Full-day Catalina Island Scuba Diving Tour From Punta Cana

The day started at 7:15 am when we were picked up (on time) by a small bus where around 28 people could be seated. We drove around for around 45 minutes picking up other tourists and then went to a drop off point where the tourists had to transfer to their bus. In our case it was a smaller bus to the harbour for the scuba diving trip. This was from Punta Cana to La Romana around a 1 hour and 15 minute drive and was fine. Arriving at the boat we were greeted and helped aboard by the crew. In case you are going scuba diving, a medical and liability form must be signed (this is a must). Joël was our diving instructor and really took care of us with clear instructions. We are beginners who had dived 2 times before and did make it a bit easier for us. This trip was very pleasant and maybe from my end it would have been good to mention that I’m a big guy. Joël luckily had 1 scuba vest that fitted me. The dive was nice and Joël quickly adjusted the weights to ensure a comfortable swim/dive. In our case the water was pretty clear but not crystal clear. We saw a stingray, multiple puffer fish, a big Lion fish and many colourfull other beautiful fish. During the dive we were escorted by Joël and crewmember which made us feel secure and well taken care of. Pictures are made during the dive and there is an option to purchase these. After the second dive we were brought to Catalina Island where there was a nice bbq with good food and open bar. During the day the crew was very helpfull. On the way back the crew also entertained the people on the boat with dance and music. We also got drinks and water was available. All and all a nice experience. The drive back was in one go from La Romana to our hotel. We arrived back at around 19:15.

The boat, boat crew, and diving guides were awesome. Both dives were amazing. Catalina island after to relax was a great addition. Transportation and the communication around transportation was very poor. Were an hour late for pick up and got home two hours later than the schedule. Overall great adventure for the price.

It was my 1st time scuba diving and the guys were absolutely amazing with me and helping me adjust and feel safe!!

We are a family of four (3 adults and one teen) and overall the we are rating this tour as an average. 1) ground transportation was very chaotic, we were picked up by the resort at 7am and were drop off by a parking area and waited for about 1.5 hours to get on a small van to depart to the marina, the 1.5 hours was for the various drivers to get things sorted out. It could have been a lot more organized. Also, the van picked up few more local people along the way, almost acting like a taxi in order to make more pocket money. By the time we got to the marine it was almost at 10am. 2) the dive equipment were relatively old and don’t seem the cleanest either. If you do go with this tour, make sure to do equipment testing. My son’s second tank was almost empty, lower than 50 bar. And it was only a 42 min dive. Either the tank was leaking or he was given the same tank from the first dive. Whenever we dive before, my son doesn’t consume that much tank air compared to the rest of us since he is more relaxed under water in general. 3) the dive itself was pretty good. The dive master was attentive and points out things to look for. 4) the island is beautiful and the lunch food was decent 5) the returned ground transportation was slightly better as compared to the departure one. The van was already there when we got off the boat. However,.. only that the driver dropped us off at a souvenir store for a while (force shopping time) before letting us to get on another van to get back to the resort. Overall it was a very long day. If they can reduce ground transportation time, it would have been a much experience.

We had the best crew on the boat they treated us so good that I would come back over and over again Thanks again

Although the diving was good and the Dive Master was informative, the day started off rough, so I am giving only 3 stars. We were picked up at our hotel by one van/driver, drove around for about an hour and really didn't get more than 8 KM away from our hotel, stopping frequently. We then transferred to another van/driver who drove around for 20-30 minutes and ended up back at the same gas station where we were dropped off the first time. After waiting about 30 more minutes we got in a third van/bus to the tour location. The last drive took about 50 minutes. We left our hotel at 7:00 am and did not get to the tour location until 10:15 am. That is too long for this type of experience. Especially since we stayed in one bus on the return and were back in our resort within 55 minutes. None of the people employed in transport spoke any english which made communication and understanding what was going on imposible.

We met Alan at our resort, RIU Republica! We appreciated your friendliness and knowledge! Thank you for chatting about diving and suggestions for future dives with you. We really appreciated you touching base with us the following day to see how we did and if we enjoyed it😁 Shadia was our excellent dive master! We really appreciated you sharing your knowledge with us! We had an absolutely fantastic day! The dives to the Wall and to the Aquarium were beautiful! Seeing the seahorses was absolutely awesome! Thank you for being so easy to chat with and so friendly! We enjoyed and appreciated every moment! Judy and Gord Vaughan

This was pretty interesting to say the least. The shuttle was 45 mins late and there was 3 different stops. One to put us on another shuttle and another for a shop . We were supposed to scuba dive however the oxygen on my tank was not working right to my respirator and I didn’t feel comfortable going under with a faulty tank. I have been scuba diving a few times but the guy leading didn’t really speak English and was not willing to help me get a new tank just treated me like a burden. I told him I would just go back to the boat and snorkel instead then. No problem with that but for $160 and not getting to scuba I’m very upset. The views were gorgeous . The boat was awesome!!! Other than the shuttle and overpaying the day was great!!

