Best Isla Catalina Snorkeling

Southwest of Punta Cana off the southeast shore of Dominican Republic, the snorkeling off Isla Catalina offers good snorkel dive spots. This uninhabited island is only accessible by boat and is known for crystal clear waters with high visibility. The three main snorkeling dives are found off the northern half of the island. On the northeastern side, there are two dives near each other called The Wall and Captain Kids wreck. The Wall is located in 15 foot deep water and the visibility is about 30-60 feet. While snorkeling The Wall, you may encounter scorpionfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, grunts, sergeant majors, moray eels and sting rays amongst the vase corals, fire corals, elkhorn corals and sea fans. The Quedagh Merchant wreck is locally known as Captain Kidds wreck since he pirated the boat in 1699 before it sank. It lies in 10 foot deep water about 70 feet offshore. Off the northwest side, the main dive is called El Aquario (aka Aquarium) due to the plentiful marine life. The visibility is typically 30-60 feet.

Isla Cataline is located southwest of Bayahibe and there are several snorkel tour and scuba charter boats out of Bayahibe that provide access to the Catalina Island. The boat ride is roughly 30 minutes.

To reach the snorkeling on the Dominican Republic by air, use the Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) which provides access to over 20 countries.

Overall, Isla Catalina is the 5th most popular snorkel dive spot of all 8 snorkeling dives in Dominican Republic. Several of the better snorkeling spots are nearby Isla Catalina including Isla Saona, El Penon, Viva Shallows and Bayahibe Reef.