May 21, 2019
Best trip - Very knowledgeable, fun, and entertaining. The diving was amazing and the dive master was able to point out amazing fish and rays. Drinks provided were excellent and the beach and food was too. Overall 10/10 would recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Aug 16, 2018
Beautiful Reef, Excellent Day - I thought this might turn out to be a negative review by me because they were nearly 2 hours late picking me up at the hotel and I had no idea what was wrong... I eventually got an email from Chantel telling me they were 10 minutes out...
The van arrived and rushed me to another waiting van and off we went. Tour was supposed to leave the dock at 9:30am but we didn't arrive until after 10:45... Boat was waiting. I felt bad for all those who had to wait for us.
But after taking to Joel, the dive master, it turned out it wasn't the translation company, they delayed picking people up due to a marginal weather forecast with a tropical storm looming.
Once it was clear that the transportation company didn't simply forget me, and the trip began, all was great.
Joel is excellent and tailored the dives to my personal interests. Water was balmy and crystal clear.
Lunch on the beach was decent. The beach at Catalina Island was beautiful.
Overall, after the initial issues, was a great day with excellent people.
I stayed in Uvero Alto, so be aware that La Romana, where the dock is located, is a long drive away. With dropping others off at their hotels it took nearly 2 hours to get back to my hotel.
Even with all that, I give it an excellent recommendation, just be aware and prepared for the long drive of you're not staying closer to the dock.
My only criticism would be for Passion Paradise to be more proactive about giving updates to patrons if there is going to be a delay. Not knowing what was going on was frustrating.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 25, 2018
Great excursion to Catalina Island! - This tour is well organized and its staff is very friendly.
Everything is included in the price of the excursion, drinks, food, diving, etc...
The boat is very comfortable as well as the restaurant on the beach or the food is excellent.
The boat is prepared for diving and has on board everything necessary.
For divers going to the Dominican Republic, Catalina Island is a great place to dive and spend time with the family!
I recommend 100%
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jan 2, 2023
Long ride but great coral - We were picked up on time, and taken to a gas station where we waited for almost an hour to get on a bus. The guides and drivers did not speak much English so we weren't sure what was going on most of the time. We got the boat, which was packed and there was no where to sit. At no point did anyone ask if we were snorkeling or diving. We had to speak up when we noticed that other's were getting ready to dive and the dive masters didn't know there were more divers and we had to show our tickets to prove we paid for diving. We were nervous because it was unimpressive so far, however Joel who we dove with was amazing. He did a great job reviewing things quickly with us. My mom who hadn't dove 30 years had trouble clearing her ears and he was able to help her. She was very impressed. We so many rays and a huge variety of coral. It was great diving. We did two dives then got to the island for lunch. We were able to eat, but it was pretty picked over and they were out of a few things. Then we got shuttled back to the big boat and headed back to dock. It took a long time to get back with the wind. Once we got to the dock, we had to just assume we went back up the stairs to where we were dropped of. The drivers didn't speak English. It took us over 2 hours to get back to our hotel, after 7:30pm. This is a full day like 12 hour tour if you do your transportation with them. It was disappointing that there was not more communication. If we had known how long the transportation would take, we would have taken a taxi to save out time. It was also a shame that the boat was so full, and we spent a lot of time sitting on the boat getting to and from the island, which was uncomfortable since it was packed. Joel the dive master saved the trip!! We loved the diving.
Review provided by Viator
Mar 10, 2020
Nice dive, but dive master was left wanting. - We were staying at a Punta Cana hotel and the bus was 1/2 hour late. During the drive, we made three stops and transferred vehicles. We made the 120km trip to Catalina in 2 and a half hours.
When we arrived we were bustled onto a very nice boat with a group of snorkellers, the scuba equipment appeared to be good quality, (I have my own so didn't use any) and the crew prepared it for their clients. They also prepped my personal gear, but I had to assist anyway because they weren't familiar with the elaborate self-contained BCD.
Once in the water, I found the visibility and the flora and fauna to be much superior to that of the Punta Cana area which is pretty much dead. However, I was rather disappointed with my fellow divers' disregard for the environment. Being a certified divemaster I prefer to take up the tail end of the group so I can keep an eye out for trouble with other divers and be ready to assist. Our group of 5 other divers was quite inexperienced and I repeatedly had to pull one guy off the coral that he was standing on to pose for pictures, another time he was going much too deep and putting himself at risk. Eventually, my patience wore thin and I decided that if he's going to end up killing himself, so be it. Then, there was a couple who held hands the entire duration of the dive. She had a death grip on her husband's hand because she was so scared. That's all well and good, I applaud her courage to overcome her fears, but by the end of the dive, they had lost contact with the rest of the group. The dive guide and three others had already surfaced, but this couple was still on the bottom, completely lost. When I came to realise their predicament I checked their pressure which was well below 500 psi, so I indicated we should surface.
The meal on the beach was decent. A buffet-style meal with rice, chicken, pork, veggies, alcoholic drinks or fish for your meal was an additional charge. We returned to the boat, docked, and rode the mini-van bus 2 hours back to our hotel.
