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Dive Review of Dressel Divers /Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus in
Dominican Republic/Bayahibe/La Romana area

Dressel Divers /Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus, Sep, 2013,

by Cynthia Cook Boling , TX, US (Sr. Reviewer Sr. Reviewer 10 reports with 8 Helpful votes). Report 7172.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments This was our first time to DR - we wanted to go someplace new. I looked at the Dressel Divers sight and that's how we decided on this location - going with an Iberostar and its on-site dive operators - Dressel - has proven to be pretty reliable for us. NOTE - We did not go to the Punta Cana area which has no worthy dive sites we are told - before and after we arrived at Bayahibe. You can fly directly to La Romana airport from Miami and it's a 20 min transport to the resort. Nothing to do off the resort - this is not a developed area. This was a beautiful Iberostar resort - catered mainly to Europeans - if you are intimidated by foreign languages - this is not your place. Dressel divers serves all the Iberostars and we first came to know them through Cozumel Iberostar. If you book on-line ahead of time, you can save 20% of the diving cost. Very very accommodating folks. Since it was low season, many of the dives were scheduled just for Mark and me - great private dives. DR is not someplace to see a lot of fabulous things - it is coral head diving BUT we did see many small critters that we had not seen before and some fish such as trumpet fish that were the biggest we have ever seen. But not a lot of big marine life. Most dives were shallow but that was fine with us - it was new and because of our experience, our dive master pretty much just enjoyed the dive with us. It's all boat diving although there could certainly be shore diving. We have absolutely no complaints about this trip - it was fun and easy. If you have your heart set on seeing 100ft. visability and a multitude of marine life - this is not the place - but for a new adventure, we thought is was worthwhile. If you go - and want a beach view you need to ask for Bldg. 4 rms 4016-18 or 4116-18. We paid a small upgrade cost which we negotiated and it was worth it. Also note - the rating for beginners I gave is because it is easy diving BUT a beginner may not realize how much there is to see in the small critters - and likewise the rating for advance because it was pretty basic. Also - no Nitrox at this time but Dressel will begin with Nitrox by the first of the year - they also taught a dual-sidetank class and we saw many divers diving that way - they all said it was much easier on the body and of course you have more air time if needed. This is the first time in many years we have had to dive air and it was a good refresher on checking our deco time.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Most islands and shorelines of the Caribbean
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 78-83°F / 26-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 1
Water Visibility 40-50 Ft/ 12-15 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Most restriction was on dive time - limited to 50 minutes but most 1 hr. Of course instructed on depth limitation but basically D/Masters gauged something like that to the experience of the divers and location.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? no

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 2 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 2 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 2 stars Shore Facilities 2 stars
UW Photo Comments There were no special accommodations - not even a dedicated rinse tank but a fresh water hose was available for this purpose.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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