Trip Report – Northern Coast Aquasports – Sousa, Dominican Republic

[John Yaskowich]

Trip Report – Northern Coast Aquasports – Sousa, Dominican Republic

I was in the DR last week, trying to thaw out my frozen bones. During my vacation I made 4 dives over 2 days with Northern Coast Aquasports in Sousa, Dominican Republic, about 15 minutes from Puerto Plata.

http://www.northerncoastdiving.com/intro2.html

First off, I don’t have a lot to compare my experience with; I am a brand new diver and had only made my OW cert dives before this. I found this dive center through the internet. One of the people at my LDS had used them in the past and gave them the thumbs-up.

Making Arrangements: I contacted Northern Coast via e-mail / their web site and was pleased with the quick responses with suggested dives, taking into account my experience level. Mark did not tire of what probably felt like an endless stream of questions from a newbie, always making a prompt, informative reply. We settled on 4 dives over 2 days (Monday and Wednesday), 3 of which would be Adventure Dives toward my Advanced Open Water (Boat, Navigation and Deep). They were even able to arrange transportation from my resort in Puerto Plata to Sousa at a reduced rate and were also willing to accommodate my wife, who does not dive but wanted to do some snorkeling. The prices quoted turned out to be about 2/3rds of what the dive shop associated with the resort wanted to charge.

Getting Going: I have my own gear (thanks ScubaToys!) but I had a good look at the equipment for rent. It seemed to be in good shape, well maintained and they took the time to ensure a reasonable fit for everyone. I was introduced to Ron, the instructor who would be handling my Boat and Navigation dives. After a thorough briefings by the Dive Master about the boat and sites, we grabbed our gear and headed off to the boat, about a 3-4 minute walk away. At the beach the boat pulled into shore and we waded out to board (there do not seem to be any docks in Sousa bay. Not a problem if the water is fairly calm but it could be a problem if the waves get big.) The dive master and boat crew took care of setting up the tanks, BCD and regs, although they would allow you to set your own if you wanted.

Day 1 - Dive 1 – Coral Gardens - 56 feet
My first dive in the ocean! Lots to see and Ron was very good at pointing out things I would otherwise have missed. Lots of fish (including an 18in Barracuda that cruised by!) and coral to see. Fun. About 40 mins of dive time then back on the boat and back to shore. We had lunch at a local restaurant before rejoining everyone for the afternoon dive.

Dive 2 – Three Rocks – 27 feet
While my wife snorkeled above, we did the navigation checkout and then more cruising around looking at things. Again, lots of fish, plants and coral to see – I have to get into the books so I have a better idea of what I am looking at. There was evidence of an effort to enhance the reef and undersea environment. There were a large number of artificial reef components both on shore and at various points underwater, and Ron told of the campaign to convince local fishermen to use more eco-friendly ways. He did show me the “bristle worms” that were eating the coral and explained more lobsters are needed in the area to keep them in check. Dive time of 38 mins.

Day 2 – Dive 3 – Wreck of Zingara – 103 feet
My instructor this dive was Zsolt and again I was in very capable hands. Although the wreck sits at 118 feet or so, we stayed on the shallower wheelhouse and deck area. The wreck has been sunk for about 12 years and is getting a nice coating of things living on it. Very impressive seeing the fish gliding in and out of the various openings and lots of fun watching the others on the dive do the same. Sort of spooky the way things look in the dim light at depth. (incentive to get lights for the camera!) We only had about 13 minutes of bottom time before we had to head up and a dive time of 23 mins. Again, back to shore for tank change and to pick up more divers.

Dive 4 – Canyon – 63 feet
My first experience with an “insta-buddy” (the other dives being 1-on-1 with the instructor). Hmmmm. Anyway, down we went and swam out at depth then back higher up along the reef wall. Lots of places to cruise between walls, up and over features and following the twists and turns. Again lots to see. About 46 mins of diving time then back to the surface and the boat for the ride back.

All in all a wonderful experience. I would not hesitate to dive with this group again if I am ever back in the Puerto Plata area. The staff of this dive shop are an interesting mix of people from many nations (England, The Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, USA at least) and they all have a passion for diving. Thanks.

[Kokomo]

Very nice trip report.Great to get to a warm location in the winter. Just out of curiosity...were you doing your AOW class?

[John Yaskowich]

Originally Posted by Kokomo

Very nice trip report.Great to get to a warm location in the winter. Just out of curiosity...were you doing your AOW class?

Tell me about warm - when we left it was -15c (~3f) and the snow banks were about 3 feet deep (and over 6 feet in places). And it snowed most of the week we were gone! Current temp is about the same and dropping like a rock.

I have taken the classroom and pool parts of Peak Performance bouyancy and will do the checkout dives for that when the water is a little less "crusty". 3 of the 4 dives in DR were Adventure Dives which count towards my AOW.

[John Yaskowich]

I forgot to mention that the boats used are 22ft'ers with a sun canopy and twin outboard motors. I think the most divers on board while I was there was 8 - 4 certified, 2 doing Discover Scuba dives and 2 DMs. The boats come equiped with the basic safetly items like O2 and radios. No lower dive platform and a standard climbing ladder.

For the deep dive they hung a complete tank and regulator set off a line at about 15ft, just in case anyone was running low during their safety stop.