Cayo Arena / Cayo Paraiso - Rep Dom best beaches - Diving spot RD - Family Travel Fun

Cayo Arena is also known as Cayo Paraiso. It is a great snorkeling spot and also a beginner diving spot. Depending on the tide, you may find it under the water. That day, we reached it early morning to avoid the crowd. We shared the adventure with a few French friends, both residents of RD and globetrotters in visit in the Carribean. In the shallow waters of Cayo Arena, we have seen many different species of fish and stunning corals in the deep blue waters. Such a relief to see so much life in the ocean. To reach this paradise island we boarded a lancha (flat power boat) from the fishermen village of Punta Rucia on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. It is a good 2,5 hours drive from Puerto Plata driving to the North West. Punta Rucia is a quiet village with a long white sand beach stretching between the mangroves. Punta Rucia is lost in time ? according to our friends who live in the country for 20 years, it may be comparable to what Rep Dom was 30 years ago. There is now a mini market and you can find food more easily as a tourist. A few restaurants are operating too. . For the down side the littering of the popular nearby beach la Ensenada is devastating. The local spirit is here, live bands and transparent waters, but the marine pollution is not under control. The restaurants use styrofoam plates and beach visitors let all their plastic flying at sea. We left heartbroken to see one of the best RD beach littered that way. We can't say it enough : Education is key to fight the plastic and marine pollution.