Beautiful island and colourful diving experience! The staff is super friendly and lively! Diving guides look after you all the time

The diving was amazing. The boat broke down on our way back. It was all an experience of a lifetime.

Everything started very bad! We assigned for VIP scuba diving, the pick up in our hotel was 7:00am, but after 3 bus transfers we got the van to Isla Catalina. Arriving there the boat we went for diver was overloaded and there is no life jacket to everybody. The sea was very bad, several people in the boat started to feel sick with vomiting. They stopped for the first dive at a very rough spot in the sea and half of the people were unable to dive. They moved these people to a beach and didn´t come back to hem for the second dive. The Barbecue buffet on the island was horrible, full of flies on the food and very poor quality food. My rating for experience is 1, terrible, I can't imagine anything worse. I will never go back and I don't recommend it to anyone.

Awesome diving trip. Staff was very knowledgeable. The wife and I dive only on vacation. So maybe once a year. Staff helped my wife. Water was rough but guide helped my wife get comfortable and she had a great experience. Would definitely recommend it. Travel in the bus is cold. So bring warm clothes with you so you’re comfortable.

We booked this tour through the official representative at our resort: diving for my wife and I, and the snorkelling for our two kids. The Island itself is beautiful, but unfortunately the excursion was very poorly organized and we didn’t get what was promised. We were told that we would only need to take a bathing suit, sunscreen, and some money for souvenirs. Fortunately we packed extra food, towels, etc because nothing else was provided and after an early pickup at our resort, it was over 6 hours before we got fed anything. We did purchase some snacks from vendors on the way, but nothing was provided. The scuba gear was not adequate. When we got there, I was told they didn’t have a wetsuit in my size. I am a tall guy, but have never had this problem on any dive trip in any other country before. My wife did the dives and said the dive services were good, but the equipment was not. The snorkelling location was not good: strong waves, and they did not provide proper instruction or supervision. Because they didn’t have dive gear in my size and because I was concerned about the safety, I snorkelled with the kids, but it was not particularly enjoyable. It was a good dive location, but they should have taken the snorkelers somewhere else. The beach portion was nice: it is the reason this is a two star rating and not one star. The Island is very beautiful, and the food was decent. Bar selection could have been better, but the sangria and the pina coladas were nice. The ground transportation wasted too much time and made the day too long for young kids or seniors. What should have been a maximum 2 hour trip to the marina took well over 3 hours each way. They didn’t have people properly grouped by tour and resort, and so a lot of time was wasted on side trips or moving people from one bus to another. They could easily cut two hours off the day and make it more enjoyable by organizing the ground transport by resort the way other tour companies do. All in all, I would recommend a visit to Isla Catalina, but would recommend you use a different tour provider if you go.

We booked from our hotel, Scuba Caribe water sports. Free test dive in the pool then we went to Catalina island. This was the best time we ever had on a tour. Great staff ,food and they had English staff. My husband went scuba diving and I did the snorkeling. From the pick up to the bus drive to the boat and the food to the island where amazing!!!!!!! Do not book though Sunwing as you will pay more! Go to the booth buy the pool at the resort and get an amazing price!

Loved that it was a combo Scuba and snorkel. They were both great experiences, as my boyfriend dove, and I snorkeled.

Amazing experience! Would highly recommend. So glad we got to experience this Everyone was so friendly and kind and treated us so well

This was the best Excussion we have been on. The instructors are very professional, our instructor was Joel, we saw many colorfull fish and Corel. Ocean was clean and Cristal blue.. The staff was amazing we where welcomed and taken to the boat where we where given equipment and had briefings throughout the day so we knew what to do. The food was great and beach was very clean.. Had plenty of time to snorkel and dive. Highly recommed this company.

