La Caleta Scuba Diving

An underwater park beside the capital

The La Caleta Underwater National Park (Parque Nacional Submarino La Caleta) protects a short stretch of reef and sand on the Caribbean coast east of Santo Domingo, between the city and the beach town of Boca Chica. It was one of the country's first marine parks, set up in the 1980s, and it remains the dive most people in the capital mean when they talk about "going diving for the morning".

The park is small and, being so close to a city of several million people, it is not as pristine as the reefs farther east. What it offers is convenience: a dive center can collect you from a Santo Domingo hotel or from the airport, take you out by boat for a two-tank dive and have you back by lunch. That makes it a good choice on a business trip, at the start or end of a holiday, or on an overnight stopover. It does not fit a same-day layover: after diving you need to wait at least 12 to 18 hours before flying. The rules are in our Dominican Republic dive travel guide.

The Hickory wreck

The Hickory is the reason most divers come. It was a working salvage ship, used by treasure hunters to search for old Spanish wrecks around Hispaniola, and it was sunk in the park in 1984 to make an artificial reef. It sits upright on the sand at about 18 metres, which puts it within reach of Open Water divers and makes it a relaxed first wreck dive.

After four decades underwater the hull is covered in sponges, hard and soft corals, and it attracts reef fish, eels and lobster. You can look into the open spaces from outside; going inside any wreck needs wreck training and a guide who knows it. Around the wreck, low reef and sand patches make a pleasant second half of the dive.

Other dives along the coast

Dive centers in the area also use reef sites inside and near the park, with spur-and-groove coral, sea fans and gorgonians in fairly shallow water. Exactly which sites run on a given day depends on the weather and the operator. Boca Chica, a few minutes east, has a large shallow lagoon protected by a reef. The lagoon is better for swimming and snorkeling than for diving, but several dive centers are based in the town and take boats out beyond the reef.

Rivers run into the sea along this coast and the city is close, so visibility is less predictable than on the east coast. After heavy rain it can drop noticeably. On a calm, dry day it can still be very good. If you want the clearest water and the healthiest walls, plan a few days at Bayahibe and Catalina Island, about one and a half to two hours east by road.

Who La Caleta suits

• Travelers based in Santo Domingo who want a dive without a long transfer.
• New divers who want an easy, moderate-depth wreck. If you are not yet certified, many centers here and in Boca Chica run try dives and courses; see learn to dive in the Dominican Republic.
• Divers with a day to spare at the start or end of a longer trip around the country.

Planning your La Caleta dive

Book a day or two ahead with a center in Santo Domingo or Boca Chica and ask whether hotel pick-up, the park fee and equipment rental are included. Most boats go out in the morning, when the wind is lightest. Diving runs all year; the driest months are December to April, and the hurricane season runs from June to November, with the highest risk from August to October. The best time to dive in the Dominican Republic page has the details month by month.

Bring your certification card, and if you have not dived for a while, ask for a refresher in shallow water first. The wreck is not deep, but there can be a light current and boat traffic in the area, so stay close to your guide and use a surface marker buoy if you are given one.