the ocean happy and full of life!
After scuba diving, we got to spend some time on Catalina Island before leaving. The experience on excursion with scubaquatic was amazing and I would definitely recommend it!
My recommendations
Diving in Punta Cana was definitely a learning experience for us. Because there are so many dive centers and excursions, it’s hard to find the right one that meets all your needs.
I definitely recommend dive excursions if you’re looking to spend the full day diving and exploring. Food and transportation are included in the price and they are far more professional, organized, and much safer.
Most dive centers in Punta Cana have dive excursions and other programs that you can sign up for on their website. That’s important to look out for when choosing the right dive center to dive with.
This will help avoid shady dive centers that take you to the dead reefs. This will also ensure you’re experiencing the beauty of the ocean.
Where to do your Reef Dives
When it comes to reef dives, I recommend finding the right location to dive in. Punta Cana has some really beautiful reefs to see, but they also have a lot of dead/dying reefs that’s really sad to see. Finding the right location is really important to enjoying your dive experience.
Our successful and fun dives were near and around Catalina Island (green circle). The reefs are far more vibrant and there is a lot of marine life. Our unsuccessful reef dives were right off Bavaro Beach (red circle). Most of the reefs in that area are dying so I definitely recommend diving by Catalina Island if your hoping to see an abundance of rich coral reefs!