Bayahibe · Dominican Republic · Reef
El Peñón
A park reef 25 minutes out, split into three dive points
Area photo: Pc.wiki4 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A large coral system in front of Cotubanamá National Park, about 25 minutes by boat south of Bayahibe, which operators split into three dive points — La Tortuga, Acuario and El Peñón itself — at depths of roughly 12 to 16 m. It takes fewer visitors than the reefs off the town beach, and the coral cover and the fish life are what it is dived for.
Where it is and how deep
18.2509° N, 68.7918° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The reef runs shallow — around 12 m over most of the dive and 16 m at the deepest of the three points — so the whole thing happens in bright water and the coral holds its colour throughout. There is no wall and nothing structural to navigate; the dive is a traverse across coral, looking at what is living on it.
Because the site takes fewer visitors than the reefs closer to town, the coral cover here is the reason operators make the longer run out. Colourful Caribbean reef fish are the constant; eagle rays and sea turtles are the two animals worth watching the blue for, and neither is a given on any one dive.
The three points — La Tortuga, Acuario and El Peñón — are parts of one coral system rather than three separate reefs, so which one you dive is a matter of where the boat drops you. The shallow profile gives long bottom times, which is what makes the half-hour each way worth sitting through.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Eagle rays
- Sea turtles
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows Bayahibe: January to April is the driest stretch and October the wettest; Atlantic hurricane season runs June to November and peaks from late August into September.
Sources
- El Peñón (Bayahibe) — Scubago
- El Peñón — Blue Dreams Diving
More dive sites in Bayahibe
Wreck
A whole ship at 12 m, in water bright enough to read it from above
Wall
A 6 m coral slope that reaches an edge and drops away
Reef
A FUNDEMAR coral nursery and sunken statues at 12 m
Cave & cavern
Taíno artefacts in place in a 9 m freshwater cave
Reef
Cannons and a musket rack set out on a park reef
Wreck
Top of the wreck at 15 m, bow on the sand at 44 m
Similar dives elsewhere
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El Acuario
María la Gorda · Cuba
Shoaling reef fish in 3 to 5 m of water