I have to share my Punta Cana diving experience from my most recent trip to the Dominican Republic. During my 2-week stay I spent 3 days diving, getting to visit some of the most popular dive sites near Punta Cana.
When I went scuba diving in Punta Cana I actually ended up having both the worst and the best dive experiences of my life. At the time, I had around 25 dives under my belt, from destinations such as the Maldives, Spain, Thailand and Norway.
Side note: you can check out all my dive posts and guides here.
Luckily my worst experience was the first dive I did in Punta Cana, and I didn’t let it stop me from going on more dives during my trip. But, it did make me extra eager to write this post, so I could share some of my best tips for diving in Punta Cana – so you don’t have the experience I did (or at least you’re more prepared).
In summary, the dives I did in Punta Cana were:
- 1 local dive just off the coast in Punta Cana
- 2 wreck dives in Bayahibe
- 2 shark dives outside Punta Cana
Table of Contents
Quick Punta Cana Travel Guide
Where to stay: Punta Cana is located on the east coast of the Dominican Republic, with loads of high-end all-inclusive resorts lining the coastline. Most visitors to Punta Cana opt to stay at one of these resorts, as it truly is a destination for relaxing and enjoying the Caribbean climate. Popular resorts include Dreams Macao Punta Cana, Impressive Premium Punta Cana and the Hard Rock Hotel.
Top activities and tours in Punta Cana:
- Half-Day ATV and Water Cave Adventure ($65)
- Adults-Only Coral Nursery Snorkelling Tour with Lunch ($114)
- Half-day Dominican Republic Cultural Tour ($60)
- Full-day Santo Domingo City Tour ($95)
- Small-group Cruise and Snorkel Tour ($99)
Packing for Punta Cana: Punta Cana is hot year-round, so you obviously want to pack your swimwear, flip flops and light summer outfits. Resorts usually have a casual dress code, but won’t allow swimwear in the restaurants. So pack a few summery dresses or shorts and tops for dinner as well. Don’t forget reef-safe sunscreen, sunglasses and a good book, and read through my all-inclusive packing list before your trip!
Airport transfers: There are plenty of vendors and sellers waiting for you at the Punta Cana airport, so finding a taxi or transfer to your hotel is not a problem. However, if this feels a little overwhelming to you, I recommend booking a transfer in advance – for ease of mind. Our transfer by taxi (booked upon arrival) to our hotel cost $30 USD, whilst booking a transfer in advance would have been less than $15 (this is the highest-rated one).
My Punta Cana Diving Experience
Diving in Punta Cana was an unforgettable experience. Spending two days exploring the local dive sites just off the coast from my resort was (mostly) incredible. The crystal-clear waters, vibrant marine life, and the thrill of discovering the underwater world always make each dive a unique adventure.
Side note: I stayed at the Impressive Punta Cana, and did a couple of dives leaving from the beach in front of the hotel. Read my hotel review here!
However, what truly stole my heart was the day of wreck diving off the Bayahibe coast. The dive to the St. George Wreck was unforgettable, and it remains my all-time favorite dive (yes, better than diving in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt).
Swimming through the remnants of the sunken ship, surrounded by schools of fish and coral, was an experience that will stay with me forever. The sense of history and mystery combined with the beauty of the underwater landscape made it a truly unforgettable dive.
I do have to mention it was my first wreck dive ever, but I have since done others (such as the Zenobia in Cyprus, named one of the top 10 wrecks in the world!).
The worst dive (Punta Cana Local Dive)
Okay, let’s dive into what ended up being my worst dive experience ever.
This is actually the dive that made my start rating dives in my log book. Now, I rate every dive I do on a scale from 1-5, because I have unfortunately learned that 1/5 dives can happen.
I was supposed to do two dives not too far from the coast of our hotel. I ended up just doing the one. These were simple reef dives at just around 12 meters depth, and I was told we’d even go through a one-way tunnel on the first one.
