Dominican
Republic Listings
Aqua
Center
Casa Daniel Swiss Diving School
Diving Dominican Republic
Mariana Caribbean Sports
Neptuno Bavaro
Northern Coast Aquasports
Scuba Elite
SCUBAFUN
SYP Main Page
Caribbean Menu
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Long
popular among divers and visitors from Europe, Dominican Republic
is experiencing more North Americans as well. DR offers some
of the most beautiful beaches in the world, but is also home
to the highest mountain range (10,382 feet above sea level)
in the entire Caribbean - Pico Duarte. There is plenty here
to see and do, and keep you busy.
The Dominican Republic is a great place to begin diving, and
it is also a haven for serious divers. The country's undersea
world has excellent reef diving, good visibility, warm waters,
wrecks, caverns and marine life offering a wealth of diving
experiences around the island.
Bordered by reefs on three coasts (only has 3, Haiti is situated
to the west), the Dominican Republic is part of the second
largest island in the Caribbean. Among the most popular dive
sites are more than 400 wrecks situated in the surrounding
waters.
DR is also known for whalewatching, with humpbacks and pilot
whales exciting visitors annually.
Climate Summer 88 - 95F 31 - 35C Winter 75 - 85F 24 - 29C
Water Temp Average Summer 84F 29C Winter 77F 25C Visibility
60 - 100 ft 18 -30 m
Dive
Services & Accommodations
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Casa Daniel Swiss Diving School
calle Juan Brito # 1
Bayahibe, La Romana
Dominican Republic
Tel. + 809 833 0050
Fax. + 809 833 0050
The Dive Center Casa Daniel and its PADI dive shop
is located directly at the waterfront in the center
of Bayahibe. Our 3 simple guestrooms offer accommodation
in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
» Number of Dive Boats: Motorcatamaran, 2 Speedboats
» Maximum Number of Divers per Boat: Catamaran
- 20 Speedboats - 2 ea.
» Gear Provided: Wetsuit, BCD, Regulator, Weigth,
Tank, ABC, UW-Camera
» Rental Gear Available: Yes
» Nitrox Available: Yes
» Type of Diving Available: Reef, 3 wrecks ,
Catalina Wall , Nightdive, Sharkpoint, Cave (Freshwater)
» Total Dive Sites: 20
» Minimum Time to Dive Sites: 5 Mins.
» Maximum Time to Dive Sites: 45 Mins.
» Certification Agencies: PADI
» Courses Offered: OWD, AOWD, EFR, Rescure,
Divemaster
info@casa-daniel.com
http://www.casa-daniel.com |
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Diving Dominican Republic
Sharky's Shop
Playa Bayahibe
Bayahibe
Dominican Republic
Tel. 809-657-4216 / 809-627-6930
Family operated PADI certified dive boat operation
located on the south coast, specializing in private
small group scuba diving, scuba lessons, snorkeling
and boat trips.
»
Number of Dive Boats: 1
» Maximum Number of Divers per Boat: 5
» Gear Provided: Tanks, air, weights
» Rental Gear Available: BCD's, regulators,
fins, wet suits
» Nitrox Available: Yes
» Type of Diving Available: Wrecks, caves, reefs,
walls, we have it all
» Total Dive Sites: 26
» Minimum Time to Dive Sites: 5 minutes
» Maximum Time to Dive Sites: 75 minutes
» Certification Agencies: PADI
» Courses Offered: All, up to divemaster
info@divingdr.com
http://www.divingdr.com |
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Mariana Caribbean Sports
Main
office: Hotel Barcelo Premium Punta Cana
Branches at: Hotel Majestic Colonial Punta Cana, Hotel
Amhsa Marina Grand Paradise, Majestic Elegance
Dominican Republic
Tel. 809 476 7777 ext 4595
Fax. 809 412 2334
mcsmcs@tricom.net
http://www.mariana-net.com
Watersports Center with all-inclusive service, half
& full day excursions, PADI dive center, Parasail
operation, sailing & surfing and speed boat rental. |
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Neptuno Bavaro C.porA.
