Few people realize that Cabarete beach is one of the longest stretches of uninterrupted sand beach in the DR. The bay of Cabarete is two kilometers long. You can walk west to Sosua until Perla Marina, probably 6 kms. Going east, it is 7 kms to the Yasica River which you can cross walking usually only waist-deep pending on rain in the mountains the night before.

Before crossing, you might have lunch in the Dominican bar overlooking the lagoon that serves fresh fish with an incredible view. Then you can walk another 30 kilometers on a totally deserted palm trees lined beach. That's 6+2+ 7 +30= 45 kms. So close to civilization, such a long beach.

As a world class windsurfing destination, Cabarete was discovered in 1985 by Canadian Jean Laporte who spread the world. In less than three years, he had organized the first Professional Windsurfing Associaton World Cup in 1988. The World Cup event came to Cabarete again in June of 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1997. The big names of professional world class windsurfing have competed here, including Robby Naish, Bjorn Dunkerbeck, Anders Bringdal, Robert Teriitehau and many others.

While the cost of the World Cup has lately been too high to find sponsors in the DR, the Cabarete windsurf community organizes an annual international amateur event, the Cabarete Race Week, that attracts some of the leading amateur competitors of the world for a week of windsurfing days and partying nights. Competitions are organized in the Open Class, Masters, Grand Masters, Women, Juniors and Sports Class categories. This year the event took place 18-23 June 2001.

Windsurfers say the best months for the sport are the summer months (June through August) when you can expect good flat water. Trade winds and thermal winds create perfect conditions for world class sailing, with winds averaging 15 to 25 miles per hour (24-40 kph). The best waves occur from January to March. The worst months are May, October and November. But, if you can't make it in the summer don't worry.
Wind conditions vary all year and it is more than likely there will be many good surfing days regardless of when you travel.

For those of you bringing your own equipment, there is no duty or deposit required upon entry through the airport. But for those who don't want to bring their gear, quality equipment and instruction are available at the resorts here.

Surfing
Cabarete is a good choice if you want to go surfing. Playa Encuentro, just five minutes from Cabarete, has a reputation among local surfers as the best spot. You can bring your own surf board or rent one in Cabarete. Some businesses will offer lessons and shuttle buses to North Coast surf spots.

Skin Diver Magazine describes the area: The bay's broad, peninsula shaped reef begins 15 feet from the surface, dropping down to a depth of 60 feet on one side and 45 feet on the other with a narrow slit that cuts through it, forming a small canyon. Outside the bay, a second system featuring a broad network of patch reefs known as Tropical Garden, follows the bottom's easy sloping contours from a maximum depth of 100 feet, stretching back up to 30 feet, ending on a site named Three Rocks. Coming to within 15 feet of the surface, Three Rock's three linear shaped, patch reef formations make an exciting macro dive through their rich presence of small reef beauties like juvenile Spotted Drums, swimming about the corals with almost complete abandon."

There are several PADI dive operations operating in the area that will take tourists to the sites that can be swum to from the shore, but also to walls, a sunken cargo ship wreck, coral heads and even underwater cave near Cabrera, a short distance from Playa Grande and Rio San Juan to the East. Expect underwater temperatures between 26C and 29C and visibility ranging from 18 to 35 meters.