Three weeks off work for winter break and I was itching to dive again. Maracaibo has a quick direct flight to the Dominican Republic so I looked around for the best spot to drop anchor and get in the water. Bayahibe quickly jumped out at me with its small fishing village vibe and access to good dive spots. Instead of hopping from town to town burning days commuting, I got settled in and stayed all three weeks in Bayahibe off the southern coast of the island.
Bayahibe is a small town and I quickly got a feel for how to get around and where to get the best street food. But the goal was to dive, and out of my 20 days there, 16 were in the water.
Diving is an interesting thing. It is much more diverse than one might expect. There is a lot to do and many varieties of diving. Some people like dive photography, some like eco-diving (planting nurseries and the like), and others (like me) enjoy night diving and wreck diving.
I was only able to get one night dive in, but it was a blast. A whole new world of marine life comes alive when the sun goes down. Bioluminescent plankton are a favorite (albeit almost impossible to photograph), and some fish create a little web of mucus that they enclose themselves in while they sleep.
I did this night dive with three other people through a rather wonderful eco-friendly dive shop. They always had small dive boats (awesome) and an environmentally-focused approach to diving.
One of the unique features of diving in the D.R. is the remains of old shipwrecks. Obviously, boats in the 17th & 18th century were made of wood and quickly disintegrated in the water, but cannons and cannonballs remained. I'd be lying if I said I didn't imagine it all through the lens of Captain Jack Sparrow.
And some modern wrecks.
But I had other ideas for this trip. I enjoy "leveling up" in my dive training and experience and when I heard the D.R. had some interesting caves, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get the training and certification.
It was intense and exhilarating, but cave diving was everything I hoped it would be.
Cave diving is its own little world. For these caves in particular, it was fresh water and much colder than the sea. There are more detailed safety precautions as the risk factor is significantly greater than open water diving. The most obvious risk is there is no "up" to swim to for air if the tank is empty. So getting lost in some side passage of a cave isn't an option. It's guaranteed death.
I loved cave diving because it was quiet. And clear. The visibility in caves is usually pristine. That is until someone accidentally kicks up some silt. Then it is just a cloud of dust that limits visibility to 3 inches and can take days to settle again. A part of my training was navigating out through various passages without visibility. This was simulated by progressive steps of diving with no mask (eyes open), then no mask and no light. It was exhilarating.
I trained with a kind but serious German man named Herbert. He was helpful through the process and, due to his training, I now have Mexico on my radar for its extensive labyrinths of cave systems.
It is a struggle to describe the wonder of cave diving, but if one were to think of Gandalf leading the fellowship through the abandoned mines of Moria in Lord of the Rings, entering into a stalactite & stalagmite filled cave opening felt like when Gandalf lit up his staff to illuminate the expansive and haunting banquet halls within the mines.
Here is a video of our final exit of El Chicho cave during day two of diving.
When I wasn't diving, I found myself practicing yoga or learning to dance salsa and bachata. On one of my first evenings in Bayahibe, I stumbled across dance classes held by a Ukrainian refugee. She was (is) a professional dancer back before her country was invaded and she took me on as a client. Although it took a while to find my hips, I finally got the hang of it. Our classes were followed up by walks around the town and frequenting the delicious street food vendors.
It was a great trip to the D.R., and Bayahibe is an awesome little town. I flew back to Maracaibo with some dance steps in my back pocket, a new friend, an IANTD cave diving certification, and exposure to some of the wonderful marine life the Caribbean has to offer.
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