Just got back from my first dive adventure to the Domincan Republic. I was incredibly impressed by the dive organization from scheduling our dives, keyed lockers, complete informative dive briefing, gear handling and fabulous crew. Michael and company were spot on including an inexpensive but yummy on-site lunch for hungry divers after the 2 tank morning dives. Dive master Alejandro was (seriously) the best I've had in years. Whether you are an experienced diver or new beginner, you are in the best hands with Alejandro. Luiz our boat captain made every dive a complete joy. He never missed a beat during our week of diving. He was so good, he knew what I needed or wanted before I did! His gentle smile and easy demeanor were delightful to experience. Both Luiz and Alejandro worked very hard to make sure our holiday was the best possible even with Hurricane Sandy stirring things up a bit. Book with Northern Coast, you won't regret it.

I have been to the Dominican Republic 3 times now. On each time I have been there I have scuba dived. The first time I went there was in Brother in 2002. I can't quite remember how we found Northern coast but that is by the by now. We used them and found them really good. I had never scuba dived before and I was a little nervous. But from what I remember my fears where eased by our dive master and I really enjoyed myself. The second time I went to the DR was on my honeymoon in 2005. My wife was very interested in doing a dive as I had told her I wanted to do one again and of my experience before. We stayed at Playa Dorada and in the shopping precinct there, there was a dive shop. I can't remember the name of this shop but again that is by the by now. It was however a PADI centre and because of this I thought that it would be OK. As my Wife had never dived before we would do a Discover scuba course. As I had dived with Northern Coast previously, I thought that we would get the same sort of service as it was a PADI centre. Ermmmm NO!

My Wife was very Nervous and this particular centre did not really do anything to releive her fears. Now With Northern Coast when you do a DSC (Discover Scuba course) you have a session in a swimming pool as well as a little basic test to make sure you know all about the procedures in and out of the water and how pressure works on your body. But not at the Playa Dorada place. You did a small lesson in a dive shop near Sasoua and the you are driven to the beach where you walk into the sea with all your equipment. Now to someone who was nervous and had never done a dive before trying to put your fins on in the surf is no fun. She could not get on with the mask it kept leaking which added to her panic. So she sat on the beach to wait for me.

Now Northern Coast was a completly different matter. Before we traveled out this time which was October 2012 I found northern coast on the internet and and I emailed with a few questions. Within hours I had recieved Email back from from Michael and Karen explaining what we be doing on our DSC. Relieving all our fears. So I booked a course with them.

Now 4 years prior to 2012 my Wife unfortunitly had a Heart attack. So when we arrived at Northern coast we had to fill in a medical form to make sure we where fit to do a dive. Because of my Wifes medical history Mike advised her to go around the corner to have a quick medical with Dr Frank. Which we did at a cost of $15. He said that she would be able to dive as long as it wasn't too deep but as she was on 75mg of asprin a day it would be best not to dive. If her dose of Asprin was lower she would have been OK. So with this in mind she decided for the reputation of Northern Coast and her own Health not to dive. I did my DSC again. Again I really enjoyed it. I did the pool training at about 1 pm while My wife watched she was talking to my Instuctors Wife Luke and Rachel. Luke was fantastic. Explaining all I needed to know and very patient. Mike said that My Wife could do some snorkeling while I was doing my dive but she decided not to. She came for a ride on the speed boat out to the dive site which she enjoyed. I did my dive at 3 rocks which I have dived at 3 times before. But since then Northern Coast have added to the reef down there to attract new coral and new fish. There was a lot more to see there than I have seen on my previous visits. Dispite my wifes disappointment she really enjoyed her day with Northern Coast and could not express her gratatude more with how professional Northern Coast were. I will be going back to the DR in the next 2 years and I will be doing my open water there. A fantastic company and friendly people/staff.

So to Mike and Luke we would like to say a big THANK YOU.

John and Cathy (Oct 7th 2012)

I wanted to get certified (not just do a "discover" dive) and my girlfriend needed a refresher since it had been a while. I found Northern Coast on the internet and after reading reviews here I booked ahead. To save time on our 5 day visit, I did the eLearning through PADI to complete the "theory" portion before arrival. They had access to a private pool next to the beach for the confined portion of the course and easy access to the dive spots on their radio equipped boat. No time was wasted getting wet!!!

The diving was great, the instructors professional and patient, not to mention a sense of humor! The equipment was in great condition and you could tell they took great care of everything with the whole staff pitching in to rinse, sort and hang the gear as soon as you got back to the shop.

We stayed about 15 miles away in Cabarete and taking the public taxis was an easy, cheap, safe and fun way to get to Sosua. The exposed beaches of Cabarete were great for my Kitesurfing fix but the protected, leeward waters around Sosua were great for diving!

The communication with the shop before arrival was great through Email, with the owner, Michael, answering all my newbie questions (even in person after I got there!) Ron and Luke, our instructors were professional and very knowledgeable of the dive spots.

Although I didn't really "shop" around, we have no regrets on choosing Northern Coast. As we walked for 2 minutes to the beach to catch the boat (gear was pre-delivered by truck) the other dive shops waved and exchanged friendly greetings with our instructors, an all-in-all, very laid back place to experience the underwater world of the Caribbean!!!

My husband and I took the course with Andrew, and his wife Christine took beautiful pictures of our under the sea adventure! We had a great time, the staff was wonderful, we even ate lunch there at the shop before we dived. Michael the owner is so helpful and pleasant, very nice guy to deal with. Really a great place. Thank you Juan Carlos from The Balaji Palace for referring us to it!