Dive Review of las galeras divers/COOEE in
Dominican Republic/Samana

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las galeras divers/COOEE: "awesome scenery", Jan, 2020, by Michael Joest, Kehl, DE ( Top Contributor 49 reports with 30 Helpful votes). Report 11398.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Dom. Rep. Las Galeras, North COOEE Hotel resort again one all inclusive thing with wonderful beaches. Samana some sort of peninsula in the north of the Dom Rep offers a variety of different countryside hills, valleys steep cliffs and is way more interesting than the flat south. Las Galeras Divers, Christine and Serge run small diving center in the town of L G. First day heavy seas and strong wind plus rain, so no diving offered. The next morning I walked along a gorgeous beach the 15 min to town and dive center. 10 dives here 325 $, had to fill out the usual forms, then all gear was loaded onto some trike, a special built motorbike with a sort of tank rack in the back. We walked the 200 m to the beach to reverse the procedure and carry all gear from the bike through some light surf onto the small boat, swinging in the waves. I guess 6 people plus gear would be the maximum here. Still a strong wind was blowing , luckily sun came out for a wild ride through heavy seas out of the bay left along steep cliffs. First dive when I looked down lots of white spots immediately caught my eyes, coral bleaching in a rather advanced stage, puuh, the water is too warm nearly all year round now, would normally drop here in January at least 2 – 4 degrees. Temperature on the computer showed 28 C and vis nearly endless into the clear deep blue. The cliffs on land continued under water and built all kinds of bizarre forms, canyons, drop offs, huge boulders, small caverns, rugged outcrops with a stack of pancake like structure with little coral sponge gorgonian growth and even less fish. To the surprise of our guide Jose we spotted a nurse shark under some overhang. For me this was real diving where I cruised around all these formations, somewhere around my buddy doing more or less his thing. Day 3 again out through some choppy seas far to the left. We cruised around boulders at a wall reaching down to 50 m and sandy bottom. Fish life is scarce and only small stuff seems to escape the pressure by local overfishing. Some medium sized angel, grunts, surgeon, butterfly, puffer swim around, scattered gorgonian sponges and hard coral. The scenery into the endless blue with sun pouring down makes these dives so awesome. Dive 2 we entered a cave only to turn around watch the exit and profile of buddies hovering there, great shots these. We swam into some shallow bay where there was not much to find at all, even coral and sponges got less, hardly any fish. Jose the local guide shot 4 lion fish and promised to present a taste of it to us, when he had it grilled at home. I´m curious to find out how this feels on your taste buds. Day 4 We went to a wreck, Barco Hundido, in 15 m on a sandy bottom. My estimate 9o m long some upper structure still intact attracts rather good fish life around which you could actually call small schools. Water here was 1 degree less which you noticed after 1 hour even in a 5 mil. It´s only the wreck there and sand all around, so 40 min are more than enough. No story to the wreck or better a lot of widely varying ones from the oldest locals here. Must be down at the bottom for at least 50 years. With beginners and discover scuba guys we stayed close to the beach on dive 2. A lovely dense gorgonian forest greeted us in 8 – 10 m, however vis was poor, aprox 5 m , very few fish around some nudis. A French couple, novice divers was in our group. He proposed to her under water, she smiled, guess that´s a yes. Day 5 Choppy seas, 25 min ride out of the bay this time to the right. Carpets of seaweed were floating on the surface. Jose checked the current we dropped in. I always put my gear on in the water instead of squeezing it on in a small boat full of people and gear. We kicked down to 20 m, vis 15 to 20 min in spite of the wind having changed direction. We swam along some coral garden of medium quality more sparse than dense, found a baby nurse shark and a lonely barracuda. There were lanes or fingers of coral reef gently sloping down, in between small sandy lines. Very slowly the reef climbed up, vis got a bit worse but still was a good 10 m. We continued in 23 m, 2 instructor divers hovered a good 6 m above us. I had heard them talking about dives deeper than 20 m not being healthy for the slowly Nitrogen unloading tissues of our body. Why dive at all then when there is nothing to see in the blue?! After about 30 min Jose gave the x sign for abort signaling bad vis. I was astonished as was my buddy, it still was good compared to some other days. Well dive master choice and responsibility. Slowly we climbed up to safety stop. On the surface heavy seas of 3 m, the boat far away could only be seen in between waves. We whistled I did the Tarzan shout, nothing worked here. Asked around, of 4 instructors and me only 1 had his SMB with him and inflated it on my request. This was an awful disgrace and serious mistake for experienced divers even me, shame on my head. Well we survived the boatman saw us and it was a bit of work to get everybody safely back on board. Jose cancelled dive 2 due to the conditions, which the Swiss and I felt were not that bad. When I came back to the dive center I learned, for tomorrow they were fully booked no space for me. Now what is this?!? More than strange that, had informed them to put me onto their schedule for the whole time of my stay here for 10 days of consecutive diving. I guess it was a boat full of beginners and going shallow, which is just not my thing, but still, pissed me of. They put me on schedule again for Sunday and Monday could not promise more as the forecast was getting worse. It´s absolutely delightful to drop in here with the breathtaking vis down to the bottom and the variety of the landscape under water. Day 6 at Tibisi II 3 small barracuda and 1 mackerel which later was spear gunned by the boatman. The south might have a better coral density but can´t compete with the scenery here which is awesome and 5 times better than around Bayahibe. Here you do have the choice to stay shallow, in the south there is no choice but shallow apart from few exceptions. Whales did not show, maybe some other time or we were too early in January. Last day diving due to strong northerly wind and/or 4 beginners we stayed inside the bay on a wall to the left. Two not at all shy eagle rays sailed past, one small turtle took off when we got closer. One guy lost his watch on dive 1, we found it on dive 2, lucky man. Jose allowed me to run on my own, just suggested left shoulder along the reef for 25 min then turn around, an easy job and very enjoyable. If this country is worth a trip only for diving or doing more and other activities as well is for you to decide. I feel the variety of the countryside especially in the north around Samana is so beautiful, you need to visit the famous beaches, the waterfall, the caves, mangroves, blowholes, steep cliffs and last not least the people. A good mixture of everything is definitely worth a 2 week trip. Depending on where you stay it´s reasonably priced. If there is a next time for me, I would consider some private Airbnb lodging instead of these huge all inclusive resorts, saw some lovely housing. Public transport is cheap, went from Las Galeras to Samana in the back of a pick up truck for 100 pesos, a haircut cost me 300. Weather most days was sunny in the 25 C with some scattered clouds, few times a bit of rain during days and more in the night. contact@las-galeras-divers.com [las-galeras-divers.com link]
Websites	las galeras divers
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	worldwide more than 100 destinations, mostly South Pacific and Asia, Africa and Caribbean
Closest Airport	Samana	Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	27-28°C / 81-82°F	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	5-40 M / 16-131 Ft
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	none
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of las galeras divers/COOEE in Dominican Republic/Samana

las galeras divers/COOEE: "awesome scenery", Jan, 2020,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of las galeras divers/COOEE in
Dominican Republic/Samana