learn, dive, save the coral!

Confusion about what exactly PUNTACANA Resort & Club has to offer has influenced travelers and residents alike, hopefully this blog will help orient all.  It is also important to note that although we are a

‘resort’ per say PUNTACANA Resort & Club does have core values which go further than just maintaining a beautiful beach, here we focus on the preservation and conversation of the Earth as well  Our collaborations and on property business owners all share a unified interest in sustainability. Our Resort is a hub for many pioneers in the green movement. Ecological efforts are seen in all aspects of our resort, no detail goes unnoticed including our onsite water activities.

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For example, our PADI Course Director, Mark Goldsmith with Blue Vision Adventures, in collaboration with PUNTACANA Ecological Foundation developed the Coral Reef First Aid Distinctive Specialty in order to provide the dive community with a  new course dedicated to coral reef survival. Goldsmith is the only person capable of certifying a student with a PADI Distinctive Specialty certification once the course is accurately completed. This is major news for us as well as the entire dive community with its over 135 thousand members. Corals are vital to the ecosystem, as stated in this article, “Corals play an important role underwater because they are not only animals, but a marine habitat to other marine species as well. In fact, about 25 percent of the world’s marine species depend on coral reefs for shelter and food.”


Now with the new coral reef protection program created by Goldsmith and the PUNTACANA Ecological Foundation all divers have the opportunity to help restore and preserve coral throughout the world! Our acquatic center is sustainable in that it houses an incredible course director but also practices eco-friendly water activities.  Most aquatic centers focus their activities around volume whereas PUNTACANA Resort & Club understands that valiant efforts have been made in protecting our coral reefs and we do not wish that work to be undone therefore we offer low density voyages which include, deep water fishing, snorkeling, scuba, and surfing among many others.

Apart from the honor of announcing Mark Goldsmith’s epic achievement and contribution we are also excited to announce that the Professional Association of Diving Instructor (PADI) will conduct its sixth annual Course Director Training Course at our Westin hotel. This course is the diving industry’s most extensive instructor trainer program available. 33 candidates representing 14 different countries will be participating in 9 days of training including marketing, counseling, standards and quality management. The candidates will have to present in the classroom, confined water and open water environment as well as evaluate presentation from PADI staff and team members.

Once certified, the participants will receive the rating of PADI Course Director, which is the highest rating available in the recreational diving industry and will be authorized to train SCUBA instructors.

Helping the ocean planet and educating others on new ways to maintain our environment healthy is a priority of ours. If you are interested in taking action in other dive eco efforts check out project AWARE, and or any of the diving blogs found in this post. Let us know what your green efforts have been or if you’ve witnessed any great sustainable efforts. Stay tuned for our next blog posts!

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