Puerto Plata surf / fishing

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davenj

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Jan 26, 2008
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I'll be staying at the Iberostar Costa Dorada for a week in April with my girlfriend and another couple. I'm the only one who surfs and I plan on getting out at least a couple times if the surf cooperates. I'm a good surfer and have traveled quite a bit to surf (California, Mexico, Costa Rica, Alaska, all over E. Coast). Can anyone offer the following advice:

- Should I bring my own board or try to rent in Carabrete / Sosua? I will most likely bring a longboard. I have a nonstop flight so it would not be a hassle.

- Is it a good idea for me to rent a car and, if so, is it cool / safe to drive around and surf alone? I don't see my travel companions being psyched to go on dawn patrol at 5 a.m. with me.

- How are the surfing schools' rental boards?

- Are there any breaks closer to Costa Dorada than Sosua / Carabrete? If there are any kind of decent waves within walking distance I'll definitely bring my own board.

- Is it a better bet for safety or finding good surf to sign up with one of the schools / groups? Is it a hassle for me to get there considering I'm staying in Costa Dorada and not in Carabrete?

- Can anyone recommend a good offshore fishing charter for April? I'm a pretty serious offshore fisherman and would like to go for billfish, tuna, wahoo or mahi if they're running. If the offshore fishing isn't great (and I've heard from some sources it's not) I'd definitely consider doing some inshore or bottom fishing for a day or 2.

Thanks a lot for any / all responses.
 
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Orcmcj

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Mar 12, 2008
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I'm on my way to Sosua, does anyone know if it's worth bringing a Longboard, I'm an avid longboarder I live in Canada, there's to much snow, I'm dying for a rip.
 
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fightfish

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Jan 11, 2008
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By all means, bring a board if you don?t mind the extra baggage. POP has some outside reef breaks off the fort and malecon. The are some crazy lefts and rights off the little island with the statue in POP. When it gets big you can expect it to go off pretty well.

The only problem with surfing by yourself in various places is to remember that without a friend on the beach to watch your stuff, it may not be there when you paddle back in. So if you?re going to hop a cab or guagua to a break, don?t bring anything with you that?s not going in the water with you. Also, on the longboards, a leash is a good idea when traveling and hitting beaches that you don?t know.

Fishing in April is good on the north coast and in Punta Cana. The problem around POP is that the operations aren?t real serious about their equipment or their presentations. Punta Cana has a more professional fleet, a more consistent bite for blues.
 
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Cabarete Jay

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Mar 7, 2008
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Playa Encuentro

In my opinion, the best surf breaks on the entire island are found on Playa Encuentro. If you aren't familiar with this area, it is only about 3km to the West of Cabarete Beach. If you are staying at Iberostar Costa Dorada, it is about a 30 minute cab ride. I definitely would not recommend renting a car if you have never driven here before. I think most people on this board will agree that only about 10% of Dominican drivers pay any kind of attention to driving laws. It is much better for you to take a public car or guagua between POP and Sosua and Sosua to Cabarete.

As far as bringing your own board. If it is a direct flight, it shouldn't be much of a hassle. There are a couple of surf schools situated right on Playa Encuentro that will rent you a board. I'm not sure of the price, but they have a pretty wide variety of high quality boards.

Jason
 
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davenj

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Jan 26, 2008
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Thanks for your advice. I would never leave anything on the beach - if I had rented a car, I probably would take the key into the water with me, leave doors unlocked and nothing other than maybe a towel in it. I'll probably bring my board just in case there is anything rideable near costa dorada and will take a taxi to explore the breaks near Sosua and Cabarete. I really appreciate your comments and am looking forward to my trip.
 
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