Finally back into the silent world for another scuba diving adventure!
Last minute change of plans,
We woke up and headed to the airport thinking we would be having a beer in Sant Lucia later that afternoon. Fate had other plans. Once we landed in Miami for our connecting flight we got the notification that it had been canceled due to the volcano eruption on the neighboring island of Saint Vincent.
The American Airline Admirals lounge employees were very helpful in providing us a list of other possible destinations. We quickly narrowed it down Punta Cana, Dominican Republic after finding an available villa at Eden Roc Cap Cana. I started to get excited as we boarded the plane. It is not everyday you get the chance to play travel roulette and end up at destination you have no prior knowledge of. Talk about an adventure!
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
There was one thought that concerned me about going in blind. How was the scuba diving in the DR?
Despite never having seen or heard of the Dominican Republic being a diving hub, I knew it would be best to keep an open mind and stay positive about what they might have to offer. Once we made it to the resort I realized there was no way I could be disappointed.
We finally made it,
After getting settled in I headed over to the resort concierge to get some information about the scuba outfitters in the area. Luckily they were able to put me in contact with Mark, owner of Blue Visions Adventure Shop. He had the perfect scuba package that would also accommodate for Noelle, who insisted on snorkeling at the surface. I was unable to convince her to give diving a try, but maybe next time she will come around to the idea.
Our dive instructor, Javier would be picking us up the following morning and taking us to Bayahibe, on the south side of the island where the reef was located.
It did not take long to get our gear together and make our way to the boat. There were only 2 other divers onboard which made things easy going, just the way a dive excursion should be. After a 10 minute boat ride we were ready to jump in!
First Dive
Javier and I had a simple plan for the first dive, make a big out and back loop along the reefs edge then return to the seabed that was scattered with ancient cannons and cannonballs. The last remains of the ships that once carried them for protection. It was my first time seeing any man made artifacts being claimed by the depth of the ocean. Being able to watch the fish zip around the cannons, was like watching history unfold before my eyes.
The reef was full of life, manta rays glided effortlessly in-between in the purple sea fans. We also saw a few puffer fish and my first scorpion fish, just to name a few. Time seemed to flew by, the 45 minutes of bottom time felt like 10.
I could hardly wait to get to our second dive spot, a ship wreck at 40ft! The visibility was clear enough to see the entire wreck from the surface but I was stoked to be able to explore the inside. We descended and began working our way around the hull of the boat. Seeing the small openings and passageways quickly made me realize I would have to have great buoyancy control to avoid getting tangled up inside the wreck.
As Javier got closer to the opening, he patted his head and pointed, signaling for me to watch my head as we entered the wreckage! I followed closely behind him as we twisted and turned through the hull.
Mind tricks at the helm!
When we reached the helm of the ship, he quickly swam a few feet above me towards the ceiling and started flapping his hand in one of the openings. It appeared that his hand was at the surface but there was no way this could be possible, I checked my gauges, depth 42 feet. What the heck was this all about? I couldn’t wait to get an explanation for this mysterious mind trick once we were back at the surface!
Fish feeding frenzy!
Once we had made our way onto the deck, Javier passed me a breakfast pastry and motioned for me to open it, within seconds a fish feeding frenzy was at full force. I had never seen so many fish zooming in from every direction all around me, seemed as if I was swimming through an overcrowded aquarium. The fish cleaned up every last crumb and were gone just as quick as they came. I made sure the plastic wrapper was secured under my wet suit and we began our ascend to the surface. What a dive!
Back to dry land,
It was a rough ride back but I still on cloud nine and probably wouldn’t have noticed the rough seas had it not been for Noelle getting a little sick. Luckily, it wasn’t that far of a ride and soon enough we were back at the marina headed for a local Seafood/Italian restaurant overlooking the bay.
My trip had been made, it had been way too long since my last underwater adventure. I had almost forgot how peaceful and relaxing it could be, there’s no doubt my passion for diving was re-ignited and for that I am thankful
Shout out to Blue Vision Adventures, for being so accommodating with our last minute schedule. I would highly recommend them if you’re looking for a PADI certified dive outfit in the Dominican Republic.
Also be sure to check out my other scuba diving adventures, here!