Crossing the Mona Passage. We were able to make sure the boat was as prepared as possible for the countless terrible tales of the Mona passage we had read about and had a very early night. *Processing Check back later for the full Audio transcript, [] Episode Crossing the Mona Passage: The Scary Truth Suggested Post Our [], [] Previous Episode Its not easy! . Nick and I had planned to stay at Puerto Bahia in Samana for at least a few days. Rough entries and exits are common, with swells as high as 8-9 feet (up to 3m). Spotting a small hut in the jungle we went to speak with a couple of the locals. Our bodies ached badly after the hard paddle the day before and the prospect of another 17 hours in the boat was not doing much for our moods. Carlos treated us to a brilliant final dinner and we were tucked up in bed to get our 4 hours sleep in. At last. The passage is underlain by a seismically active rift zone that overprints an older partly eroded tilted-block structure. They halted a passing car which took us 10 minutes down the road to our accommodation. We felt safe leaving Satori there for 10 days as we went to Old San Juan to house and dog sit. The day passed slowly and uneventfully apart from a few oil tankers in different directions. The best diving sites are located along its Western and Southern shoresand largely accessible through seasonal liveaboards that operate mostly in the winter months. In spite of the fear that humans have of sharks, several tourists who were taking diving lessons swam next to the shark, which did not represent any threat. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We rounded a headland with fingers and toes crossed that there might be a beach. Sharks are large receptors for these heavy metals and toxins their meat is saturated with mercury, among other things. [emailprotected]. The one ranger on the island appeared in his buggy with the one police sergeant. Before deciding to paddle onwards Will luckily spotted two signs to guide us through a narrow channel into shore. There's not much more to it it was a slog and for a long time in the middle there was no land in sight. The craft, powered by two outboard engines, was headed toward Puerto Rico, a U.S. commonwealth and the closest land area from the eastern point of the Dominican Republic. Increasing the information available on the elasmobranchs in Puerto Rico is critical in revealing which threats are a priority to conserve threatened and endangered species (i.e. Cruising boaters entering the Caribbean from the north often do so via a stop at Saman in the northeastern part of the Dominican Republic, then continuing across the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico without stopping. Divers who access Mona Islands should be aware; however, that deep water and rough surface conditions can limit diving to intermediate or advanced divers only. 16 hours later and we were nearing the Dominican Republic. We've touched on people's amazing generosity in the past and Carlos was no different. That made our passage right around 29 hours. in St. Lucia. I love the ocean and have been to lots of beaches and have to overcome my fears every time I go snorkelling. Our passage starts at Luperon, which makes the trip 260 miles . On our way out of Samana Bay, we had a close call with two kayaks. With the intention of surfing, we headed to the beach. However, it turned out to be a fun day. It was in about 20 feet of water: we were on the top, and the shark was on the bottom. Then without having been there; there is suddenly all the advice being posted by DT on various island topics. mona passage 12,887 views Jun 3, 2014 60 Dislike Share Save colin williams 112 subscribers Crossing the Mona passage doesn't turn out to be quite what the forecast predicted. No one knows how many Dominicans have drowned crossing the shark-infested passage that separates Puerto Rico and the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It was now time to put all our faith in the local Dominicans. Amid all the slanderI was stung by a jellyfish (?) Our final stop before heading to Old San Juan was Salinas. Officially known as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish for "rich port"), this Caribbean archipelago is an unincorporated territory of the United States. etc. Their hospitality was just incredible. - Our emergency grab bag with flares and spare radio. Dominica The Incredible Hidden Paradise! At about 4 a.m. Tuesday, 168 Dominicans paid $300 to $500 each and crowded onto a wooden boat that was built to carry about 50, witnesses said. I live in Fla, vacation in the Bahamas regularly(Abacos) and have been down through the British and Dutch Virgin Islands. Midnight. Marine life at Mona Island is abundant, and divers regularly glimpse giant sea turtles, whales, dolphins and even world class blue marlins as these species migrate through the Mona Passage. Tweedy is the one who overreacted. Look through examples of Mona Passage translation in sentences, listen to pronunciation and learn grammar. Photo by Molly J. Smith In January of 2004, Grullart and her younger brother boarded a makeshift boat known as a "yola" under the cover of darkness. In addition, a shark is a predator that feeds mainly on large prey: seals, sea lions, less commonly dolphins, well, all types of large fish. The passage between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico is considered a rough passage, with strong winds and high seas pushing through the sixty-mile space between the two mountainous islands. Shark attack at Mona Passage in Between DR and Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic Tweet Toggle navigationShark Attack Data Incidents by country Links Shark Attack Data Shark Attacks: The Database Countries Dominican Republic Puerto Rico is surrounded on