Who are the stingrays?
Stingrays are more related to sharks than they let on; in fact they belong to their own class: the Chondrichthyes, […]Read More »
Barracuda, the real “fast and furious”
Just like sharks and moray eels, barracudas enjoy a bad reputation due to their not exactly friendly appearance: their smile […]Read More »
Boxfish and the importance of its tail fin.
The mystery of how the clumsy yellow boxfish moves may have been solved by studying its tail fin. The boxfish, […]Read More »
The most ingenious creatures of the seas
Octopuses are cephalopods, a class of marine animals that are part of mollusks.Equipped with eight arms covered with suckers and […]Read More »
Romance is real in the seahorse world!
Found in both tropical and temperate waters all across the globe, seahorses are arguably one of the most distinctive and […]Read More »
Three incredible curiosities about the puffer fish
1. They are the most poisonous fish in the sea. The Puffer is harmless unless eaten. Liver, the intestines, gonads […]Read More »
Invertebrates – Common Corals in Bayahibe – Dominican Republic
Here some common Invertebrates that can be seen while snorkeling/diving in Dominican Republic Interested in Vertebrates? learn more about them […]Read More »
Vertebrates -Fish and Mammals in Bayahibe – Dominican Republic
Here some of the most common vertebrates animals you can spot while snorkeling/diving around Bayahibe Interested in Invertebrates? find some […]Read More »
Manny’s Reef
Diver Level: Any. Depth 12 meters/ 40 feet This a is a very shallow site, but perfect for those begining […]Read More »
Coca’s Wreck
Diver Level: Any Depth 14-22 meters/45-70 feet. Sitting 16 meters below the buoy at this site sits a small wrecked […]Read More »
Peñon and Tortuga
Peñon: Diver Level: Any. Depth 12-14 meters/40-45 feet. Safely inside the National Park of the East, Penon is a must do […]Read More »
Discover Scuba Diving – Intro Dive
Discover Scuba Diving in Bayahibe, Dominican Republic
Open Water Diver Course
Learn to dive with this 3 days course. The most popular entry level course in the world
Advanced Open Water Diver
Learn how to go deeper and improve your diver's skills
IDC Instructor Course
Step into the next leve and start travelling around the world as a PRO
Reef Check
Reef Check programs provide ecologically sound and economically sustainable solutions to save our reefs.
Dive Against Debris
Help keep your favorite dive site and local marine environment free of debris.
Coral Watch Diver
CoralWatch is working with volunteers worldwide to increase understanding of coral reefs, coral bleaching and climate change.
PADI Divemaster Course
The PADI Divemaster Course is the first professional level within the PADI System of diver education.
Common Stingray (Dasyatis pastinaca)
Found over sandy and muddy bottoms, sometimes near rocky reefs. Feeds on bottom fishes, crustaceans and mollusks. Ovoviviparous, gestation period about 4 months and 4-7 young are produced. Wings marketed smoked, dried-salted, and also used for fishmeal and oil. Harmful to shellfish banks; dangerous to bathers and fishers due to its poisonous spine
Queen Angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris)
Queen Angelfish - Holacanthus ciliaris: Most divers love angelfish; they are both beautiful and easy find during a dive. Queen Angelfish is a brilliant combination of blues, greens and yellows, and can be recognized bu the round spot on its forehead which looks like a crown with a bit of imagination.
Sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis)
This small, flat, oval shaped reef fish has five distinct black bars on its sides. While in sandy areas and over reefs, it is in its light phase, generally silvery gray with a yellow sheen along its upper sides; and when hiding in a cave or crevice, it enters its dark phase, with its body going darker gray blue, almost blending in with its dark bars. Named from the military stripes they resemble, the sergeant majors school in groups of hundreds for feeding, but during spawning season, the male will aggressively guard his nest.
Trumpetfish (Aulostomus maculates)
These fish have long, thin, tubular bodies with trumpet-shaped mouths or snouts. Trumpetfish may be brown, reddish, bluish, or even bright yellow. Each of these colors can be used to blend in well with the reef.
Squirrelfish (Holocentrus adscensionis)
Squirrelfish have spiky fins (which remind me of a mohawk) and big dark eyes. In fact, Squirrelfish are nocturnal, and they use their big, sensitive eyes to hunt for prey in minimal light. These night owls are typically found loafing around in dark areas of the reef during the day, but can be seen in the open on night dives.
French Grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum)
French Grunts and Blue Striped-Grunts (Haemulon sciurus) are quite common and can be seen on nearly every shallow reef dive in the Caribbean. Grunts are so named because they can produce a grunting sound by grinding their teeth together and amplifying the noise with their air bladders!
Yellow Goatfish (Mulloidichthys martinicus)
Many divers confuse Yellow Goatfish and Yellowtail Snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus) because of their similar coloration and the fact that they may school together in large groups on shallow reefs.
Porcupinefish (Diodon Hystric)
Porcupine fish is a large, white pufferfish covered with long spines. Divers needn't fear a Porcupinefish's quills -- Porcupinefish are slow-moving, docile giants. Like other pufferfish, the Porcupinefish can "puff up" by filling with water when threatened.
Scrawled cowfish (Acanthostracion quadricornis)
Cowfish is one of several species of cowfish found in the Caribbean. Cowfish are a type of boxfish and can be recognized by the cow-like horns above their eyes. These fish are docile and relatively slow-moving unless threatened.
Porkfish (Anisotremus virginicus)
Porkfish is a Grunt from the Western Atlantic. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 40.6cm in length.