In essence, the ride was long but tolerable, the equipment was good quality, the boat was very nice, the meal was delicious and the underwater sights were typical for the Caribbean. The point of this is that the dive guide was completely oblivious to the skill levels of his charges. He did not ensure that they remained safe, followed the dive briefing, or were even accounted for before he surfaced. Everything else might have been great, but the most important safety aspect, the dive master, was essentially useless.
Review provided by Viator
Nov 7, 2019
Diving - All very correct, you get on a boat with more people who go snorkeling, they take you to the first dive point and while some snorkel you dive.; then you go to the other side of the island, they disembark the snorkelers and take you to do the second dive.
I put an average score because you lack a little sympathy to the excursion, you rating that they are a little tired of always doing the same thing, they have 40 minutes underwater and they take you out. The guide, Joel, very correct and attentive underwater with a girl who was a beginner.
The dives with nothing remarkable, I expected more from the Caribbean
Overall well, I wouldn't repeat, but all the other clubs are worse....
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 6, 2019
I confirm the opinion of Carlos S, I do not recommend it - Hello,
I confirm everything that "Carlos S" mentioned, adding that, although Joel is a good professional, we are not talking about a dive center as such, but a Service where it is essential to "literally fill" every hole of the boat, so the inconvenience from the beginning is enormous, given the price that is being paid. Nor did I see much effort in punctuality, nor in the preparation of the beach buffet (many flies, mosquitoes, lack of detail to the tourist and more concern because we buy soubenirs).
As for the experience itself of diving, the bottoms are very poor compared to other Caribbean bottoms, lack of life, coral somewhat damaged by the passage of hundreds of inexperienced divers.
In general, I do not recommend it, especially to those who are divers and expect seabed worthy of being visited, given the place.
They have a lot to improve, attend to the user experience, and to premium quality over quantity.
Greetings, Juan Bosco
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jan 3, 2026
IMPRESSIVE SERVICE - Terrible how bad we had it, unpresentable from the shuttle bus, the boat that took us and the place where we were left to spend the day. Unpresentable from start to finish. The one who called himself a blanket who is the person who sold us the tour never wanted to recognize us absolutely anything. Bad food, bad care, disorganized. LOUSY.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 29, 2023
The worst diving experience of my life. - Point 1: if you are a diver, MAL. First dive point: The wall. There's nothing, no life and nothing to see. Second point: Aquarius. I don't know where they got the name.
Point 2: All this would not be a problem (nature is what you have) if it were not a Service and Attention from scratch:
To go, we went in 3 different cars and a bus. Changing from one to another like cattle without any explanation or even transmitting the slightest confidence, they would have it “controlled” but for anyone, it is a stress this of not knowing where you are going.
- Once in port: the driver who took us (the last of the 4) told us: “go down those stairs and there is a boat” when he had already disappeared, and we had no one to call! We're told we can't get on the boat that we're not included.
-After numerous calls between them I do not know who: mysteriously we are already ready and we can ride. (Yujuuuu)
- crew treatment: contempt for the customer.
-equipment: it turns out that once on the boat they said they had no equipment for us. But soon: miracle!! He showed up!!
There was a guy who paid and couldn't dive because there was no equipment for him.
My wife has an XS jacket and they gave her (if or if) an M... and that's what it was.
Half the people in wetsuits, but they say the rest of us don't need...
- documentation: at no time did NOBODY ask us for the dive permit, not sure, nor did we ever fill in any document that we were there.
- equipment: my wife's had the regulator broken, used in her first dive the emergency... and for the second: notification!!! They say we have two, let's use the emergency. We refused and... They give us one that works and my wife's puts it on another cocksucker.
- briefing: what is that!!! When we are reaching the dive point they start to hurry you and... to the water!!
- immersion: no one asks for beginners or experts, open water or advance...all to water! Making groups of people upset each other!
-just before: this is your guide! Turns out we're going with Joel (everything that happens to you on the surface, is attentive underwater, a 10 for him underwater)
- in the group we are 12 with 2 guides, in both dives ends up being a nonsense and the group splitting in two because it is impossible to handle so many people underwater, at no time organized before the dive.
- after dives: lunch on the beach. All good and correct, but because the attitude is to get on a boat that takes you to the beach like cattle without giving you the slightest explanation, neither where you eat... nor what time it becomes... (I think this goes in the DNA of the Enterprise, treat the customer with the tip of the foot).
I couldn’t say what was really happening but we bought the trip online which in turn was a dive center in Punta Cana which in turn subcontracted to this Enterprise... because there had to be more companies like that because on the boat we went at least people from 4 or 5 different dive centers.
Bottom line: in my whole life diving I've seen something like this.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 13, 2021
THE WORST EXPERIANCE OF MY LIFE AND A COMPLETE WAIST OF A DAY OF MY VACATION DAY,,, - I will be calling someone to review the situation that happened on this tour as there isn't enough characters allowed in this text box to explain. this was by far the worst excursion i have ever gone on in my life.. i will call tomorrow to review with management as i want something done regarding this . I WAS FEAFUL FOR MY FAMILIES SAFETY MANY TIMES NOT JUST REGARDING COVID EITHER..
Review provided by Viator
