Full-Day Catalina Island Scuba Diving Tour from Punta Cana
3.5
Full-Day Catalina Island Scuba Diving Tour from Punta Cana
By Passion Paradise Adventures
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About
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 13-80, max of 80 per group
Duration: 9h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: German, English, French, Spanish
More
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Moto Catamaran boat ride
- All diving equipment, including 2 tanks and weight belts
- Professional PADI dive masters
- Dominican BBQ lunch
- Unlimited drinks (alcoholic drinks served on beach and return boat trip | non-alcoholic drinks served through the day)
- Beach lounger
What's not included- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
- Gratuities
- Specialty beers (available to purchase)
- Snacks (available to purchase)
- Start:Multiple pickup locations offered.Pickup details
- we pick up from all hotels, please enter in your hotel and we will confirm your pick up with an email
Hotel pickup offeredDuring checkout you will be able to select from the list of included hotels.Port pickup offeredDuring checkout you will be able to select from the list of included ports.- Cruise Pier La Romana, La Romana Seaport, C28R+F9G, La Romana 22000, Dominican Republic
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Wheelchair accessible
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 18359P5- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Minimum age is 13 years
- Minimum drinking age is 18 years
- Evidence of dive certification is required from all divers wishing to participate in a certified dive
- Diving within 48 hours of flying is not recommended. All participants will be required to complete a health questionnaire prior to diving. Some medical conditions (eg asthma, heart conditions, etc) may prevent you from diving, please consult your doctor
- Your pickup time will be confirmed after booking
- Can accommodate passengers with disabilities, contact local supplier to make all necessary arrangements
- It is recommended that you bring a bathing suit, sunblock, sunglasses, comfortable shoes, cash and a camera
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 80 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 18359P5
From
$145.00
per adult
Select date and travelers
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- Luluangie0 contributionsGreat tripFantastic trip .. staff we amazing .. island was beautiful .. and especially liked the river trip on the way back .. would definitely do this againWritten August 19, 2024
- shaundin20240 contributionsPick something else!The worst! I even read the “don’t book this excursion reviews” and still gave it a chance. The reviews were right from the weird transfers, to long hot day they just leave you on a beach with 200 other people. The only saving grace was the snorkeling it was ok.Written August 17, 2024
- 747hailies0 contributionsNever showed upBus never showed up left us stranded for hours and wouldn’t respond but left us on read. DO NOT BOOK was a complete waste of time. Told is to be there at 7am and never showed upWritten August 9, 2024
- defchic0 contributionsTerrible!!!Do not book this tour. The tour company never contacted me. I tried msging and calling them on whatsapp. They never came to my hotel to pick me up, no communication. I've complained and requested a refund from them and TripAdvisor and still almost a month later no response. AVOID!!!!Written June 14, 2024
- Aliauser0 contributionsWould not recommend this tour to friendsThe experience was mix of good and bad. Good: nice views, probably second best coral reef in Dominican republic area (if you are lucky to get clear water), 3h for snorkeling and swimming. Bad: overloaded boat (80-100 people, many without shade in full sun for whole day), slow transfers with multiple changes (From our hotel it took 2.5h to get to the boat, faster return), transfer from boat to Catalaina took 5 rounds of smaller boat runs, total disregard of health and safety on smaller boat transfer. How no one was badly harmed was an act of God. Catalina is worth visiting, but i would not recommend this specific tour to friends.Written March 21, 2024
- Laura G0 contributionsBeautifulThe snorkeling and island were great but the transport to the excursion was not. We were all crammed in a tiny van with no air.Written February 29, 2024
- dakotab9150 contributionsFantastic excursion - Forever memoriesAbsolutely amazing. Lots of beautiful scenery and snorkeling was fun. They provide you with everything however you can bring your own gear. The buffet food was decent and the open bar was decent. Get prepared to pay extra for Pina coladas, specially drinks, photos from the camera guy, seafood.Written February 11, 2024
- kaylahN4884HA0 contributionsNot worth itWas very excited for this excursion, but unfortunately the transportation was horrible. Our bus was late, AC was broken. We were picked up at 7, dropped off at a random location and sat there until 9, then didn’t arrive to the “catamaran” until 11.. and we were also told it was only going to be 30 people.. our boat had about 70. We were all jammed in together.. We were gone for 12 hours, only 3 hours spent on the beach. We also were told it would be an enjoyable relaxing boat ride, not a party boat.. turns out the music was blasting and it was a party the whole time. I would not recommend this to anyone.Written January 20, 2024
- MasheeQa0 contributionsA TRIP FROM HELLIf I could I would rate this with 0 stars! We took 4 trips by different operators in our time in DR and they were all amazing. This was in every word HORRIBLE! We got to the docs at La Romana at 9.30 as instructed by the tour operator. We were labeled with color string and put into different groups to wait. Thankfully I speak some Spanish as nobody from the tour organization spoke English - despite the fact I marked an English-speaking tour. Most of the people got put in two other boats and they left, including the divers with whom we were supposed to have a joined tour to two snorkeling spots - for which we paid extra. But there was no boat for us.. and we waited.. and waited.. and waited.. Then all of a sudden one of the boats that had left half an hour ago returned, and we were told to board this boat, which was already FULLY PACKED with passengers. People were in shock and were calling their organizers if they could cancel... Of course, nobody answered and we were pushed on this fully packed catamaran. There were about 100 people on the boat, the tour was marked as 50max. As the boat was at least one time over capacity there were not enough life vests and we could not leave the marina. We started sailing along the marina and collecting life vests from other docked boats. When ALMOST EVERYBODY had one, we started our way. The Wests were torn and covered in filth. At this time it was already 11:00 am and we were nowhere close to our destination. The crew started drinking alcohol the minute we left the marina. They did not offer any drinks to the passengers. I asked about our second snorkeling spot, and they just laughed at each other. At this point, I realized that this was their normal habit and contacted the tour operator, and made it clear to them that the whole information they provided on this page was misleading, but they dismissed me and said that I got what I booked. At this time we arrived