The boat ride out to the dive site was just 5-10 minutes. However, on the way it became pretty clear that the Atlantic Ocean is not kidding around.
The waves were 5-7 meters high (I am not joking), and I wished already then that I had taken sea sickness tablets.
The next time I go, I’ll do some more research into which month to visit Punta Cana, in case the waves are calmer another time of year.
It must be an age thing, because I swear after I turned 30 I’ve been getting motion sickness much easier than before. I mean, back when I was a PADI writer I even wrote a guide to handling sudden seasickness while diving.
Luckily though, the boat ride was super short, so I didn’t actually get sick or feel sluggish on board. All though getting geared up in the waves was a struggle.
Underwater
With such high waves at the surface, you can imagine we felt them underwater too. The surge/swell/whatever you call it was so strong I’ve never experienced anything in my life.
The entire 43 minute dive I felt like I was being thrown around by the surge, which was constantly going back and forth and side to side. We were moved several meters every time, and then pushed back to our starting point.
Side note: I have done drift diving in the past, and this isn’t my first experience with swells. I know how to time my kicks and dive in swell/surge conditions. But this was on a different level completely.
As mentioned, the ocean kept throwing us around, and it was truly exhausting. I didn’t even look at any fish, because the poor things were being thrown back and forth as well. As is natural in those conditions, the area we dove around wasn’t very big, and we just stayed around a couple small rocks/reefs on the sand bottom.
At one point I was so tired from trying to stay in control against the surge that I screamed into my regulator. I was not just exhausted, but getting angry and frustrated.
The tunnel
We had started the dive by going through the above-mentioned tunnel, and it was fine. The swell pushed us through, then pulled us back, but we all made it through.
On the way back our dive guide took us through the tunnel again. This time, though, he stopped halfway through to shine his torch on something in the cave to show the next diver (I was 3rd in “line”). None of the rest of us could see what he was highlighting since the tunnel was so narrow.
So the result was that the swells plummeted us forward, into a wall of our fellow diver and dive guide. I had to flail like a newbie diver in order to not slam into them, and instead I slammed sideways into the cave wall when the swell tried to pull me back.
Because of this, I got minor cuts on both arms, and it was just a truly annoying way to end an already frustrating dive.
I want to mention here that I don’t think our dive guide did anything unsafe. We were not deep and the tunnel had two entrances. It was also not very long. However, I think he should have realised that with such swells, he shouldn’t have stopped us in the tunnel, especially for something only the first person would be able to see.
Back on the boat
Now, I didn’t mention one thing. The swells and the tossing underwater had not only made me tired and angry, it was making me quite nauseous!
So by the time we were ending the dive and heading back on the boat, I had come to terms with the fact that I was feeling genuinely seasick under water.
The result? The first thing I did once I got out of my tank and gear was hurl my guts up over the side of the boat. Luckily I didn’t throw up underwater – that’s an experience I hope to never have.
Since safety is always first priority in diving, I spoke to our dive guide and decided that I didn’t think I could make the second dive feeling like this. By the time I joined my friends by the pool I was shaking with exhaustion and I even cried a little when telling them how disappointed I was.
But, as my friend Ida said: “out of 25 dives you have only had 1 bad one – and the rest have been fantastic“, which I think is an important thing to remember.
It didn’t take me long to recover, as we headed straight for the beach and ordered some drinks!
Read later: The best beaches in Punta Cana
The Best Dive Day (St. George’s Wreck and Atlantic Princess)
Luckily, I didn’t let this ruin my plans to scuba dive in Punta Cana, and just a few days later I was on my way to Bayahibe, on the south side of the Dominican Republic.
This means that the dives were in the Caribbean Sea, not the Atlantic Ocean, which I had been promised would be better. But more on that below.
There are several dive sites in Bayahibe, which is a haven for divers wanting to explore the Caribbean Sea. The drive from Punta Cana to Bayahibe is around 50 minutes, and it is highly worth it.
