Two Islands - Two Oceans Excursion

Catalinita Island & Saona Island - Atlantic Ocean & Caribbean Sea

Snorkeling with Sharks and Rays...in the open ocean!!

This snorkel excursion is available for guests of the Bayahibe, Dominicus, La Romana and Punta Cana hotels and resorts. We will show you the difference between the "Atlantic Ocean" and the "Caribbean Sea". We take a maximum of 20 people per trip, so that keeps it really exclusive. We leave Bayahibe early in the day and visit several places of interest on the way to Catalinita Island. We snorkel from the boat near Catalinita and we spend the afternoon on Saona Island. All of our tours are guided by multilingual and knowledgeable guides. A quality excursion and personal attention are guaranteed. This is the excursion we prefer to do ourselves on our free days!!!

Videos:

2 Island Tour - 1.35m

2 Island Day - 4.26m Snorkeling at Cayo Raton - 3.03m Swimming with Manatees - 1.05m Reef Shark Encounter - 0.57m

Itinerary:

We meet in our visitors center on the beach of Bayahibe. Here you will receive your snorkel equipment and after a short briefing we will board the motorboat and the adventure begins.

The 2 Island excursion boat

The Rocks of Penon

Crossing the mangrove forest Bayahibe

We will visit the rocks of Penon and we give some information about the ecology and the park. We will continue to the Mangrove forest: the nursery of the oceans.

Frigate Bird Colony

The Frigate Bird

Relax in piscina natural

From the Mangroves we turn into the Bay of Calderas . This area is closed to other tours, but we have obtained special permission from the authorities of the National Park to visit it. The bay is home to the breeding ground and colonies of frigate birds and Pelicans and we have the opportunity to observe them from close range. Moving on from the bay, we go east into the Catuano Channel.

Catalinita - the most remote island of the Dominican Republic

Mano Juan, Saona: pictoresque village

Mano Juan: the traditional Dominican Republic

We will then visit the uninhabited Isla Catalinita, untouched by tourism and a real "Robinson Crusoe" desert island. Once we reach a well-placed sandbank, we'll toast the meeting of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. You can see a band of white water where the high waves of the Atlantic Ocean are flattened by the sand banks of the Caribbean Sea. This marks the border between the two water masses. Numerous ships are stranded here..... On the small sandy beach of the island there are thousands of conch and other shells. The "jacuzzi" is very special.....

Cayo Raton - exciting snorkeling

Snorkeling with Stingrays

Snorkeling with sharks

This is followed by a chance to snorkel in the coral gardens near Catalinita. We give snorkel instruction and you can follow the guide on a special route at Cayo Raton, an unique snorkeling spot, because it combines 2 Eco systems. You can see the larger fish from the colder Atlantic Ocean, like giant stingrays and sometimes (non-dangerous!) reef sharks. But you can also see the colorful fish from the Caribbean Sea among the coral, giant sponges and sea fans.... This is a remarkable reef... We snorkel while drifting with the current; under the watchful eye of the guide as the boat follows you through the reef....

Catuano Beach - The Caribbean Dream Beach we visit on our tour

Catuano Beach - artisan shops

Catuano Beach - white sand and large palm trees

We then take you to Saona Island. We arrive at Catuano Beach: a beautiful beach lined with palm trees and gifted with crystal clear water and pure white sand. The beach has beach chairs and hammocks...

Catuano - a former strong hold of the Taino Indians

Catuano Beach - comprehensive lunch

Catuano Beach - Barbeque lunch on the beach

We will enjoy a traditional Dominican buffet lunch, with grilled fish, chicken, pork chops and an array of salads, pastas and fruits. You can enjoy the beach, swim or scroll along the little artisan - souvenir shops.

Snorkeling instruction on our 2 Island Tour

Snorkeling at the Piers - lots of fish

Snorkeling during our snorkel tour from Punta Cana

Those who want can join the snorkel tour at "the Piers". In front of Catuano beach there is an old pier, destroyed by a hurricane. The remaining concrete pillars are teaming with fish and a heaven for snorkelers. This is also a special snorkel spot: the pillars are up to 6 meters (20ft) high and you can see remarkable sea life that lives in the different depths. Our guide will guide a tour around the Piers. Experienced snorkelers can explore the pillars themselves. You will never have seen so many fish in all their shapes and colors.

Arrival in the Piscina Natural

Starfish in the Piscina Natural

Relaxing in the Piscina Natural

On the way back we'll stop at the "Piscina Natural", the famous natural swimming pool. This large sand bank is well-known for the indigenous starfish which really do live there! You enjoy a drink on the sand bank in the middle of the sea and can see the starfish in their natural habitat among the grasses. The water is shallow -even far from the shore it will never be more than waist deep- and the colors of the water are incredible turquoise and blue.

In the late afternoon, the boat returns to Bayahibe, a 30 minute thrill-ride away! We'll return in our visitors center in Bayahibe and you'll have the chance to meet some of our closest friends!!

Now Available: transfers from the Punta Cana hotels and resorts

For more information or reservations use our secure form, send us an email: or phone us: +(1) 829 714 4947.

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