With the new year we decided to do some changes and instead of writing posts here and there on our website, we are adding our Facebook page updates. That way you can get the latest news on daily bases even if you are not using Facebook. For those that do, you can go to Scuba Diving in Dominican Republic Facebook page
Come Scuba Diving in Bayahibe this summer with Diving Dominican Republic. Check our Special of the Month and even if you cannot come during the summer, book your diving with us this month and we will still give you the same great price. As you know we take bookings on first come first served bases, once a group / family books scuba diving, scuba lessons or snorkeling trips with us, we do not take more bookings for the same day.
Unfortunately we had to turn down some people that wanted to book diving with us in Bayahibe, Dominican republic for the end of July, we are completely booked. We feel really bad about it, we like to accommodate all our clients, but we had to miss the chance meeting with some of them this time. We sure hope they will come back for their scuba diving vacation in Caribbean, but will contact us ahead of time.
We really encourage bookings as early as possible to make sure you can have fun and safe scuba diving in Bayahibe. Contact us soon, that way you won’t be disappointed when you arrive!
We have a great news for all of our past and current clients and friends that didn’t have a chance to buy our shirt, or for those that simply forgot to buy it while here diving with us.
You can order our shirts online now, and get even better selection than in our shop. You can get the one we use, white shirt with blue logo on the front, and the matching color Sharky on the back. If you don’t like the white shirt, you can choose from many colors for each style, and also from 2 colors for our logo. You can design your own Sharky’s shirt
We sell 3 styles – Sleeveless shirts (20 USD*), T-shirts (22 USD*) and Polo Shirts (29 USD*), all styles in ladies or men sizes from Small up to 5XL, for our US clients the shipping is included, for shipping to other countries please Contact us for more details
* the price is for sizes S to 2X, for bigger sizes additional charge apply
Saving sharks and all marine live should be everybody’s responsibility.
As I had one of the best diving days couple months ago, seeing lots of stingrays, then a nurse shark, a hummer head and at the end a group of dolphins I realized, that it could happen in a near future, that we won’t have anything to see underwater anymore.
I love diving and for me every dive is a great dive, it’s never the same, even if I go to the same dive spot over and over, there is always something new or different to look at. And seeing sharks, my favorite creatures in the underwater world, being killed for some fancy restaurants makes me really really sad.
We have to educate people more and more, have to work with national parks and governments, we have to do everything possible to keep fighting and help to protect these animals. If you love sharks look at the Shark Water or click the banner bellow
Some of our clients come for a vacation to go only scuba diving in Bayahibe, Dominican Republic, some of them like to do more activities then only diving. Or their non diving family members would like to do something more them only relax on the beach or on the boat. We can add to your diving package some of the activities Bayahibe Runners offer. All their tours are fun and are for all ages to enjoy. Probably the most popular is Zip Line ans the trip through the local villages and sugar cane fields. If you want to get the complete list of excursions they offer click the logo or Contact us and let us know what you would like to add to your diving vacation in Dominican republic.
Lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a member of the Scorpaenidae family. Originated from Indian Pacific Oceanic region, from western Australia and Malaysia east to French Polynesia and up to southern Japan and southern Korea on the north and to parts of coastal Australia on the south, they are slowly spreading all over the world.
Lionfish live in underwater caves, ledges, crevices and reef cracks and spend most of the day hiding. They leave their shelters at sunset to look for food and after eating, which takes only about an hour, they spend the night wandering around in the water.
Juvenile lionfish live together in groups, but the adults look for a companionship only during breeding time. They are very territorial and as they mature, they claim their own territory and will defend it against any other lionfish, regardless of sex. Male lionfish are more aggressive than the females, especially when looking for suitable breeding mates. As they fight they try to sting each other with their venomous dorsal spines.
Lionfish can grow up to 38 centimeters / 15 inches in length but average size is 30 cm / 12 inches. An adult lionfish can weigh up to 1.2 kg / 2.6 lbs and the lifespan in the wild is on average 15 years. They have up to 18 delicate needle-like dorsal fins and a long “tentacle” that protrudes above the eyes. The nose is partly covered by flaps and they also have a bony ridge that goes from across the cheek and over the eyes. Their fins have spines that are as sharp as needles, they use them to inject a potent venom into their predators.
The lionfish is considered as one of the most poisonous fish in the world. A sting from a lionfish is very painful to humans and can cause nausea and breathing difficulties, but is rarely fatal. When taking pictures, please do not enter their comfort zone as they might attack.
