If you live in or indeed visit Casa de Campo regularly it’s likely that you know Bayahibe pretty well – but if you’re yet to explore its beautiful coastline from a Stand Up Paddle Board you’re missing out!
Having given Stand Up Paddle Boarding around Bayahibe a shot a few years back, when my friend Corinne came to visit from England recently, it provided us with the perfect opportunity to give it another go.
Bayahibe SUP who are based virtually next door to our favorite Bayaibe restaurant, El Cafecito de la Cubana, now offer “Surfaris” instead of SUP classes. The Surfari still includes the lesson to teach you all you need to know, but also incorporates a full tour of the gorgeous Bayahibe coastline.
So while I can be a bit blasé about just how charming life in the Caribbean really is, lets hear from Corinne, who as a first-time SUP-er, on her first visit to the Dominican Rupublic and indeed the Caribbean, views the experience with refreshing enthusiasm…
“As a first – time visitor to the Caribbean, I had never experienced anything quite like peaceful beauty of the palm-tree lined, white sandy beaches , so when the friends I was staying with suggested “supping” – Stand Up Paddle Boarding – as a fun way to explore the coastline from a different angle, I was sold.
Corinne’s first time SUP-ing
Stand Up Paddle Boarding is exactly as it sounds – you use a long paddle to propel yourself and stand on a broad flat board. We went to a 2 hour “Sufari”from Bayahibe.
The session started with a technique lesson from our guide covering how to stand up, paddle, turn around and stop. Our leader explained everything really clearly and after a quick practice in the confines of shallower waters we were able to move out along the coast.
Over the next two hours, we paddled up the shore-line past two busy beaches, while several boats trips sped fast further out to sea. We also paddled around the “punta”, the penisula in the middle of Bayahibe to the small bay on the other side.
Throughout our trip, our guide offered us tips to help us balance and even kept our energy up by setting up a picnic – in the middle of the ocean we pulled out boards together and sat down for some delicious pineapple and some water.
Picnic time!
We were a small group at 3 and could talk and share the things we were passing.
It was a rewarding and fun way to spend a couple of hours while getting some good exercise, I’d recommend it to those who are new to the beauty at the Dominican Republic, as well as those more familiar with it charms.”
— Corinne Bass, a first time visitor to the Dominican Republic
Spanish