In fact, I even listed diving in Bayahibe on my overview of the best excursions in Punta Cana.
On my next trip to Punta Cana, I fully intend on bringing friends who dive and booking this private 3-site dive day in Bayahibe! It looks fantastic.
The St. George is a 73 meter (240 foot) ship that sunk in 1999. It lies at 40 meters below sea level, and is thus only suitable for divers with an Advanced certification.
We also did the nearby Atlantic Princess wreck, which lies at around 12 meters. It was also a great dive. So even beginner divers can enjoy wreck diving in the Dominican Republic.
🤩 Book your experience diving in Bayahibe here!
St. George Dive Experience
Diving at the St. George Wreck in the Dominican Republic was a surreal and unforgettable experience. As my first ever wreck dive, it set the bar high for all future dives.
Descending along a rope and catching sight of the massive ship below almost made me hold my breath in awe (I didn’t though). Exploring around and even through the wreck was truly insane in the best way possible.
This dive not only left me with lasting memories but also ignited a newfound passion for wreck diving that I never knew I had.
Sadly, my trusted GoPro decided to give up on me at a depth of 40 meters, so I wasn’t able to get many videos during the dive. This sucked, but with my GoPro safely tucked away I spent the rest of the dive focusing on nothing but the ship.
I did manage to get the video above at the beginning of the dive, though – make sure to watch it to see the front of the ship!
Additionally, my dive buddy sent me his videos, so I got to show my friends (who refused to learn how to dive in Punta Cana).
And, another diver in our group (who I convinced to join me shark diving later in the week) told me that the best wreck dive she had ever done was the Zenobia in Cyprus. Luckily, I was heading to Cyprus just a month later, so she gave me the contact info for the dive center she used there!
Atlantic Princess
After our deep dive at the St. George, we were in for a shallower, brighter dive at the Atlantic Princess.
Whilst not as dramatic as the St. George, this was another great wreck dive. It is possible to swim through some of the openings towards the back of the Atlantic Princess, and it was a super fun dive.
The water was so warm I ended up doing this one in just my bikini – which felt so freeing!
If you’re a newbie diver, I highly recommend the Atlantic Princess for your wreck dive. Lots of fish to see both in and near the ship, as debris has scattered in the years since it sunk and created new reefs for the fish to enjoy.
Shark Dives
Diving with sharks in Punta Cana was an exhilarating experience. We embarked on two dives not too far from the coast, at a dive site appropriately named Shark Point. From what I understood, this is around where the two oceans meet, and for some reason the sharks enjoy hanging out there.
Having learned from experience after what happened on my dive earlier in the trip, I made sure to take seasickness medicine before heading out.
As we descended into the depths, the sight of sharks casually swimming around us was awe-inspiring. The second dive, although shallower at a reef (Park Reef, 39 minutes, 13,2 meter), was calming but definitely lacked the thrill of encountering these magnificent creatures up close.
During the shark dive (33 minutes, max depth 32,1 meter) I’ll estimate we saw around 10-15 sharks of varying sizes. The biggest was definitely longer than me (I’m 180 cm/5’11)!
We saw black tip and white tip sharks during our dive.
About the waves: I was very glad I took seasickness tablets before heading out, because the waves were big (even though no as big as my first dive day). My dive buddy, Debbie, had to sit the second dive out because she felt so off (and she said she’d never gotten sea sick on a dive boat before)!
The Atlantic Ocean vs the Caribbean Sea
If you’ve managed to read this far, you’ll probably know what I’m about to tell you.
I learned the hard way that diving in the Atlantic Ocean is a very different experience from diving in the Caribbean Sea when in Punta Cana.
When diving in the Dominican Republic, the contrast between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea are truly two different experiences. The north and east sides of the island, facing the Atlantic, provide thrill-seekers with the adrenaline rush of bigger waves and rougher seas, often making for a more challenging dive.
