La Piedra Prieta - Sosua & Puerto Plata
Trunk Reef, off the coast of Cairns, feels like a proper GBR experience without the crowds. It's a healthy patch of reef, really, with enough variety to keep things interesting for a couple of dives. We've always found the staghorn and table corals particularly impressive here, forming intricate little neighbourhoods where you’ll spot parrotfish crunching away and those shy oriental flying gurnards fanning their incredible pectoral fins. Our favourite time to drop in is mid-morning, just as the light starts to penetrate, making the shallows glow. Keep an eye out for the resident blacktip reef sharks cruising the perimeter; we’ve had some cracking encounters with them over the years. We’d suggest this spot for anyone looking for a relaxed dive with consistent reef health and a good chance of seeing some larger pelagics in a less-frequented setting.
- Location
- Sosua & Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Caribbean
- Coordinates
- 18.216667, -71.083336
- Type
- reef
Marine Protected Area: Humedales del Bajo Yaque del Sur
Nearby Dive Sites in Sosua & Puerto Plata
- 3 Rocks
- Airport Wall - 8-25m (wall)
- ALSATIA - 5m (wreck)
- Canyon - 15-30m (wall)
- Canyon - 12-30m (reef)
- Canyons - Dominican Republic (reef)
- Cinco Metros, Las Ballenas (wreck)
- Coral Gardens - Dominican Republic (reef)
- Five Rocks
- Jackson Sunken Island (reef)
- Jet Ski (reef)
- La Puntilla - 5-20m (reef)
- Laramar
- MECOSTA - 2m (wreck)
- NUESTRA SENORA DE LA CONCEPCION - 32m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to La Piedra Prieta
Marine Life in Sosua & Puerto Plata
Home to 238 recorded species including 212 reef fish, 6 sea snails & nudibranchs, 4 hard corals, 3 other, 3 seagrass & algae, 3 whales & dolphins.
Notable Species
- American eel (Anguilla rostrata) - Reef Fish
- Blue Doctor (Acanthurus coeruleus) - Reef Fish
- Gutong (Scarus iseri) - Reef Fish
- Sheephead (Microspathodon chrysurus) - Reef Fish
- Gutong (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) - Reef Fish
- Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
- Barber (Acanthurus bahianus) - Reef Fish
- Coney (Cephalopholis fulva) - Reef Fish
- turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum) - Seagrass & Algae
- Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
- manatee grass (Syringodium filiforme) - Seagrass & Algae
- Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) - Reef Fish
- Giant goby (Gobiomorus dormitor) - Reef Fish
- Graysby (Cephalopholis cruentata) - Reef Fish
- Baleares Conger (Ariosoma balearicum) - Reef Fish
- guppy (Poecilia reticulata) - Reef Fish
- Common False Moray (Kaupichthys hyoproroides) - Reef Fish
- Carrot Cone (Conus daucus) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Mulet (Mugil curema) - Reef Fish