Bought a SCUBA trip for myself and a friend; I am certified but he is not. We were told it would not be a problem that a dive master would go over the basics and stay with him underwater. That was how I did my first dive, so I wasn't concerned. Upon arrival we told the contact introducing everything and she brought a dive master over and we also explained to him. When it came time to dive, they pulled us together and went over basic hand signs and rules (don't touch stuff, stay together...). They started suited us up and sending us into the water. My friend went last and explained again, they explained clearing his mask to him but did not go over how a BCD works to ascend and descend or how react to any equipment failure or anything else. When he jumped the dive master was trying to deflate his BCD and while he was trying to stay up his weight belt slipped down to his knees. They kept pushing him to continue. He tried to get out to adjust and they kept telling him to get back in (language barrier as they did not speak much if any English). He lost confidence and did not feel safe so he got out and said he was done with diving. Outside of that, I enjoyed the dive though the water was not as clear as everyone made it out to be (not the company's fault, just high expectations set by staff and locals on Caribbean side being much clearer than the Atlantic side). Our group also had some regulators fail, fins break, and at least 2 other people go back to the boat early on the first dive. The second dive my air gauge was leaking and I lost about half of my tank to it. Due to failures and lost confidence 4 or 5 people from our group did not participate in the second dive as they did not feel safe. If a friend asked me, I would say to just do a snorkeling excursion and not risk your life for mediocre diving; I'd rank it better than a rock quarry but not as nice as Bahamas, Hawaii, or California Coast.

First let me say that the dive itself was great. But... the transportation was enough to ruin the entire experience. First the van was more than 15 minutes late. When they stopped at a gas station and loaded more people into the van, it got weird. But then they had the original people in the van get out and into a different van, and then had that van fill up with gas -- I get needing fuel, but I don't know, that seems like something they could've done prior to picking up guests. The ride to the boat was long, but uneventful -- an hour, maybe. The walk down the alleyway to the dock was strange, but only because it was unexpected. The boat itself was nice, but the staff barely spoke English, which made it hard to understand what they were expecting of us. The (slow) boar ride to the first dive site ("the wall") was smooth, and the dive itself was really nice. I'm pretty sure there was something wrong with my tank, or regulator, though because I got under 1,000 PSI in just 30 minutes. In fact, I needed to use my partner's backup regulator just to get back to the boat, where I spent another 15 minutes while the others were still diving. Moving on... quick boat ride to the next dive site ("the aquarium") where I enjoyed a full 45 minute dive and saw some beautiful reefs, fish, sea cucumber, a starfish, some lion fish, some puffer fish, and a few small/playfull stingrays. From there we beached on Catalina Island and had lunch, which consisted of grilled pork and chicken, rice, salad, potatoes and vegetables, pasta, and some fruit. Still wondering where the open bar was -- not that it was needed. Slow ride back to the dock, and then the longest ride EVER back to the hotel. The driver (not that one that picked me up, but the same one that drove me there -- remember they switch vans at a gas station) had no idea where anyone was staying, and I'm pretty sure we drove all over the island before finally getting me back to my hotel TWO hours later.

This has got to be the best excusion we have been on in our stay in the Dominican Republic. The instructor Joel was professional at all times and extremely helpful as well as all the staff. All equipment was clean and new and was ready prior to us arriving at the marina. The group was divided into two groups by qualifications. Each instructor checked licenses and forms was filled. The pick up and drop off to the hotel was on time and changed bus only once as mentioned in our confirmation email. The beach was clean and food was amazing. Would recommend this excusion to all that are looking for a professional and organized company. (Don't listen too all the negative feedback as this is amazing excusion and very organized and professional throughout the day.) Good job too all the staff of Passion Paradise see you all next year!!

TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE!!!! Our pick up happened late because the bus broke, we travel around an hour until the marina in an old van and, when we arrived, the Catamaran was not ready so we wait for an hour to enter in the boat. When we enter, the boat was crowded an some people have to sit on the floor the whole trip. We choose the DIVE option because in the description was not clear that it's a CERTIFICATE DIVE (I ready a lot of times and the only thing that it's wrote its "Evidence of dive certification is required from all divers wishing to participate in a certified dive" but they don't tell that this DIVE should be CERTIFICATE and when I was dive the instructor was really rude and still sank me even though I said I was not well. So we gave up of DIVING and we tried to Snorkeling but the equipment was old, incomplete and broken so we didn't NOTHING! After all we arrived to Catalina 1:07PM and the lunch would only be served at 13:30. In fact the lunch just happened at 2pm. Finally, when we returned to the Hotel, the crowed Van stopped and took 5 more people (I was seat in the front but the people who was sitting on the back were sitting on each other's lap. Considering all the facts and specially because I couldn't DIVE, I would like to have my money back (at least the difference between the DIVE ($165) and the Snorkeling ($80), which means $85 per person. (AT LEAST BECAUSE WE COULDN'T SNORKELING AS WELL BECAUSE OF THE EQUIPMENT).