On the other hand, the south and west coasts of the island boast dive sites in the more serene Caribbean Sea, known for its tranquil waters, offering a more peaceful and calmer underwater exploration.
Of course, every rule has an exception, and some days the water in the Caribbean Sea can be rough, and other days the Atlantic Ocean can be calmer.
But this is still worth knowing about, and based on my experience (and what the local divers told me), the ocean outside Punta Cana is usually rougher than the ocean to the south of Bayahibe.
Punta Cana Dive Sites (facts)
The dive sites I experienced in Punta Cana were Shark Point, Park Reef and the local reef where I got sick (I *think* it was Coral Garden, but I could be wrong).
Other popular Punta Cana dive sites are:
- El Nino
- La Taberna
- Paradise
- Big City
- The Wall
Diving in Punta Cana: Tips & Advice
Of course, when planning to dive on any holiday, make sure to follow the standard advice; research dive centres before your trip, always looking for experienced centres with positive reviews. Dive with a buddy, stay hydrated and respect marine life. Plan your surface intervals (or just listen to your dive guides) and make sure you have your certifications with you.
Some advice I want to share that feels especially relevant for Punta Cana diving/dive trips, however, is listed below.
- Ask about the swell, especially on the Atlantic side. If you are diving outside of Punta Cana, in the Atlantic Ocean side of the island, make sure to ask about not just the waves, but the underwater swell. I wish I knew how strong the swell/surge would be before that first dive, so I could at least have felt a little prepared. As mentioned above, even during the shark dives when the waves weren’t as big, my dive buddy got sick.
- Seasickness prevention: this ties in with the above, but just get seasickness tablets, or at least wristbands to wear on the boat, before your dive. Having to cancel a dive due to seasickness is the worst, so it is better to be prepared.
- If you are prone to sea sickness, head to Bayahibe instead: if you know in advance that you are really prone to sea sickness, my recommendation is to just plan your dives on the south side of the island. Bayahibe is just a 45-50 minute drive from Punta Cana, and will give you a much better dive experience if you know you get sea sick easily.
- Actually, just go to Bayahibe regardless: I know this is a silly one, but the diving outside of Bayahibe was fantastic. So regardless of the dives you hope to do in Punta Cana, I highly recommend that you do at least one dive day outside of Bayahibe!
Catalina Island Dive Trips
Catalina Island stands out as the top choice for a diving day trip near Punta Cana, boasting some of the most magnificent reefs and crystal-clear waters in the region. I kept being advised to go there, but sadly I didn’t want to spend a full day away from my friends.
Numerous tour companies provide full-day excursions to Catalina Island, situated south of the Dominican Republic. These trips typically include all necessary gear, delicious meals, as well as convenient hotel pick-up and drop-off services.
Diving enthusiasts and nature lovers alike revel in the unparalleled beauty and underwater wonders Catalina Island has to offer, and it is at the top of my list for when I go back to the Dominican Republic!
Browse some of the highest rated dive trips to Catalina Island below.
Scuba Diving Punta Cana FAQ
Yes, there is some decent scuba diving in Punta Cana. However, even better diving is done just a short trip away, outside Bayahibe or on Catalina Island.
The cost of two local dives in Punta Cana is usually around $120-140, and dives to the south of the island (such as Bayahibe) can be closer to $175-200.
Yes, especially on the Caribbean Sea side of the island.
Yes, Punta Cana has good diving. Park Reef, Coral Garden and Shark Point are popular dive sites.
Yes, you can scuba dive in Punta Cana.
Scuba Diving in Punta Cana: Final Thoughts
In conclusion, my scuba diving adventures in Punta Cana were pretty unforgettable experiences. Despite encountering a few challenges along the way, each dive has contributed to my growth as a diver.
The dive at the St. George wreck stands out as a highlight that will forever be etched in my memory. I am grateful for the lessons learned and the memories made underwater.
If you want to keep reading, head over to my guide comparing Punta Cana and Cancun to help you decide on your next dive destination. Happy diving!