Hookah snorkeling opens the underwater world to everyone
- snorkeling with a diving regulator.

Hookah Snorkeling combines what is easy about snorkeling with the experience of scuba diving, breathing underwater in a controlled, safe manner.

Hookah uses a floating raft on which a compressor which delivers air to the snorkelers is mounted. Hookah snorkeling always involves snorkeling with a partner: a ‘buddy system’. Two participants are connected to the same raft, each with his or her own tube. The raft also acts as a platform which snorkelers can hold onto in order to rest and in order to practice the underwater breathing. While snorkeling, the participants tow the raft behind them with no difficulty.

The air required for underwater breathing is delivered through hoses connected to a breathing regulator. The maximum depth of Hookah snorkeling is 7 metres (23 feet). The hoses also act as a personal descent line to allow users to safely and easily control their descents and remain at exact depths to equalize their ears. To return to the surface the user simply walks hand over hand to the surface, which brings them back to the raft. Since the snorkeler is always tethered to the raft, it is not possible to get lost or separated from the raft and breathing regulator.

Hookah snorkeling is open to people who have weak knees, bad backs, are overweight, older, younger, and even those with disabilities. Lightweight harnesses allow more people to experience breathing underwater and exploring the underwater world. The harness eliminates the need to wear, and learn how to use, a BCD (Buoyancy Compensation Device) and Air Cylinder, which combined are extremely heavy out of the water.

1. Discover Hookah snorkeling: getting hooked on Hookah

The first step to get hooked on Hookah is to take the Discover Hookah course. Our instructors will teach you the basics and let you try the system in waist-deep water. The instructors are certified scuba dive masters. They will teach you basic safety rules and you will learn some tricks in order to fully enjoy your Hookah adventure. After the shallow water lesson (“SWL”) we take you to the Bayahibe reef where we go up to 4 metres (12 feet) deep. You will see lots of fish! We’ve got a Hookah centre on the strip of the Bayahibe beach between the village and the public beach next to the Dreams La Romana resort. “Discover Hookah” is a 2 hour activity.

2. Local Hookah Snorkeling Tour: staying hooked on Hookah

You can also join us for a local Hookah Snorkeling tour. We do the shallow water introduction before we board the Explorer motor catamaran (with a maximum of 6 Hookahers per instructor and a maximum of 12 people in total). We will discover the wreck of the Atlantic Princess, just off the coast of Dreams La Romana, and then we feed the fish at the Bayahibe Reef or we will explore the corals at Viva Shallow (in front of Viva Wyndham Dominicus hotels) with its numerous fish and ancient anchors and cannons. At this location, the snorkeling depth is 6 – 7 metres (18-20 feet). The local Hookah tours start at 9 am and we will be back at 1:30 pm.

3. Hookah Catalina & Saona: Hookah Island tours

For the people who are hooked (or think they will be!) on Hookah we organize super Hookah Island Tours. The tours are also open for non-Hookahers and regular snorkelers as well. We spend enough time on a gorgeous beach to provide the less active travelers with a wonderful day trip too.

Hookah Catalina (half day): We start at 8:30 am when we board the boat and proceed directly to the beach on Catalina Island. We will do the SWL here, followed by a Hookah dive at The Aquarium. We stay on the beach for another hour and then head to The Wall of Catalina, raved about by scuba divers as the best dive spot in the South East. To discover The Wall with the Hookah system is a better experience than as a regular snorkeler. We return to Bayahibe around 12:30 pm. The afternoon tour goes from 1 to 5 pm.

Hookah Saona (full day): Again, we get an early start from Bayahibe departing at 9 am, and head for Saona Island. We visit the Piscina Natural where we do the SWL, to have a drink and look at the starfish. After 40 minutes we head for the piers of Catuana (on Saona Island). You will Hookah from the beach and we predict that you will never have seen as many fish as you’ll see there! At noon we have lunch under the palm trees on Catuano Beach and later in the afternoon the Explorer will take us to the area of the Rocks of Penon where we will Hookah from the boat. This is one of the most beautiful reefs in the National Park. You will be back at Bayahibe by around 4:30 pm marking the end of your Hookah afternoon.