at the aquarium. They told us we had 35 minutes to snorkel. Can you guess how much time 100 people need to get to the water through 1 ladder? About 30 minutes, yes... Thankfully we had our snorkeling gear with us as the gear they were handing out was extremely old and dirty. We finally got into the water. I recorded everything with my camera .. ALL 7 MINUTES in the water. They packed us back on the boat and off to Catalina we went. We arrived near Catalina. There were about 5 full boats beside us, and 4-speed boats with a capacity of 10 people that take you there. It took another hour of waiting until we were boarded on the speed boat and taken to the island. We arrived at 1:30 pm on Catalina. Until this time, no water or drinks were offered to us. On Catalina, the food was very basic. We could see other tours on very well-organized beaches in nice beach bars - ours was falling apart. They ran out of beer in half an hour, as the crew drank it all on board. They had cheap rum that was packed in Barcelo rum bottles. Thankfully we had 3L of bottled water with us, as Catallina was extremely hot, compared to all the other islands we visited. Food was basic, edible but very basic. We had the VIP package as we were promised 2 snorkeling spots and a lobster. Then they told us the second snorkeling spot is Catalina Beach, not the Wall where the reef is. The beach had a safety net of 5x5m, people were packed one on another. Where there was no net, speed boats were running like crazy. Everything was misleading, there was no option to snorkel on Catalina - at least not on the site where they took us, you could not see anything in the water there and it was not safe to swim outside the nets. It was 2.45 pm when they gathered us like cattle again and said we were leaving. We waited for another hour before the speed boat took us to the Catamaran. We waited for another half an hour before everybody was back on board and headed back to La Romana. By this time some of the passengers were already extremely drunk. No water, heat, and cheap rum did its work. One of the ladies told me that she got drunk intentionally just to survive this terrible trip. Then the storm hit. They put the music to the max. Lifewest was not distributed. The water was pouring into the boat, from high waves and the rain. Then they did an animation of dancing in this weather, let me say again, NO LIFEWESTS WERE GIVEN AT THIS POINT. The waves were about 3m high. People were falling all over the boat as they were dancing drunk on 5cm of water on the floor—a total trip from HELL. When we got to the port, the life west was distributed as we could not enter the marina without having them on. I think this operator should be fined and closed down as they have no regard for the safety of the passengers. 100 people could not get off that boat fast enough. TERRIBLE TERRIBLE. DO NOT BOOK THIS. I booked this only because it said thatWritten January 16, 2024
- valentinaisidoram0 contributionsBad experience and agencyWe never got de pick up confirmation, we had to call for confirmation. The day of the tour the driver was 30 minutes late and we had no number to call or someone to contact, at the port we had to wait at least 45 minutes to get on the catamaran and nobody explain us what we had to do. There was so many people at the catamaran that we had to sit on the floor and the drop off at the island took more than an hour and a half just because we were too much people, they only worry to full the catamaran than the security or entertainment of us. For lunch, there was variety of food, but wasn't enough for everyone... for example, the meat and the fruit was empty very soon. They had no organization.Written January 13, 2024
- J4503QLvictoriaa0 contributionsisland tripAll was great! Except that instead of 1 hour snorkling we stayed much longer and I got totally sunburnt. As I did it for the first time and no one told me that it is forbidden to stay on open water for so long. So after trip I am suffering a lotWritten October 20, 2023
- lo_co7830 contributionsNice day but not as expectedLong time spent in the bus before arriving to the boat (2h30). The snorkeling spot was not that good, we saw a lot of fish but only common fish. But at least the tour leaders were cool and there was a good mood in the boat and in the islandWritten October 5, 2023
- Susybeber0 contributionsBest Tour! AwesomeWe had the best day going to Catalina Island from La Romana! Fernando was the best! He made it fun and went beyond to make everyone feel good and comfortable throughout the entire day! The snorkeling was fantastic! The lunch was included and was very good. I would go again in a heartbeat!Written October 1, 2023
- bignev770 contributionsCatalina IslandHad a great day snorkeling 🤿 and the island 🏝️ was beautiful. It was a long day but very much worth the experience. We Would do it again in a heartbeat...Written September 16, 2023
- alaskanpants0 contributionsPrefect day tripMy husband not complaint is the sea was rough on the way out. Snorkeling was fun, the beach was a piece of paradise. The guide was top notch. If I had friends coming or the DR for the first time I would 100% take them on this tourWritten September 5, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
3.5
15 reviews
Excellent
7
Very good
0
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2
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4
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2
Freedom739573
15 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
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
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
Written March 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Debra W
Langley, Canada34 contributions
Jan 2023
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!
Written January 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Davied P
2 contributions
Aug 2021
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.
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.
Written August 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tina E
Shelby, NC1 contribution
May 2018 • Friends
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!
Written May 23, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Arek D
Sandbach, UK178 contributions
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.
In total- in my opinion, but that just mine , not worth the money and energy.
Written February 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DartmouthDS
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada15 contributions
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 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.
Written February 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan L
2 contributions
Dec 2022
Loved that it was a combo Scuba and snorkel. They were both great experiences, as my boyfriend dove, and I snorkeled.
Written December 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jesper H
4 contributions
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.
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.
Written July 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Do you need any diving certificates for the scuba diving experience? (Good swimmers though)
Written August 20, 2022
Hi, does this package include both snorkeling and scuba diving in the ocean?
Written September 2, 2021
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