A first-person YouTube travel vlog transcript (Nate and Kara Buchanan) documenting scuba diving and leisure in the Dominican Republic. The hosts describe refresher training, multiple dives (including an eel encounter), stays at an all-inclusive resort, a day trip to Catalina Island with clear water and abundant reef life, and relaxed island dining. The tone is celebratory and personal—gratitude and wonder about diving experiences and tropical leisure.
Chapters
Then the eel ate another eel.
We're reunited. My whole life is in this bag. I'm so happy. Don't leave me again.
Good morning. It is an absolutely beautiful first day here in the Dominican Republic, and we are going to be working with Patty this week, which means that we're going to be doing a lot of diving, and it's a little bit of a dream come true for us.
So we were thinking about the last time we went scuba diving, and it was almost a year ago in January. And then that had us reflecting on all of our other past dives, and we just realized how thankful we were that we both got certified in college.
It was something that we just did on a whim. We both needed a couple extra elective credits, and we decided diving seemed like the most fun way to fulfill those.
We just had no idea how much scuba diving would enrich our travels for the rest of our lives. So the first time we got to put our certification to use was in Belize on our honeymoon, which was awesome.
Then we decided to get our advanced certification in Thailand, where we did our very first night dive.
We did.
Was really fun. I just didn't look too far out in the distance. I didn't want to know what was there. And after that, we got to go in the Florida Keys.
Then we got to go in Barbados.
Then we went in the mall and an aquarium in Dubai.
One place I never thought I would go diving with sharks.
Huge sharks.
Scary sharks.
And we are just so excited to get back in the water.
Oh, I can't believe I'm doing this.
But first, we have to do a little refresher course in the pool to make sure that our skills are up to date.
Remember how to plug everything in?
All right, we passed the skills test, and now it's time for the real thing.
One.
So good.
That was amazing. I love scuba diving. We saw one of the coolest things we've ever seen underwater. First we saw our first eel ever. So I'm already like, this is crazy. Then the eel ate another eel right in front of us.
So we're just, like, swimming beside it, following it, and the next thing we know, there's this huge cloud of sand, and it has been another eel in.
Its mouth, and it was, like, folding it up, and then it started swimming away, and it had this huge lump in its mouth. It ate it so fast.
It was like, one second it was eating it, and then the next second it just disappeared.
I thought it, like, got away or something. And then our instructor was going like, this and you could see it.
It had, like, a pouch.
That was crazy.
Such a fun way to start our diving here.
And the coral is so alive, and the reef is huge. I think it's the most lively, colorful coral we've ever seen. So our base for diving the next few days is this beautiful, all inclusive resort. And it has a beautiful beach and we have our bathing suits. So we're gonna be spending the rest of the afternoon soaking in the.
Not a bad way to spend the afternoon.
All inclusive resorts are great for rest and relaxation, but they're not exactly a good way to get to know a city. So we are about to head into the town that's closest to us called Baive for dinner.
That's why we got all dressed up. Good luck. Smells good in here.
Keeping watching the checks.
Put your hands.
Yeah. Are you sure?
Take him to the table. Yeah. We've got a new friend. He's coming to the table with us. His feet are very strong.
Yummy.
My toes are in the sand. We're like 10ft from the ocean and there's tiki torches everywhere. This is so nice. And we're the only ones up here. It just got better. We just got our food. There's an entire fried fish on my plate, and it looks amazing. And the most beautiful avocado and tomato salad I've ever seen. When we first got here, the owner said, I'm thinking what you're eating tonight, which I absolutely love, because you know, it's going to be good. The fish is like.
Yay. Great first day.
It's day two, and we are about to hop on a boat and head out to Catalina island, where we're gonna spend the day diving.
It is a beautiful, warm, sunny day, and I had a burrito for breakfast. So let me just restate how much I love the Dominican Republic.
First dive of the day.
It.
I think this might be one of my favorite parts of diving. This time in between dives, when you're just getting to, like, rest and hang out on top of the boat, it's.
Such a great, great feeling because you feel, like, kind of tired and relaxed from the dive, and then you feel really accomplished and excited. And the sun is shining, the wind's.
In your hair, and it's great because it's like a mandatory break. You have to stay out of the water long enough for the nitrogen to leave your body for the first dive before you can go again.
And it's like one of the best parts.
Mandatory relax in the sunshine. All right, we just got to Our second dive site.
It.
We are done diving for today. It was a beautiful morning, and now we're on this island with the most crystal clear, blue water.
We're gonna eat lunch with our toes in the sand. Could not be a better day. The dives this morning were so good. Like, the water clarity here has been incredible. And just, like, the life and how alive everything is down it. Like, there's no, like, really big animals here that we've seen, but it's just teeming with tons of tiny, colorful, beautiful fish.
Those are my thoughts exactly. Every time we're swimming over the coral, I'm just like life now.
I'm hungry.
Oh, my gosh. We just sat down for lunch, and they brought enough food for at least 10 people just for us. We each have our own lobster. This is crazy. On one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. Today rocks.
What to eat first.
Well, that went by way too fast.
Back to the mainland. Although there could be worse places to be going back to.
Oh, darn. We have to go back to the resort.
We are just, like, living a tropical dream this week. It's.
It really is a dream. I cannot believe this is our life.
We don't take this for granted. We know. We're super lucky.
This is super handy.
Do you like champagne?
You like it?
There are people in the ocean right now.
Oh, banana tips. Look at this water. It's so clear.
