Testimonials

What our clients say about us

August 2009

I’d highly recommend going with Sharky out of Bayahibe (Diving Dominican Republic)

My boyfriend and I stayed at the nearby resort of Dreams and were having a difficult time booking a dive with the resort that we explored other options in Bayahibe.

We found ourselves frustrated until, fortuntately, we met a couple in our resort who had dove with Sharky and had a wonderful time. They had been recommended to Sharky by an American manager with our tour company at the resort, and passed on the info to us.

We dove with Vladi the day after and had a wonderful time as well for so many reasons. His minimum diver requirement for a dive trip is only two, so we didn’t have to wait all day to find out if the trip was going out (like we had to do with another operator).

Also, since there was just the two of us, we got very personalized attention, a ton of space on the boat and were able to dive at our own pace under the water. Vladi is very knowledgable and a joy to be around. He made me feel safer than any other dive operator I’ve been with out of the country. Plus, he solved a problem I was having with my regulator. We also enjoyed his wife Denise, she is a very lovely woman.

oh! and plus, the dive was very reasonable and even cheaper than another operator in town. Well worth every penny!

Posted by kona1010 on Trip Advisor August 18, 2009

 

July 2009

Hi Denise and Vlad,

Thank you so much for helping us to finish our open water dives we had a fantastic time in the Dominican and we shall certainly recommend you to others.

Sue, UK,  emailed July 27, 2009

 

July 2009

I just returned from a week of diving in this area and found it to be amazing. If you go I highly recommed DivingDr. It is a smaller operation, which my wife and I prefer. Each morning we watch the other shops pull out with their packed boats and smiled as we got personal service from Vlad at divingdr….. read the complete post

Adam from Atlanta, GA posted on Trip Advisor July 19, 2009

 

July 2009

Denise and Vlad,

Thank you for the wonderful diving trip last week.  It’s always fun to go diving, but you guys made it the perfect experience.  It felt like we were diving with old friends instead of hiring a boat and guide.  Your insights into the local area were spot on and made the experience that much richer.  I can’t imagine going to the DR and diving with anyone else.  It’s not that the other shops are bad, but the personal touch from you guys made a huge difference.

I can’t wait to visit again.

Adam from Atlanta, GA, emailed July 19, 2009

 

July 2009

Hi Denise,  Hi Vlad,

Just want to tell you that we are home now and congratulate you with the professionalism and stressless diving that we had diving at the Dominican Republic which made it a wonderfull time and experience diving with your padi center.

Ivan from Belgium, emailed  July 14, 2009

 

July 2009

i am writing this because when i was researching where to dive and with whom to use to dive in La romana. I could find very little info on this subject. i mean i looked for days to find anything recent. there were 8 of us on this trip. A family- older mid 20′s kids and mother and father. 3 were certified open water divers 4 were resort only divers but had dive perhaps 10 times in last 6 years and one who had never dived. I did alot of emailing over 4 months and picked Diving Dominican Republic. they gave me total price for what I wanted 5 padi certifications and 3 more 2 tank dives. we were instructed in 2 days with vlad and mark a dive instructer with dreams. low visibility and moderate current for our skills dive and 3 certified divers had to stay close but we all passed and were ready for 2 tank morning dives. I have dived in La Romana on 2 previous trips so i really did not expect much but what a pleasent surprise. the reef was alive with fish and beutiful coral. just great. we all were so happy and it only got better the next day vlad took us to his favorite spot and it became mine too i think it was called La Toruga. nice space of white sand and you swim around reef not on top which is more relaxing for novice. In fact out last 2 tank was supposed to be at catalina island with lunch etc but i wanted to go back to that dive so we did! and after that Vlad took us to dive wreck in harbor. Really unusual and spooky. my oldest certified diver claimed it was his best dive. We then ate our lunch on the boat like we wanted. It was such a pleasant experience all around. Know what you want and keep emailing till you are comfortable with plans. Denise, Vlad’s wife is patient and continually keeps the emails up. Hope this helps other divers or want to be divers!

Susan from USA, posted on Trip Advisor July 6, 2009

 

May 2009

My dive buddy kim and i have just returned from Bayahibe, Dominican Republic. She and i are new divers having received our certifications in february of this year.. we were looking for a dive operation that had a good dive master who would lead us in 2 days of diving during our annual vacation.In doing some research i found divingdr.com and Vladi. I contacted them and we had a great experience. .. read the full review

Joe from USA, posted a comment May 28, 2009

 

May 2009

We dove with vlad/denise today http://divingdr.com

They got a large boat for our group (26 in group mixed divers & snorkelers). Great trip for everyone! The fruit and rum was an added bonus. Thanks for getting this figured out for us…we had a great time!

Rik from TN, USA, posted on Trip Advisor May 22, 2009

 

April 2009

The Review that was posted at Undercurrent – The dive destination guide. For those who are not members, click the link read more to read the whole review as posted

Terri writes:

…. My husband and I were the only divers, and more could have been accommodated. ……. The crew (Vladi and son Vlad) was willing to assist us in any way necessary to give us the best dive experience ever. This included trips to less explored sights where no other divers were around. …………….We had a blast! We are staying in touch and plan on exploring new sites with Vladi in the future. …….. read more

Terri, MD USA at Undercurrent in January 2009

 

March 2009

I also dove with Vlad, and got my Padi open water certification. My wife was extremely nervous about diving and Vlad gave her just the attention she needed (under water) to keep her calm and enjoy herself.  Since I only dove with Vlad and have ever only dived with Vlad I can’t really honestly say if he’s better than anybody else.  But we were happy with the course.  He got us new gear if we whined about the stuff we got. He has his own boat Sharky which is nice and gives added flexibility. He is a good teacher, and focused a lot on safety, which I think is a good thing. …and yes…. he certainly is a character.

Tom from Stockholm, Sweden, posted at Scubaboard March 22, 2009

 

November 2008

I dove with Vlad at divingdr.com and it was a real treat. For slightly more than the bargain basement dive shops but considerably less than the resort shops, my buddy and I had Vlad, his boat Sharky and a captain all to ourselves. There are few places that you can have a qualified, friendly, personal dive guide with a nice boat, who will discuss your interests and tailor a dive itinerary just for you…all for the same price as packing like sardines and going on one of the ‘cattle’ boats to dive the worn out/over used sites. I’m spoiled now!

Vlad picked us up for the airport..took us out for a beer to plan the week. Picked us up each day at the hotel and kept us laughing the entire trip. He also offers courses at great prices (my buddy took his advanced course) when booking a dive package and is one of the few, if not only, experienced cave divers who can take you to into the fresh water caves around Bayahibe. We also had a great night dive as well as 2 trips to the St. George wreck.

I’m a frugal…ok..I’ll say it..cheap…guy..and I really appreciate good value. Diving with Vlad was excellent value…and you’ll likely consider him a friend by the end of the week.

If you have any specific questions about Bayahibe visit divingdr.com and Vlad and Denise can certainly answer any questions you have.

Happy Diving!

Joe from Florida, USA, posted at Scubaboard October 9, 2008