Recreation

Golf

The nearest golf course to Boca Chica [1] is the 9-hole San Andrés Caribe Golf Club (Km 27 Las Américas Hwy., tel. 809/545-1278), open 8 a.m.–6:30 p.m. daily. The cost is US$17, and a caddy will cost you US$6 more. This par-36 course, which opened in 1993, is a good beginner’s course and a great afternoon activity. Lessons are offered for US$10 per hour. Club and cart fees are extra. Don’t expect a lot from this course if you’re a serious golfer.

Diving and Snorkeling

Many of the all-inclusive hotels offer their guests beginning diving lessons in their pools and ocean dive excursions. PADI certification courses are often available. Look for offers for dives to the nearby Hickory and El Limón shipwrecks at Parque Nacional Submarino La Caleta [2] and Islas Catalina [3] and Saona [4]. These islands can be reached from Boca Chica but are more accessible from the town of Bayahibe [5].

The Don Juan Beach Resort [6] is home to Treasure Divers (Boca Chica Beach, tel. 809/687-9157, www.donjuanbeachresort.com [7]). Located directly on the beach, it offers many diving and snorkeling excursions to beautiful reefs and the striking shipwrecks in the area, as well as combination packages including night dives. You can even rent an underwater camera. A unique venture is the thrilling cave diving at La Sirena, a freshwater cave filled with stalactites and stalagmites, limestone formations, and air spaces to dive up into. The water is crystal clear and warm.

Certification courses are offered at Treasure Divers’ dive school. All excursions are priced separately. Multiday packages start at US$209 per person. English, Spanish, and German are spoken.

Caribbean Divers (Calle Duarte 28, www.caribbeandivers.de [8], tel. 809/854-3483) has a number of different dive excursions for you to choose from depending on your experience level. They can take you to dive the Hickory shipwreck and even give you a PADI course. Dives average out to about US$45 each and are sold in packages. English, French, German, and Spanish are spoken.

The Don Juan Beach Resort also has public rentals of other sports gear and equipment, such as paddleboats (US$8), Jet Skis (US$22), and catamaran tours (US$23).