Hotel IFA Villas Bavaro,
Punta Cana, Bavaro
Dominican Republic
Tel. 001 809 552 6025
Fax. 001 809 552 6025
neptunobavaro@gmx.net
http://www.neptunobavaro.com
Diving and water sports in Punta Cana, Bavaro. Cozy
and professional. |
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Scuba
Elite
Sosua Puerto Plata
Dominican Republic
Tel. (1)-829-570-1420
info@scubaelitedr.com
http://scubaelitedr.com
We are a friendly and professional full service dive
center offering all PADI courses, local diving, liveaboard
services to Paradise Island and more! |
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SCUBAFUN
Calle Principal #28
Bayahibe, Dominican Republic
Tel. 809-833-0003
Fax. 809-833-0005
We
are a PADI dive shop on the shore of Parque Nacional
del Este. We offer daily dive trips, training, night
dives and even cave diving. We have 4 custom built
dive boats and offer comfortable, safe diving.
» Number of Dive Boats: 4 - Orca I: 28 ft,
Orca II: 22 ft, Cherub (Motor Catamaran): 35 ft,
Seraph (Motor Catamaran) : 39.8 ft
» Maximum Number of Divers per Boat: Orca
I - 10, Orca II - 6, Cherub - 20, Seraph - 20
» Gear Provided: Mask & snorkel, fins,
life jackets
» Rental Gear Available: BCD, wetsuit, regulator,
mask & snorkel, fins
» Nitrox Available: Yes
» Type of Diving Available: Reef dive, wreck
dive, wall dive, night dive
» Total Dive Sites: 20
» Minimum Time to Dive Sites: 5
» Maximum Time to Dive Sites: 30
» Certification Agencies: PADI
» Courses Offered: Discover Diving through
Divemaster, EAN-Nitrox Specialty, wreck, deep and
night specialties
info@scubafun.info
http://www.scubafun.info
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Travel
to Dominican Republic
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Air
Travel to DR
The
Dominican Republic has seven international airports.
The most used airports are:
Las Américas International Jose Francisco Peña
Gomez Airport, 20 minutes east of Santo Domingo
Puerto Plata International Gregorio Luperón Airport,
15 minutes from Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata and Sosúa
Punta Cana's International Airport (have a look at the
photo)
María Montez International in Barahona
La Romana International
Santiago International Airport
Herrera Airport in Santo Domingo
El Portillo Airport in Samaná
The Arroyo Barril International Airport in Samaná.
Flying Times: from New York (3-1/4 hrs), from Miami
(1-3/4 hrs), from San Juan (35 mins), from Toronto (5
hrs), from Santiago de Chile (8 hrs), from most European
cities (8-10 hrs).
American
Airlines
Direct Service From New York, Miami and San Juan Puerto
Rico
Continental
Airlines
Direct Service From Newark Airport / NY City to Santo
Domingo
COPA
Airlines
Direct Service to Havana and Santiago, Cuba from Santo
Domingo
IBERIA
Airlines
Direct Service from Santo Domingo to Dusseldorf - Germany
Lufthansa
/ Condor
Direct Service to Munich-Germany with connections to
the rest of Europe
MartinAir
Holland
Direct Service to Amsterdam - Holland. Also service
from Puerto Plata & Punta Cana
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| Entry
Requirements |
| Citizens
and residents of the United States, Canada and the majority
of European countries can enter the country with a 30
day tourist card, which can be bought when you enter the
country for US $10. Any person, no matter what their nationality,
may come into the Dominican Republic with a tourist card
if they have any of the following valid visas in their
passport: United States, Canada, United Kingdom or the
European Union (Schengen). If you wish to extend your
tourist card to 90 days, you will need to pay UD$20 (RD$800)
to immigration when you leave the country. The exit tax
is US$20.00, but this is usually included in the airline
ticket. |
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| Getting
Around DR |
| Air
Santo Domingo or Sapair operate scheduled
flights between the principal tourism regions of the Dominican
Republic. |
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Taxis
There is more than one type of taxi in the Dominican Republic.
