All activities / Scuba Diving / Bayahibe
Scuba Diving in Bayahibe
A former fishing village on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic, now the country's main dive base. It sits beside the Cotubanama (Del Este) National Park and gives easy boat access to wrecks and to Catalina and Saona islands.
Why here
Bayahibe is where the Dominican Republic's diving is concentrated, and for good reason. The signature dive is the St. George, a 73-metre freighter sunk on purpose in 1999 that now sits upright in around 40 metres, draped in sponges and patrolled by barracuda. Short boat rides reach the wall and coral gardens off Catalina Island, the shallow reefs around Saona inside Cotubanama National Park, and cavern dives in the area's flooded limestone. Water is warm year-round and the protected south-coast sites often have little current, which makes this a good place to train as well as to log easy fun dives. Two long-running, owner-led centres anchor the village.
Best months
Diving is good all year, with the calmest, clearest water typically from March to September. Water temperatures sit in the mid to high 20s Celsius. Many reef and island sites have little to no current and suit beginners and course students, while the St. George wreck at around 40 metres is a deeper, advanced dive. Visibility can drop briefly after heavy rain.
Getting there & around
Bayahibe is about a 20-minute drive from La Romana and its regional airport, and within reach of the Punta Cana resort zone. Dive centres sit in the village and run daily boats to the wrecks and to Catalina and Saona. Trips to the islands can be busy with day-tour traffic, so early departures are quieter.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Casa Daniel
SchoolA Swiss-run PADI dive school in Bayahibe, operating since 1991. Daily boats head to the area's best-known sites, including the 73-metre St. George cargo wreck and the shallower Atlantic Princess at around 12 metres, plus the reefs and walls toward Catalina and Saona. The full range of PADI courses is offered, from first-timers to professional levels, and the multilingual team works in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Russian.
ScubaFun
SchoolA PADI 5 Star dive center in the fishing village of Bayahibe, owner-operated by John Sack since 1992. Its custom-built boats reach the region's signature sites, the 73-metre St. George wreck, the walls and coral gardens off Catalina Island, and the protected reefs around Saona. Courses run from beginner through divemaster, and guides work in English, Spanish, French and German. The shop sits on Calle Principal in the centre of the village.