Scuba diving in Bayahibe (2026): prices, wrecks and shops

Fun dives for certified divers

Casa Daniel, a Swiss-Dominican school on the Bayahibe shoreline since 1991, charges US$44 for one dive with tank and weights only, US$88 for two, US$245 for six and US$365 for ten; with full rental gear the same packs are US$49, US$98, US$289 and US$445. Night dives add US$30, cave dives US$80 and Nitrox US$6 (Casa Daniel).

Go Dive Bayahibe includes full equipment: US$70 for one dive, US$100 for two, US$190 for four, US$270 for six and US$420 for ten, plus US$10 a day for a dive computer (Go Dive). ScubaFun's morning 2-tank trip is US$85 per diver without equipment (gear US$10 a day) and includes the national park fees, drinks and snacks (ScubaFun).

Ultra Marine Divers charges US$95 for two dives meeting in Bayahibe or US$169 with hotel pickup from Punta Cana or Bávaro, both with standard equipment and a guide; Nitrox is US$12 per tank and a US$40 deposit per diver confirms the booking, with the balance in cash on the first day (Ultra Marine).

First dives and certification courses

Casa Daniel's PADI Discover Scuba Diving is US$95 for one dive or US$120 for two; Scuba Diver is US$345, Open Water Diver US$440 (US$290 with e-Learning, per its list), Advanced Open Water US$384 (US$270 with e-Learning) and Rescue Diver US$495 (Casa Daniel).

Go Dive Bayahibe teaches SDI courses with full equipment: a 2-dive initiation is US$120, Discover Scuba Diving US$140, Open Water US$450, Advanced US$360 and Rescue US$440 (Go Dive). Blue Dreams Diving teaches SSI and guarantees a maximum of two people per instructor on its Try Scuba and Basic Diver programmes, and four divers per guide on fun dives (Blue Dreams).

Punta Cana · Photo: Leonardo Rossatti / Pexels

The St. George and the other wrecks

The St. George is Bayahibe's signature deep wreck. ScubaFun says the cargo ship was built in Scotland in 1962 and sunk on 12 June 1999, lies about 10 minutes from port with a maximum depth of 40 metres, and needs Advanced Open Water (or Open Water, depending on logged dives); its 2-tank St. George trip is US$80 per diver plus gear (ScubaFun St. George). Ultra Marine puts it at about 38 to 40 metres and books it on request for Advanced divers with recent experience (Ultra Marine).

For newer divers, Coral Point Diving rates the shallow Atlantic Princess wreck (10–14 m, 5–10 minutes by boat) as beginner level and the St. George (30–40 m) as advanced (Coral Point); Casa Daniel lists the Atlantic Princess at 6–13 m and calls it perfect for new open-water divers (Casa Daniel).

Catalina, Saona and the caves

Dominican Divers runs a full-day Catalina dive trip on Tuesdays and Saturdays, with the wall and the Aquarium reef plus lunch on the island, for US$199 per diver from Punta Cana or US$149 from Bayahibe, and US$99 for companions who snorkel (Dominican Divers). Casa Daniel sells non-diver days too: Saona from US$90, a half-day Catalina snorkel trip for US$85 and a short El Peñón trip for US$30 (Casa Daniel).

Inland, the freshwater caves are a different dive. Go Dive Bayahibe charges US$120 for one dive at El Chicho or US$200 for El Chicho plus Padre Nuestro, entrance fees not included (Go Dive). Dominican Divers asks for Open Water certification with at least 20 logged dives for its cavern days and gives the water as 25 °C all year (Dominican Divers).

How to compare dive prices

Line up the same thing: a 2-tank morning with full gear costs US$98 at Casa Daniel, US$100 at Go Dive, US$95 at ScubaFun once you add its US$10 gear rental, and US$95 at Ultra Marine meeting in Bayahibe (Casa Daniel, Go Dive, ScubaFun, Ultra Marine). Staying in Punta Cana adds transport: ScubaFun and Ultra Marine both offer pickups from the Punta Cana and Bávaro area.

Then ask about the national park fee (ScubaFun includes it; check with others), whether a computer is included, and the group size. Some sites are in protected areas (Casa Daniel describes its National Park site as a protected reserve); our Saona and Cotubanamá guide covers the official fee and the rules on coral, starfish and turtles, and Saona vs Catalina helps non-divers in your group choose a day.