Couple months ago I wrote an article about safe diving. Scuba diving is a safe sport, if you follow the basic rules, and choose the right people to go diving with.
This morning we went for two easy dives, my clients are fairly new divers, so we chose the dive sites that would be best for their level.
As always, we met at Sharky’s Shop before nine, checked the air, prepared the equipment, loaded everything to the boat and went to dive sites called Park I and Park II. It was a beautiful sunny day, as most of the days here in Bayahibe, Dominican Republic. After a short, about 10 – 15 minute boat ride, we arrived to our first dive site. The dive was great, visibility 100 ft+, water temperature 27 C / 81 F (still too cold for me but the clients loved it). We followed the reef and by the end of the dive our captain with Sharky picked us up. We had little bit of current, so we decided to go for the second dive the opposite direction and hopefully swim with the current, but this time on the other side of the reef. We got ready for the second dive and just as we were entering the water another dive boat full of divers arrived. I didn’t care too much, because this diving area is huge and you can choose different path so the groups do not interfere with each other at all. I know that most dive shops dive a loop and return to the same spot to accent by their boat, so for that reason I prefer going along the reef, our is following us and picks us up when we finish the dive. That was again the dive plan with my two divers. We reached the bottom and began slowly drifting by the reef; we stopped by the cannons and played a bit with the cannon balls. When we were leaving this underwater playground I noticed the divers from the other boat approaching the same area. I didn’t pay too much attention to them because they had their own guide and their own dive plan.
We were going our way, enjoying the dive, looking at corrals and fish and suddenly I saw four divers from the other group following me. I knew something wasn’t right, I stopped and tried to figure out what was happening, where was their guide, but in that moment the group turned around and started to swim the opposite direction. So I thought everything was fine. After few minutes I looked back again and realized that all the divers from the group disappeared, except one and he was still following us. We stopped, I approached him and I clearly saw in his eyes that he was lost and scared. I quickly checked his air; made sure he was OK and gave him the signal to follow me. We changed our course and turned back heading towards the boats.
It didn’t take long to see the line from the buoy and when we started the accent I saw the guide coming down from the surface searching for the lost diver. The guide tapped my shoulder to thank me for bringing the diver safely back and I could see a big relieve in his eyes.
We continued with our dive, we just changed the direction, but we still had a great time, saw lots of marine life, didn’t cut the dive short, and at the end everybody was happy. Before we finished the dive the other boat was gone. After we got back to the boat, our captain told me how everybody was panicking on the big boat; the wife of the missing diver was crying that she lost her husband.
This day had a happy ending, only few unanswered questions left. Why all this happened? Was it because the guide had seven divers, some of them beginners? Or was it a bad briefing before the dive, maybe no briefing at all? Where was the buddy system? How can you lose half of your group in 30 ft of water with 100+ ft visibility? Was it luck of professionalism? How the rest of the divers felt when their dive was ruined by this incident and they had to cut their dive short? We can ask many more questions that won’t be answered. I do not question other dive shops and their practice, when I see a diver that needs help I help. For me to go scuba diving is fun and should be fun for everybody all the time. Unfortunately some professionals do it only for money, the diving stopped being fun for them long time ago.
So when you are planning your next Scuba Diving Vacation, doesn’t matter if it is Scuba Diving in Dominican Republic, or anywhere else in the world, please do your homework. Search the dive shops in the area, ask questions at different scuba forums or travel forums and see what past clients say about each dive operation.
Dive safely and choose your next dive shop wisely 
Few days ago I read an article about another scuba diving accident at Key Largo Florida . It makes me so sad to read news like this, especially when I think this could be prevented. The article didn’t have any details about what went wrong. I don’t know if the woman had some equipment trouble, a medical condition or if it was just a small little thing like losing her buoyancy that escalated into a big tragedy. There isn’t any information about the exact amount of divers on the catamaran and the amount of professionals on the boat when this accident happened either.
According to statistics most scuba diving accidents happen to new, inexperienced scuba divers when diving without guidance of professionals. I am not saying all the accidents can be avoided, but the majority can be prevented.
