Anyone who lives in Sosua knows the Charamicos side doesn't have a beach anymore. I never thought about them cutting down the trees. I'm no climate Nazi however I believe removing them would be the nail in the coffin.
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Sosua Beach Unions Want More Involvement
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It's been rocks and slabs of stone for years now. Most tourists are afraid to go up the hill toward Charamicos.
They will do everything possible to make the beach inhospitable to anyone who does not live there.
I don't know about the trees being gone(?). There's restrictions on removing trees - especially palm trees.
Seeing as the playing surface on a football field is 100 yards or 300 feet - yeah .............. I doubt 300 feet!
This was taken in the 1940's:
I was not even born at that time, I remember we a bunch of teenagers went to Sosua beach for Eastern week circa 1977, we set up tents on the side of the beach near to El Batey. Some of my fellows childhood friends were helping out Defensa Civil as life guards and others as radio aficionados... there was not a single vendor on the beach at that time.
JJ
My first time in Sosua was 1978. Empty as far as the eye could see, Mr AE and I were the only people on the beach. I have a photo somewhere
found it
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Evidently the new plaza spaces have already being divided up amongst government officials. None of the local vendors will receive a location unless they are politically connected or pay the kickback fee, which is currently suggested at 10 -20k depending on size and location. As usual, nothing is done in this country to benefit the general public. Every project that gets signed off on has a political pocket to fill. Go Dominican Republic!
If they remove all the businesses except new ones at plazas on each end the beach will lose all it's charm. If they remove the trees it's doomed. It'll go from being one of the most enjoyable beaches in the World, IMO, to crap.
A large part of the charm is the "rustic. haphazard mixture of businesses, the people walking from and to Los Charamicos and El Batey, "commuting" and the dual nature of the beach, bi-level, hot and sandy by the water, and cool and shady on the upper level under the trees. The convenience of being able to get relatively fast service from your favorite business and supporting them. It will become much more impersonal and sterile and without the convenience and loyalty not to mention the friendship of the business owners and staff. It'll be just like so many other beaches except with a bunch of luxury condos blocking the breeze.
I rarely go there anymore for other reasons but when I do, and in my fond memories, there's no place like it, in the best of ways. I hate that it'll be destroyed but that seems to be the plan.
A large part of the charm is the "rustic. haphazard mixture of businesses, the people walking from and to Los Charamicos and El Batey, "commuting" and the dual nature of the beach, bi-level, hot and sandy by the water, and cool and shady on the upper level under the trees. The convenience of being able to get relatively fast service from your favorite business and supporting them. It will become much more impersonal and sterile and without the convenience and loyalty not to mention the friendship of the business owners and staff. It'll be just like so many other beaches except with a bunch of luxury condos blocking the breeze.
I rarely go there anymore for other reasons but when I do, and in my fond memories, there's no place like it, in the best of ways. I hate that it'll be destroyed but that seems to be the plan.
Cabarete is not the answer. There's no place to park the buses, the beach is terrible and by its nature too winde, and the water is rough, and no where near as safe and enjoyable to be in for cooling off and swimming as Playa Sosua is. I would "never" hang out in Cabarete like so many have done, for decades in Sosua.
Different strokes for different folks. The beach faces north and the prevailing winds are east to west. It's usually not windy on the beach, the water isn't rough, and it is generally very safe to swim there.
There used to be a lot of busses in Cabarete an still are on some holiday weekends. On the east side they are parked all the way to Janet's at times and on the west side stretching to Banco Popular. I guarantee you some will be coming to Cabarete - others to Puerto Plata.
There are many Santiagueros that drive to Cabarete every weekend that completely disagree with your assessment.
I completely disagree but believe what you want. In my experience what I posted is 100%% true and valid. It's hard to be a famous windsurfing destination without being winde! LOL Also making the water much less calm and safe, like it is in Sosua. It's known for strong currents many have drowned, especially a little west of the main beach. Compared to Playa Sosua it's downright dangerous but most importantly to the comparison it's nowhere near as enjoyable. As proof look at the number of busses bringing people to Playa Sosua vs Cabarete...NO comparison. Sosua wins, hands down.
I live in cabarete year around. Do you? Yes, there is plenty of wind, but the prevailing wind is east to west blowing parallel to the beach. People have drowned to the east and west of Cabarete beach(not Cabarete Beach itself) where the coastline faces more eastward and is more subject to the winds, waves, and rip currents. Cabarete beach is a small bay protected by reefs. It's usually pretty calm.
When a high pressure system moves eastward over the Atlantic, it does tend to generate rough seas and more northward winds that affect Cabarete beach, but also Sosua beach. The last time I was on the beach in Sosua, waves were crashing spectacularly on the cliffs to the west and the sea was so rough, no one was going into the water there either.
!00% agreed. Lost a good friend last November who drowned in Cabarete.
The currents in Cabarete are much stronger where as Sosua Bay has the reef
which helps break them up with almost zero undertow. I would also like to
warn people on the North Coast to be very careful if visiting Playa Los Gringos
in Nagua as the undertow there is horrible.
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