three sides by the continental shelf, providing its waters with an abundance of marine life and interesting underwater topography. This is most likely some kid who has summer time on their hands and needs a swift kick in the behind and a job! Although Mona Island is one of the premier dive sites in Puerto Rico, dont be disappointed if you havent heard of itor if youve been to the island and somehow missed it altogether. But progress was much slower than before. It took them 29 hours of dodging canoes and an incident with a fishing net. All those questions are fine individually but put them all together & it makes perfect sense why someone would wonder why in the world you would consider going to the Caribbean in the first place! We were in luck, a tiny beach appeared in front of us and we sighed with relief. The events described in this topic, have been extremely isolated events, on the beaches of the Dominican Republic and Punta Cana the only thing you will find is water and sand (along with palm trees, people, etc, but you get the point, right?). In addition to this, the trade winds converge in this channel and collide with great force, and this force is transferred to the water, forming huge waves of more than 12 feet high. . Broken Mooring! Unfortunately, there were no waves that day. They remained in jail this morning but were expected to be released shortly. After unloading the boat the quiet hum of an engine approaching caught our attention. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'kiskeyalife_com-leader-2','ezslot_12',629,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-kiskeyalife_com-leader-2-0');The lack of protective elements allows any marine species, as well as large waves, to reach the maritime spaces that are supposed to be enabled for the use of vacationers. Book Details. Salinas is a protected mangrove bay much like Luperon. against us. Contact Us - The mona passage is where the Caribbean and Atlantic seas meet, due to the meeting of the two oceans, large water movements are created, and this makes the sea at this point very violent. At 7:00 am the next morning, we pulled up anchor and headed for Marina Pescaderia in Puerto Real. Unfortunately, in recent years, indiscriminate shark fishing to meet the demand for shark fin soup. Elena will survey the reefs in DArros and St Joseph in the Seychelles, comparing this years findings to previous data. Mona being an uninhabited island we expect nothing but a small hut was visible in the distance and we decided to check it out. As long as you are not spearfishing you are fine! fishery here, making it the first confirmed sighting for Puerto Rico. In short, sharks are not a problem or something to be feared in Punta Cana. The Mona Passage between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico United States Geological Survey The missing people are among the thousands of Haitians who have been desperately taking to the. <p>Check out our video showcasing the marina here: Dominican Republic. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'kiskeyalife_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_5',623,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-kiskeyalife_com-medrectangle-4-0');the Dominican Republics shoreline is bordered by a coral reef, this implies that sharks are very rare visitors in the coastal waters since the reef is a natural barrier for them. Yes, Tweedy is extremely knowledgeable and willing to share her experiences for the benefit of all. What did finally help was when we went close to shore. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'kiskeyalife_com-leader-3','ezslot_13',649,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-kiskeyalife_com-leader-3-0');They are very peaceful beaches, some beaches are a little livelier than others in terms of waves, nothing more. The training will focus on how to interact with fishers respectfully so as to develop trusting collaborative relationships. They began to interrogate us in Spanish, looking both confused by the fact we were saying we had crossed half the Mona passage and excited by our arrival. They told us we need to be another couple of miles down the shore for our accommodation. The Dominican marine ecosystem is considered one, Thank you for taking the time to share such important info as I would like to travel that way some point after pandemic. [5] Underwater glider observations reveal wave damping as the internal tide propagates south along the Mona Passage towards the open Caribbean Sea. The passage between the Dominican Republic and . . It got light a hour later and the wind started to pick up, not coming from the East as forecast, but from the South i.e. The ridge forms the southern boundary of the 4000 m deep Mona Canyon which extends toward the north to the strike slip fault zones which bound Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. 13 earthquakes in the past 30 days. The Mona Passage, also known as shark alley, was fortunately not living up to its reputation. A coastal and semi-oceanic species observed along outer continental and insular shelves, they can go down to depths of 820 feet (250 meters) or deeper during the daytime, often ascending in the water column at night to about 98-164 ft (30-50 m) deep; here they feed on mainly small fish and squid. Under sail it means an even longer distance because of having to "tack" a zig-zag course into the easterly trade winds. That a night shark (Carcharhinus signatus) was recorded here isnt entirely surprising - their range is a large swath of the Western Atlantic Ocean (from Delaware to southern Brazil and Argentina), as well the Eastern Atlantic off Africa (think Senegal through the Democratic Republic of the Congo and even in northern Namibia). Tagged: Blue Whale Beach Apartment, Carlos, Mona