The Dominican Republic has a variety of interesting and unique dive sites. Where else in the world can you see 400 year old shipwrecks like our colonial era wrecks?  Some of these wrecks even date back to the 1500’s!  Pirate’s Cove offers you the complete diversity that the Dominican Republic has to offer.  We offer diving in both the Southern Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea, and many of the sites we dive see very little traffic. We also have a tremendous amount of seabed that is still unexplored, and we are constantly looking for new discoveries, and untold history. Pirate’s Cove is not your typical diving destination, nor is it your typical dive vacation. We offer an experience that combines unique diving experiences with a fun and affordable vacation!  

In general, the water temps are no less than 80 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter, and about 84 in the summer. The Dominican Republic has some amazing dive sites, but we dive for a variety of reasons, and diving here may not be for everyone.  We must remind people that if it’s pretty fish you’re looking for… This may not be the place.  If it’s fun, adventure, and intrigue, then we’ve got what you’re looking for.

These are the sites that we regularly visit, and what you can expect:

Rincon Bay (Bahia Rincon) – Rincon is located on the north shore and opens directly into the southern Atlantic Ocean. As a result the weather can get rough, so we try to pick our days. We dive Rincon from local boats because there is no natural harbor here. The boats are small open vessels with outboards that are pulled up onto the beach at the end of the day. Typically, divers will exit the water by removing their gear and then pulling themselves into the boat. Only on occasion does a diver have trouble getting back into the boat, and so far we have never had to leave anyone behind.  This area has some spectacular dive sites, incredible visibility, and pristine reefs, but specifically because of the boats we do not consider Rincon as a novice dive.

• The Pinnacle – This is a one of the best dives in the DR. It is a pinnacle that starts above the surface with a ridge that leads north out into the ocean and down to 180 feet. At about 30 feet, there is an arch that photographers can’t get enough of.  The visibility is regularly over 100 feet, and it does have some interesting marine life, including occasional pelagic fish.

• Two Props – This wrecked tanker (name unknown) is a post WWII shipwreck, 300 feet long, in about 70 feet of water. The wreck is broken into 3 parts and there are some interesting short penetrations. It does not have much in the way of marine life, but is a “cute little wreck”.

• Heiko’s Hideaway – This is one of the most beautiful reefs around, and it seems like the spearfishermen don’t know about it (yet – shhh). It is only about 20 feet of water, but it is an incredibly beautiful, virtually pristine reef system.

• Cabrón Wall – This is a cool little wall dive with average depths around 30-40 FSW.  We have not entirely explored this area, but enjoy drifting this site and exploring this beautiful reef.

• Playita Reef – A nice little reef, with some modern shipwreck debris, and very close to shore. The max depth is around 60 feet.

Samana Bay (Bahia Samana) – This is a huge bay on the north coast, nearly 30 miles across and 10 miles wide, opening out into the southern Atlantic Ocean to the east. It is an area with numerous treacherous reefs. Because of the natural difficulties in navigating the bay, there are numerous colonial era shipwrecks. Several rivers empty into the bay, so visibility can vary from great to terrible, depending on where you are in the bay, as well as factors like rainfall. Water depths in the bay vary greatly, actually down to 3000 feet, and it offers some wonderful opportunities for training. The shipwrecks in Samana are truly unique. Where else in the world, do recreational divers have access to colonial era wrecks, literally hundreds of years old?  In Samana, we dive from our own modern dive boats.

• Spanish Galleon Tolosa – The Tolosa is one of the famous Quicksilver Galleons that went down in a hurricane in 1724. This wreck was discovered by Captain Tracy Bowden in the 1970’s and featured in the longest article ever written for National Geographic. Max depth 50’.

• “Eighteen Cannons” – This is an unknown wreck site which contains 18 cannons and a half dozen anchors, that we estimate come from the late 1500’s or early 1600’s. The shallow reef around the wreckage is pretty, and if you don’t leave the reef you probably won’t get deeper than 20 feet.

• “Eleven Cannons” – Another unknown colonial era wreck. Like the name says, it is 11 cannons on a reef surrounded by deeper water. You can dive this site and never go deeper than 30 feet, or you can get off the reef and explore in deeper water.

• Uwe’s Mountain – This is a reef system that starts around 70 feet and goes down to 200 feet. We like to use this one for Technical Training, but it is also an interesting deeper water reef dive.  It generally has little to no current but because of the depth; it’s not a novice dive.

• Cayo Levantado Ferry – This is a small little wreck in about 30 feet of water. It is one of those ferries with propellers and rudders on both ends. It has some nice marine life, fun swim throughs, and makes for an interesting dive.  Because of its depth and location, the visibility is often variable.

• Little Barge – Another little wreck in less than 30 feet of water, this is a small little freighter that is now home to some interesting marine life. Visibility can vary significantly on this wreck as well, depending on conditions.

• Levantado Wall – This is a wall system that goes down to about 100 feet. In general the visibility is not spectacular because of its close proximity to Cayo Levantado, but it does have some interesting rock formations.

• Four Anchors – This is a reef where we have so far found 4 old anchors. This area was an anchorage when the French ruled Samana during the time of Napoleon.

• Two Anchors – Another Reef with, you guessed it, more old anchors. This one is about 60 feet of water, and has some interesting corals.

Juan Dolio – This is an area on the south coast, not too far from Santo Domingo, on the northern Caribbean Sea. Juan Dolio is home to several modern era shipwrecks that are not only fun to dive, but great little training sites. We use a small local dive operator to get us to the sites.  In general, we are close to shore as the water gets pretty deep, pretty fast.  Aside from the sea, we also have access to spectacular caves.

• Taino Cave – This is a world class cave dive. To date, the exploration of Taino Cave takes us back a few thousand feet, and into 130 feet of water. Beyond this, who knows?  This is a great site for certified cave divers, as well as for cave, and even caverns training.

• Tanya V – This is a small 200 foot long wreck in 100 feet of water. It is a very popular local site, and a fun dive.

• Catuano – This is a small tug boat in only 60 feet of water.  Excellent for divers who don’t want to go too deep.

• Embassy Tug – This is a smaller, shallower tug, in only 20 feet of water.

• La Caleta Tug – This is a nice little tug in 180 feet of water, In general, the viz is good, and it is a really fun dive for technical types. It is also a great training site.

• Hickory – This is the former research vessel of Captain Tracy Bowden, the guy who discovered Tolosa, amongst other things. When he retired the Hickory, he made it a dive site. It is about 85 feet long in less than 60 feet of water.

• Limon – This is a little coastal freighter in 45 feet of water. You can actually dive the Hickory and the Limon on the same dive, because they are so close together.

• Ship Shape Rock – This is a site we found with side scan sonar. Clear as day, you could see the bow of a ship. When we got to the site, it ended up being a rock, in the shape of a ship, in 400 feet of water? Always good for a laugh.