Diving in Dominican Republic

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Diving

Ancient sunken galleons, undersea gardens, and offshore reefs are among the lures here. Most divers head to the north shore. In the waters off Sosúa alone you can find a dozen dive sites (for all levels of ability) with such catchy names as Three Rocks (a deep, 163-foot dive), Airport Wall (98 feet), and Pyramids (50 feet). Some 10 dive schools are represented on Sosúa Beach; resorts have dive shops on-site or can arrange trips for you.

In 1979, three atolls disappeared following a seaquake off of Las Terrenas, providing an opportunity for truly memorable dives. Aqua Center (Viva Wyndham Samaná Resort, Playa Coscon, Las Terrenas. 809/240-5050 Ext. 2217. www.aqua-center.com) offers one close dive at Las Ballenas ("The Whales"), a cluster of four little islands, for $43 for certified divers, $85 as a resort dive (for neophytes who will need pool instruction first). Resort divers will only be allowed to go down 40 feet. There are four dive masters here who offer PADI, PIRA, and SSI instruction that can count towards certification. Allow 2 hours (45 minutes underwater).

Northern Coast Aquasports (Sosúa. 809/571-1028. www.northerncoastdiving.com) is a five-star, Gold Palm PADI dive center; it's also the only National Geographic Center in the D.R. Professionalism is apparent from the initial classroom and pool practice to the legendary dive sites around beautiful Sosúa Bay, where you can explore the reefs, walls, wrecks, and swim-throughs, from 25 to 130 feet. Successful completion of a three-day course and $350 earns you a PADI Open Water Certification card. Classrooms have air-conditioning and DVDs.