Passage, Isla Mona, Get Exploring Trust, Golden Arc Expedition, Kayaking the Mona Passage, Mayaguez, Rincon, Dominican Republic, Shark Alley, Anasco, Cap Cana. There were several schools of about 15 sharks each, just attacking the refugees in the water. One of the largest and best-known families of sharks, these animals are medium-to-large, active predators that are known to be migratory and found in waters worldwide. That inhabit the jurisdictional waters of the Dominican Republic and the commercialization of its derivative products throughout the national territory, including its export or import. Weispitzen-Hochseehaie und Seidenhaie sind typisch in der Mona-Passage. We finally arrived at the edge of Puerto Rico around 11:00 pm. Sensing our frustrated mood he decided to take us in the morning with his wife to get a brilliant breakfast. No photos of any of this.. we were too tired. After settling us in he made sure we had a fantastic breakfast the next day, kindly drove us into Mayaguez to process through customs and gave us a wonderful tour of his great town Anasco and the surf village of Rincon! No one really knew which direction to point us. After our disappointment first thing in the morning and a couple of hours of feeling sorry for ourselves during which we actually made pretty good progress we were starting to feel a little better. They kindly said we could leave the kayak outside their hut and pointed us up a dirt track to where the road was located. The aim of this project is to study deep-water sharks that are caught in the Mona Passage and document shark populations through genetic and taxonomic identification to better understand their role in the Mona Island ecosystem. There are also caves to explore within the rock walls. The Mona Passage is 80 miles (130 kilometer). Look out for our newsletters with travel tips and special offers. We started with breakfast at McDonalds. There were sunken boats scattered around the Bay. And, its that very feeling that will likely keep divers from sharing too much about how great the experience is and keeping Mona Island a secretat least for a little while longer. She was entangled in hook and line gear used in the deep-water snapper and grouper fishery here, making it the first confirmed sighting for Puerto Rico. Thank you very much for all of your replies. Dominicans who make it across Mona Passage are often deposited on Mona Island, a dry, uninhabited island in the middle of the passage, 40 miles from Puerto Ricos west coast. 14 March 2010 | Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Immigration is a difficult issue to deal with. We changed bearing and started heading west along the coast. oceanic white tip, scalloped hammerhead, silky). The epicenter of the 1918 earthquake was located along the east or southeast edge of the Mona Rift. No one knows how many Dominicans have drowned crossing the shark-infested passage that separates Puerto Rico and the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. A blue shark died on the beach after being dragged out of the water by tourists and alleged lifeguards to take pictures with him. With the prospect of another days delay looming we made contact with Carlos again. Evan will assess factors such as movement, energy use, and prey availability to understand if and how these factors govern the home range size of sharks, ultimately improving the design of MPAs. when he was seven years old. Mona Passage is Bardenwerper's first book. Sailing from Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands Suggested Post Crossing the Mona Passage: The Scary Truth [], [] Previous Episode Stocking Up and Shipping Out, Beautiful Spinnaker Sailing S2: E28 Suggested Post Crossing the Mona Passage: The Scary Truth [], Videos Season 1 (Florida to the Bahamas), Crossing the Mona Passage: The Scary Truth, Night Sailing in the Dominican Republic: What Not To Do, Marina Review Puerto Bahia Marina, Dominican Republic. We had fortunately been offered accommodation at the last minute and were pleased to have a place to stay. Previously there were no laws in the Dominican Republic for protection against shark fishing, but since 2017, shark fishing is prohibited due to an incident with a blue shark in Punta Cana. We waited for a nerve-wracking half an hour before we were confident enough that we were not going to kayak into the path of any of them and then continued on. In an effort to earn some money for my time and effort, I often link to various products. Obtain a permit for a two- or three-day diving and camping excursion to Mona Island. Her project is employing molecular tools to help contribute to this much-needed knowledge, while translating findings to the wider Puerto Rican community through education and bringing awareness to shark conservation. Continuing until sunlight was uneventful. Now, what does "scattered thunderstorms" (NoAA Marine Forecast) mean to you? [4], Semidiurnal tidal currents impinging on a submarine ridge known as El Pichincho can force the generation of an internal tide with a wave height of 40 meters. While we didnt indulge too hard in the party scene, we checked out a few spots and even danced in the street to the famous Puerto Rican salsa music. Neither Nick or I were in the mood to cook. These species are taken as by-catch by local fishermen and used for consumption. I deeply resent your arrogant and treacherous attack. Puerto Ricos diverse reefs, caves, sea walls and marine trenches have garnered its seas international recognition among the scuba diving community, luring divers of all experience levels to explore the waters. Yes, Tweedy, SHUT THE HELL UP!! Decent Tropical (or whatever name they are going by this hour) just likes to stir up heated discussions. You may opt-out by. 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