When you step off a plane or out of your hotel, you will
almost certainly find a "tourist" taxi. A few
years ago the government funded new taxis. They are now
Hundai minivans or cars. All are sand colored. They replace
the 70's vintage American gas guzzlers that used to transport
tourists. Tourist taxis fiercely protect their territory
against other forms of transport. Not surprising since
their prices are double those of the vintage Japanese
cars that the city taxis use. In the large cities you
will find "carro conchos" who cruise the main
streets like buses, constantly stopping to take on or
disgorge passengers.
They only charge a few pesos and are practical for short
rides along the same street. Don't look for a taxi meter
in the Dominican Republic. Tourist taxis usually have
posted rates at the entrance to resorts.
Motorcycle taxis - Known as "moto conchos" they
abound except for downtown Santo Domingo. They charge
double at night which means 20 or more pesos instead of
10 for a fairly short ride. They are not practical for
long trips and are involved in lots of accidents.
Buses
In contrast to car rentals and taxis, buses are cheap,
safer, and fun. You will come in contact with real Dominicans.
Metro Tours, Terra Bus and Caribe tours are for long trips,
for example Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata. Clean modern
and comfortable they are a bargain. They work by reservation
except on Holidays.
Other intercity buses offer express and air conditioned
services. If the bus is not express it will make lots
of stops. Fine if you have all the time in the world.
Local buses (guaguas) will take you to the next town for
a dollar or so. The only problem with buses is that they
stop operating at about 9 PM, so you can't use them at
night. |
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Car
Rentals
Major car rental companies have airport and city locations,
such as Honda, National, Avis, Budget, Hertz, Europcar,
Nelly Rent-a-Car, Dollar and many others. A valid driver's
license and major credit cards are required to rent a
car for up to 90 days. Driving is on the right hand side
and the speed limit is 60 kph in the cities and 80 kph
or 100 kph on the highways, unless otherwise indicated.
There are only two problems with this, cost and safety.
You will find that the cost of car rentals is higher than
you are used to in your home country.
Safety is not a problem if you learn and apply the Dominican
rules of the road. Simply stated; there are none! It is
a big free for all. Most traffic police are on foot and
almost nobody stops on their signal. With no radio and
no pursuit car, it is a mismatch. In other words traffic
law enforcement is close to zero. If renting a car can
be hazardous, renting a motorcycle is doubly so, but it
is cheaper. Be very careful. |
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| Helpful
Information |
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Mail
service
You can choose between two services. The official postal
service will send your postcard to your friends within
10 days. The private postal services send your mails via
Miami within 7 days (25 pesos per postcard). The private
postal service is more performant. Some people using the
official postal service receive their mails within...
2 months ! The best way is to give your mails to your
local correspondant. He will send them in good conditions.
Safety
It is perfectly safe to walk around tourist areas and
towns during the day. Criminality rate is lower than in
europeean cities. Most resorts have security personnel,
and the beaches are also patrolled periodically. When
going into town, or out of the resort area at night, use
common sense, just as you would anywhere else. Don't wear
expensive jewellery or flash large sums of money around
!
Topless sunbathing
Topless sunbathing is quite common. It's not a Dominican
custom, just the fact that many of the tourists are European,
and topless sunbathing is natural for them. Many hotels
do not allow topless sunbathing around the pool areas.
The best way is to choose a sunbathing place at the end
of the beach area in order to not disturb families and
people who don't want to see topless bodies...
Electricity
The D.R. uses 110 volts, the same as in North America
(including outlets) so North Americans can use their appiances
as usual. Transformers are necessary for European appliances.
One of the main problems in the country are the recurrent
power shortages which often occur for several hours at
all hours of the day or night, so it may be a good idea
to bring along a small flashlight for sudden power cut-offs.
Most hotels have generators to make up for this deficiency,
but some of the smaller ones may not and you never know
when it may cut off.
Climate
DR has a tropical climate with an average temperature
of 82 in summer, 78 in winter. Remember to use plenty
of sunscreen. If however you plan to make a trip into
the mountains, bring warm clothes as there can be frost
in the upper altitudes. |
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