We booked with Passion Paradise Adventures. The dive company and dives were great. The staff was friendly and professional they had N/A drinks for before and some beer on the boat for after diving. Lunch was on the island and then some relaxing time on the beach or you could snorkel if you wanted. The only downside was the shuttle we stopped and changed shuttles twice on the way there and three times on the way back. Waited 20 min on the way back for the driver to talk on the phone outside the van. Overall great diving experience just a lot of wasted time on the shuttle.

This tour was very stressfull and the dive equipment was very old and the bottle and air supply was leaking Air from almoust every divers equipment. The boat was not suited for divers. Sems like a boat for roundtrips and snorkling. Safety was not the first priority. After first dive it was a 20 min on boat time untill the next dive. All the time everything was so hectic even if we only were 4 divers. The life wests you have to use are old, half of them are broken and they smells really bad and have mold growing on them. But the Island was nice and it was lovely things to see on the reefs.

Overall we had a great time during this trip - it is a long day though, especially if you are picked up from the Uvero Alto area. Transport to the marina was without incident, although the marina itself is a bit run down looking. It was a bit of a wait to get started and the boat seemed a bit overcrowded with both snorkelers and divers. The boat is just that - a boat, not a catamaran. It moves a LOT with the waves so be prepared for a least a good test of your balance. Some people on our trip were seasick so maybe some anti-motion sickness meds beforehand may help! Access to and from the boat is by ladder and it can be a challenge for some people to haul themselves out of the water afterwards. The staff were pretty good at helping people out with that though. Staff were overall very friendly and spoke many languages so communication was not a problem. They did check our diving certifications before going down and helped us log our dives after we finished. The gear itself could have been in better shape. I had no issues personally, but my husband’s mask kept filling with water and he had issues emptying his bcd as it appeared to keep slowly refilling with air during the dive. The first reef was The Wall, which was good and a pretty deep dive if you’re only a recreational diver - approx 24-25 meters. Lots of fish but our dive instructor did bring food with him for the fishes, so they ended up following us round looking for scraps. Second dive was better, which was The Aquarium. Lots more fish and saw plenty of yellow rays. Our dive instructor kept picking them up so we could get pictures “holding” them. I felt like we could appreciate the wildlife around us without poking and prodding at them and stressing them out. Lunch was a barbecue on the beach. Lovely sandy shores and the food was really good, plus plenty of decompression cervezas. We decided to purchase our dive photos as well - cost was 50USD. More for the wildlife pictures than of us with masks on and regulators in our mouths! The journey back was less crowded as I think some of the snorkelers had gone back on a different boat. If the tour had been this number of people to start with, I think it would have been much better. Getting ready to do our dives was a nightmare as there were so many people on board and there was no space to manoeuvre. Overall, we had a great day out and the staff were friendly and helpful, but the boat was just a bit too crowded and the equipment a little under the weather.

My friend and I did the Passion Paradise excursion last Tuesday. THE BEST!!! I think we were the only 2 American's on the bus and boat. When we first got on the bus the guide/diver started speaking to give direction- we did not understand one word and thought we don't have a clue BUT then Max, (who I think knew we had no clue) asked if we spoke English. He said, he was "the best" and gave us instructions. You will find a way to communicate anyway- so don't let language be a barrier! The waves were choppy and the boat was rocky but all the more FUN with Jerdy and the rum! If you dive or snorkel you will be amazed at the beautiful creatures underwater. Get off the resorts, explore the culture, and have fun! I can't wait to go again!

First of all a lot depends on the company you are going with. From some places it's a long trip by mini bus- not always comfortable. Also it's approximately 40 mins in a boat on sometimes choppy waters. As well as the dive by " the wall" fully depends on water conditions. Diving by the beach is nice but snorkeling is rubbish. Just sea grass. Beware big cruisers clients take priority even on the beach and by rocks- snorkeling place. Food average at best. Beach- steep access so people with mobility issues will have serious problems. In total- in my opinion, but that just mine , not worth the money and energy.

