On our recent journey of discovery, otherwise known as our ‘press trip‘ to various destinations in La Romana and Bayahibe, we discovered a number of interesting places and activities to enjoy – right here on our doorstep, only just outside our beloved Casa de Campo!
We visited two different snorkelling areas off the coast of Isla Catalina; La Pared and the Shipwreck of Capitan Kidd.
1. ‘La Pared’ (or ‘the wall’) – a breathtaking experience!
As the trip was in Spanish, I may not have fully understand the concept of ‘La Pared’ – of course I knew it was a wall, but I didn’t understand what kind of wall or where it would be – until I found it! Snorkelling along looking at the many fish and pretty coral (more than I’ve seen elsewhere in this country) I found ‘la pared’, the sea wall – where the sea bed turns into a cliff and literally plummets into an inky darkness – I felt like I was in the movie Finding Nemo!
First things first, this is an absolutely STUNNING experience, with beautiful and surprisingly relaxed fish coming up to greet scuba divers and snorkelers alike. With my limited Spanish, I did not catch the depth of ‘la pared’, but I am able to confirm that it is deep. Real deep. And a little scary too boot.
After enjoying the snorkeling off the coast of Catalina Island, with Casa de Campo Villas just on the horizon – about 45 minutes after arriving it was time to pack up and get going to our next destination – Captain Kidd!
Final Verdict: Amazing! A MUST see! If you are into snorkeling or scuba diving you simply cannot miss this, it is a unique experience of looking into the depths of the ocean, with the shore just a few meters away.
2. Snorkelling at ‘Capitan Kidd’ – a 1699 Shipwreck and cannon repository.
This was probably the most anticipated of stops and yet the most disappointing. From a historical perspective, the Captain Kidd shipwreck is absolutely fascinating and the project to build a living museum around it is even more so. The actual shipwreck itself is remarkably unremarkable. Don’t expect to see an actual boat – this ship wreck is so old, all that remains are clusters of cannons, which can easily mistaken for rocks if you don’t have someone to point them out to you.
In all fairness this shipwreck has only relatively recently been discovered and commercialization has not yet happened. Nevertheless, we are confident in saying that ‘one day’ it will be a fantastic attraction of the Dominican Republic, rich in history and culture. Today however, just skip it.
Final Verdict: Skip it… at least for the next few years.
This article was written by Rebecca Hughes, editor of Casa de Campo Living and Casa de Campo’s entertainment specialist!
Rebecca Hughes, Editorial and Events Marketing
rhughes@casadecampoliving.com
TEL: 809-523-2045 CEL: 809-949-8906
BBM: 230DA5D1
Altos de Chavón, Casa de Campo
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