Boats loaded with tourists
Some call it a booze cruise
I’ve seen many touristy places in the world where dive operators take 20 – 40 divers with only 2 – 3 professionals onboard that sometimes don’t even go to the water with the clients. They just briefly tell them where to go and what they might to see and let them go down. It’s very hard to control a large group of scuba divers and make sure everybody is safe; especially with recreational – resort divers, where people of different diving skill levels and experiences are diving together. I personally believe that diving in few smaller groups and using more dive guides is much safer and more fun. That’s why I don’t dive with larger groups and I specialize in scuba diving with small groups only. I limit the amount of divers to 5-6 maximum, sometimes even less depending on their diving experience.
When I dive with newly certified divers, I usually take a MAXIMUM of three people but prefer to have only two, that way it’s much easier for me to control them. I focus more on their safety, then looking hard to find something new and unusual. There is always so much to see underwater and everything is all new for them anyways everything is exciting and makes them very happy. I never have new divers behind me, because it’s more difficult to control them without having the additional help of another dive master. I always keep them by my side, where I can see them all the time and provide assistance when they need it; before a small problem grows into a big one.
Diving with more experienced divers is a bit different; I give them more space, they always dive in pairs with a buddy and an odd diver is always my buddy. I am aware of my divers at all times making sure they dive safely and keeping myself in a position to assist anybody in need immediately.
Small groups scuba diving and snorkeling
Scuba diving and snorkeling with your family only
So far all of my clients love the way I dive with them. It doesn’t matter if they were new divers with no experience or advanced divers with lots of experience. I always give them the feeling of freedom and security at the same time. My clients can stay under water as long as the air or bottom time limits allow them; I don’t rush anywhere because I don’t have any other group of divers waiting for me to do another dive that day. If you dive with me, it is your time, your dive and your fun. I’m here just to assist you and make sure you are safe at all times. For me diving is a passion not a business and I love to share my passion with everyone.
So if you don’t like to dive on crowded boats, Contact us to enjoy great and safe scuba diving in Dominican Republic. Please make sure to book your diving trips with us ahead of time as it may be tough to accommodate you last minute when you arrive.
November is here already, that means officially the hurricane season is over, and we didn’t get much of it this year. The Pacific side was hit much much harder then our Atlantic side. So as I always say, the weather is unpredictable, and we don’t know what will come, no matter what anybody says. The statistics are only a guide, showing the weather in the past.
We liked this hurricane season on the south coast of Dominican Republic, especially after really wet one last year, when we got hit by storms and hurricanes few times. Dominicus, where most of the resorts are located, and some parts of Bayahibe were flooded for couple days at the end of last September. Meaning not only that we had water up to our waste in some parts of town. That the bottom floors in some resorts were under water and the tourists had to be moved to upper floors or to some other resorts in the country. That the meals had to be delivered in some resorts on canoes directly to the rooms as people couldn’t reach the restaurants. I belive only Dreams La Romana that is located in Bayahibe didn’t have any problems.
Storm in Bayahibe Dominican Republic September 2008
Bayahibe Dominican Republic flood September 2008
We, the locals, didn’t have power or water for few days. We used the rain to shower and candles for light like in some villages in the mountains where they don’t have electricity or plumbing isntalled. We use bottled water for cooking and drinking and always have at least two big 18 gallon jars full, so we didn’t have shortage of water. Also we have propane stove, not an electrical one, so we could cook without any problems.
But that was last year. This season was much nicer. There were few tropical storms coming during the past couple months, but either they stopped and disappeared or changed the path and missed us. Of course we were not complaining much, even though we pulled our boat Sharky out of the water for no reason. Like they say it’s better to be safe then sorry.
Heavy clouds above Bayahibe September 2009
September 2009 weather in Bayahibe Dominican Republic
We had few heavy rain storms, with lots of water falling down, but they stopped in couple hours and we were back to nice weather. We didn’t miss much of diving due to bad weather like the previous year, when we couldn’t go diving for about half of the month of September last year. This year was different. Not the weather, but the troubled world economy caused that only very few tourists came after summer. But we hope everything will get back to normal and lots of divers will enjoy scuba diving in Dominican Republic, like all the years before. Contact us to book you next scuba diving vacation or private trips with us and share the paradise life with us for a while.
Henri, not a storm anymore, just a depression for now, doesn’t look too good right now. Instead of going more north or north-west, it turned west and is heading directly towards the island.
Depression Henri heading towards Dominican republic
If it continues like this, Dominican Republic will get lots of rain. Even though it slowed down and lost the power, it might still bring some floods in some areas. We will continue to watch for more favorable changes.