<p>This was a very relaxing day. Only 6 divers on the boat and the rest were snorkelers. The dive sites were not spectacular but we did see colorful fish, seahorse, crab. After 2nd dive we were greeted with a warm cup of noodle soup. Catalina Island was set up with tables and bars, and of course coconuts to drink from. The lobster on the VIP package was very good but a bit hard to enjoy as the flies were in full force. Chantel is a great hostess!!! and keeps everyone happy. The trip back is entertaining as they put on a little dance party and the beer is flowing. You are also able to purchase pictures at the end if you are interested but there is no pressure.</p>

<p>what an enjoyable experience we had a great day with great staff and everything was beautiful ... i would recommend this trip to anybody</p>

<p>Everyone was great from the driver, the boat staff, and master diver. I had a wonderful and memorable time. I know who to contact Viator in the future when I am looking for an excursion. Thanks.</p>

We were sold the excursion by a person who calls himself Manta a conman, the company a total disorganization, the diving teams a disaster lost Oxygen everywhere by the lean, the unions, the clothes all broken, the instructor is called Joel very well did not know how to cover all the mistakes of the company until I called the manta to refund the money, logically he did not appear, not even talk about the food if you can call it food, everyone complained about the mess. The return was horror, the driver a mess a poor polite, besides they take you to a place with the story of bus change and it is for you to get off to make you buy in a place of souvenirs. In short, a mess, quite a story.

Lamentablemente me cancelaron por huracan Beryl, sin embargo, la notificacion fue oportuna y ofrecieron oportunidades.

El instructor muy bueno y la experiencia fantástica la comida con langosta excelente para repetir en otro momento

Transport was terribly long (3.5 hours due to many pick up locations, back 2 hours) the boat trip very pleasant, 2 great beautiful dives but you notice from everything that they are not a Padi Diving School. We had good dive instructor but I also saw a large group without a certificate. Lunch and drink on island bad. Drinks on board ok, but when we came ashore the cleaning boy swept the plastic cups of the boat into the water in the harbor, really bizarre! 😱.

Atroce du début à la fin. Je déconseille vivement. Ce sont pas des instructeurs de plongée, mais des personnes qui cherche de la rentabilité, à tasser les gens dans les bus, dans les bateaux, à rattraper le temps perdu en précipitant les moments de plongée sans donner aucunes consignes ce qui rend la plongée dangereuse. Le buffet était très moyen, l’île est pleine de moustiques et autre insecte piquant. Je déconseille vivement de choisir cette compagnie, mauvaise journée assurée. Ils ont rien de professionnels de plongée

Almost speechless to express the wonderful experience as a beginner, I begin by thanking the magnificent staff of the Enterprise discover scuba diving in Punta Cana from the Hotel Riu Palace from where I contacted Mario, who provided me with a professional attention along with my instructor Wilson to perform the training in the pool. Not to mention the Padi instructor in the two dives a Genia, Lola Kuntz a top professional who knew how to guide me and make me feel confident enough to go beyond my limitations, when in the second dive I reach 12 meters, and I was already totally relaxed and enjoying that new world that is the underwater landscape and fauna. A phenomenal teacher

Originally we had booked through another dive base, however we only found out during boot that we had never spoken to jmd directly from the base. The trip was too expensive, the transport was instead of ~1h (from bavaro) almost 2h long as several passengers were charged, which is normal in itself, but not if you are parked at a gas station and stand there without info 40minutes. Then we continued to a stop where tourists are chased away through a gift shop (whether you like it or not) then the driver stopped under a bridge and said we have to pay him everything now otherwise he is not allowed to drive us. I was already pretty sure that we had fallen into a classic tourist trap. After a short discussion he drove us to the boat. Which was not as originally booked a dive boat with small group but a mass snorkel charter with additional about 15-20 divers on it. For later on to get drinks/food on the beach you got a wool cord around your arm The crew was not rude but did not respond to questions/concerns. In general, there was little information about the process. A diver from our group was very unsure and they said that was the only problem you had. There was nothing to see from Padi or any other guidelines. Another diver in our group became seasick. One of our group, who was only there for snorkeling, asked if he had their 2. Dive can take over, he is rescue-diver but that was neither asked nor controlled, but again “you need to know that yourself”. You hardly had a chance to check the Gear yourself or put it on in peace. The dives alone were rather boring, the guide chased out any rays and took them into his hands. When you were snorkeling you saw about the same amount. For the snorkelers there were neither instructions nor control what was very good for some (experienced) because you could see for yourself where you snorkel but think for inexperienced/families rather problematic. The beach of catalina island was typical of the Caribbean and accordingly beautiful. We were unloaded and more or less left standing. after several questions there was info when we would leave again and eat the ed (where was said nice) only by other people who were on the same boat, we knew how to get to eat. The food was fine. After far too short a time we were really seduced, we are now to go back to the boat (we were not informed to prepare eg/dry) The money we paid for it we might as well have thrown out the window. I absolutely do not recommend these organizers. And you should pay attention that you book e.g. via internet/phone directly with the dive center/organizer, never let jmd persuade you on the beach or similar. Since you are then passed on from charter to charter and the money is guaranteed not to go where it should. :(