Green Moray Eel (Gymnothorax funebris)
The moray’s muscular, scaleless body is laterally compressed (flattened side to side). The dorsal and anal fins are continuous with the short tail, or caudal fin, giving the appearance of a single fin running from the top of the head, along the back, around the tail, and underneath forward to mid-body. It has neither pelvic nor pectoral fins. The green moray has conspicuous, tube-like nostrils and finds its prey mostly using its sense of smell.
Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans)
Unfortunately, lionfish have become a common sight in the Caribbean. Lionfish, while beautiful, are an invasive species from the Indo Pacific. With no natural predators in the Caribbean, lionfish populations have skyrocketed over the last 10 years.Lionfish feed on young reef fish, who have not yet had the opportunity to reproduce. This has decimated reef fish populations in many areas of the Caribbean.
Spotted drumfish (Equetus punctatus)
Spotted Drums are mismatched - they wear both spots and stripes! Adult Spotted Drums' unusual patterns make them a great favorite among divers.
Scrawled cowfish (Acanthostracion quadricornis)
Acanthostracion quadricornis: is one of several species of cowfish found in the Caribbean. Cowfish are a type of boxfish and can be recognized by the cow-like horns above their eyes. These fish are docile and relatively slow-moving unless threatened.
Eagle Ray (Aetomylaeus sp.)
The eagle rays are a group of cartilaginous fishes consisting mostly of large species living in the open ocean rather than on the sea bottom. Eagle rays feed on mollusks and crustaceans, crushing their shells with their flattened teeth. They are excellent swimmers and are able to breach the water up to several metres above the surface.
Manatees (Trichechus sp.)
Manatees are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. They measure up to 4.0 metres (13 ft 1 in) long, weigh as much as 590 kilograms (1,300 lb), and have paddle-like flippers. Sadly, the main causes of death for manatees are human-related issues, such as habitat destruction and human objects. Their slow-moving, curious nature has led to violent collisions with propeller-driven boats and ships.
Staghorn Coral (Acropora cervicornis)
This coral is now uncommon, though it is probably the most common of the two ’staghorn’ corals in many parts of the Caribbean region.
Branches can be over 1 m long and are slender, and colonies are usually loosely packed or ‘open’. Branches are round in cross-section, and sub-branches emerge nearly at right angles. Found in a wide range of depths. Living colonies are yellow, brown or golden in colour. Very often, clumps have dead basal parts to the branches.
Caribbean Acropora are listed as Endangered under the US Endangered Species Act.
Hermit Crab (Dardanus Calitus)
Most species have long, spirally curved abdomens, which are soft, unlike the hard, calcified abdomens seen in related crustaceans. The vulnerable abdomen is protected from predators by a salvaged empty seashell carried by the hermit crab, into which its whole body can retract. Most frequently, hermit crabs use the shells of sea snails. Most hermit crabs are nocturnal.
Long-spined sea urchins (Diadema antillarum)
They play a critical role in maintaining healthy coral reefs. By grazing on algae, these sea urchins keep algae growth in check while also providing settlement space for corals. Unfortunately, this species was decimated in the mid-1980s, when a disease spread throughout the Caribbean, nearly wiping out their entire population. Alarmingly, since February 2022, new reports identify similar extensive die-offs. Scientists and local reef managers are working to identify causes and improve restoration approaches.
Coral Banded Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)
Coral banded shrimp is a reef-associated cleaner shrimp with a worldwide distribution. It is known to remove and consume ectoparasites, injured or dead tissues, and excess food particles from fishes and thus play a vital role in the aquarium ecosystem. They are pretty easy to care for even for beginners.
Red Cushion Star (Reaster reticulatus)
The red cushion star is the largest sea star found within its range, sometimes growing to about 50 centimetres (20 in) in diameter. It usually has five thick, broad arms projecting from a broad cushioned disc but some specimens have four, six or seven. The upper surface is hard and is covered with blunt spines. The color of adults is some shade of red, orange, yellow or brown. It is found in shallow water in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
Elkhorn Coral (Acropora palmata)
Elkhorn coral is one of the most important corals in the Caribbean. It, along with staghorn coral and star corals , built Caribbean coral reefs over the last 5,000 years. Elkhorn coral can form dense groups called “thickets” in very shallow water. These provide important habitat for other reef animals, especially fish.
Brain Coral
Brain coral is a common name given to various corals so called due to their generally spheroid shape and grooved surface which resembles a brain. Each head of coral is formed by a colony of genetically identical polyps which secrete a hard skeleton of calcium carbonate; this makes them important coral reef builders. Brain corals extend their tentacles to catch food at night. During the day, they use their tentacles for protection by wrapping them over the grooves on their surface. The surface is hard and offers good protection against fish or hurricanes.
Giant Barrel Sponge (Xestospongia muta)
This is the largest species of sponge found growing on Caribbean coral reefs. It is common at depths greater than 10 metres (33 ft) down to 120 metres (390 ft) and can reach a diameter of 1.8 metres (6 feet). It is typically brownish-red to brownish-gray in color, with a hard or stony texture.
Red Cushion Star (Reaster reticulatus)
The red cushion star is the largest sea star found within its range, sometimes growing to about 50 centimetres (20 in) in diameter. It usually has five thick, broad arms projecting from a broad cushioned disc but some specimens have four, six or seven. The upper surface is hard and is covered with blunt spines. The color of adults is some shade of red, orange, yellow or brown. It is found in shallow water in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
Gianluca Lamberti
Paula Gallagher
Edmund Settle
Elena Franzetti
Natalia Gonzalez
Paolo Marchese
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