Cave diving in the Dominican Republic (3 amazing fresh water caves)

-

 No amount of Open Water Diving Training, or Experience prepares you to be a cave diver!!!


Before you consider participating in Cave Diving you have to get the proper training and equipment to do so.


5 basic rules for cave diving safety are:

  • Always save 2/3 of total air (or other gasses used) supply to return to the surface. 1/3 in, 1/3 out, 1/3 emergency reserve.
  • Always use a continuous guide line to the surface.
  • Carry always 3 lights with you when cave diving.
  • Limit your depth to appropriate levels according to the gas you are using.
  • Apart from being well trained for cave diving, make sure you are mentally well prepared for the dive.
Read my post about Cave diving equipment.

The Dominican Republic offers more than just ocean diving, here are 3 amazing fresh water caves.

Cueva Taina;













Cueva Taina is located near the airport Las Americas, Santo Domingo, it is private property and a entrance fee has to be paid to the landowner.

The lenght of this cave system is 1100 meters (1203 yards) and a maximum depth of 43m (142 ft).

The entrance has a spiral staircase that leads into a sinkhole and is easy to access, there are 2 sides to this cave system, on the right side you will encounter a large tunnel, and a boulder collapse that lead to the mainline, here is a very large room with white walls. Further down and through a restriction you eventually get to the final restriction at 43m (142 ft) that ends in a choke. On the left side the entrance leads directly to the mainline, this side of the system has crystal white stalactites and columns, there is a wide , and low bedding on the left that looks very cool. The exit on this side has been blocked of with rocks by the owner.


La Jeringa 












La Jeringa is located in the Padre Nuestro Park, just outside Bayahibe.

Maximum depth is 15 meters (49 ft), in 2009 Dave Pratt & Christian Pittaro were the first ones to dive this cave.

This is a side mount cave with crystal clear waters, white walls and several restrictions (some of them no mount), it is made up of eroded sharp rocks.

One of the tunnels ends in a small air dome


Systema Oleg's Bat House








This cave is in the Bavaro area, and you need a 40 minutes ride on dirt roads to reach it, but it is well worth the drive.

An oak staircase leads to the entrance, the mainline starts just under the main viewing platform. This cave has unique geological features, alien looking tunnels and walls with potholed ceilings, 

You will encounter millions of cave adapted snails, worms and shrimp in this very unique cave system.

Credit for all pictures: Dominican Speleological Society.

Read about Travel & diving in the Dominican Republic


 Read about diving in:



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review Sealife Sportdiver Underwater housing for iPhones (SL 400, iPhone 7 and up)

-
Image
  If you are a snorkeler or recreational diver and own a iPhone 7 or up, you don't need a bulky & costly underwater Camera to make beautiful photo's and videos. The days that the housings for phones were not much more than a plastic bag with some clips are over. The SL 400 is a real  underwater  housing for iPhones. Sealife is a brand trusted by many, they have been making cameras and underwater housings for over 25 years now. The SL 400 was released just before Christmas 2020 and comes in a solid carrying case, with zippers and space for accessories.      The neutrally buoyant case, weighs 1.5 lbs, and comes with a wrist band and a clip that you can attach to your BCD, and a removable red filter on the lens cover.  It is designed to mount on the Sealife frames so you can use it with light setups if you wish so. Because of the easy interchangeable rubber bushings you can fit any iPhone from the 7 to the 12 Pro and Sealife says it will keep it updated as newer models come ou
Read more

Grenada travel and diving update (Covid 19 protocols and the best dive sites of Grenada)

-
Image
  Grenada is open for international visitors, but it is required to stay on the property for 5 days, then you can take a PCR test and if the result is negative you can move freely around the island. To know all the newest updates check  https://www.puregrenada.com/travel-advisory/ . The GOOD news for divers is that if you stay at the Sandals resort you can start diving the day after your arrival (boats leave and arrive at the property). The complete list of government approved accommodations;  https://covid19.gov.gd/accommodations/ . If you are staying at the  Sandals St George Grenada  as a certified diver you'll have 2 tanks per day, all equipment and boat transport included in your package. They use twin diesel Newton dive boats with fresh water shower, tank holders, 16 ft dive platform,... Here are some of the 24 dive sites offered by Sandals: Bianca C wreck: 600 ft cruise liner that sank in 1961, with a depth of 115 - 164 ft this is a dive for Advanced divers. Moray Eels, Atla
Read more

Underwater sculpture park Grenada (Molinere Bay)

-
Image
The Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park in the Caribbean Sea, is located of the west coast of Grenada, and can be reached easily by a 10 minute boat ride out of St Georges. The sculptures are created by the British sculptor Jason deClaires Taylor and are forming a artificial reef in the Molinere Bay. The underwater sculpture park covers about 800 square meters (8611 square ft) and consists of 75 individual sculptures that form solo and group formations all together about 15 tons of dry cement was used. The maximum depth is about 40 ft (12 meters). In May 2006 the park was declared open. Taylor's idea was not only to reflect Grenada's history and culture, but also to aid the reefs after this area got bashed by hurricanes Ivan and Emely in 2004 and 2005. The sculptures are designed to stimulate coral growth and are placed up current so that when the corals spawn the polyps have something to attach them self to. Already the results can be seen, and the sculptures are the home a var
Read more