Cabarete - February 23-28 The "Master of the Ocean" returns for the 8th year later this month and promises to be even better than previous years.

Battling against the worlds most two powerful sources, wind and waves, the worlds best watermen and women (Surfers, Kitesurfers, and Windsurfers) come to Cabarete to thrill the audiences over the 6 days and perform some of the best tricks in the industry to gain the coveted first prize of being "Master of the Ocean." That´s just the main prize, but there are other prizes in each category of Surf, Kite and Wind Surf too.

While all this is going on, you can kick back, be thrilled from where ever you maybe watching and enjoy the welcome, ambience and great cuisine Cabarete has to offer.

The world has come together to help all those affected by the massive earthquake that hit Haiti last week.

The International Community has pledged US$400 million with the largest donors to date being the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the US government, who have both sent US$100 million each. The UK government, the UN and Brazil have sent US$10 million - with Brazil sending 14 tons of food and medical supplies. British Airways from the UK have sent planes full of emergency supplies, while Richard Branson´s Virgin Atlantic Airways are sending flights full of medical supplies and food via the US, as are American Airlines and Canada´s Air Canada

The Dominican Fiesta Hotel & Casino will proudly host the National Hotel and Restaurant Association Trade Show from the 29th August to the 1st September 2007. The organising committee have stated that already they have over 130 stands with national and international foreign exhibitors participating in this annual event. This is a highlight in every hoteliers calender and is greatly anticipated every year by every body working within the tourism sector and industry.

The president of the Dominican Association of Industries, that’s (AIRD) is calling for more fiscal responsibility from the government and says that neither the public nor the private sector can handle more taxes.

Yandra Portela said that the government, instead of focusing on fiscal reform to cover its costs, should cut government spending, seeing that this year alone spending has risen by 30%. Portela added...."the government needs more austerity when it comes to spending and that the current economic situation doesn't give President Leonel Fernandez the luxury of riding around in high priced SUVs and taking trips".

She also said that the Central Bank does not need to have a reform in order to deal with the quasi-fiscal deficit and that the government should take a look at its propane gas subsidy program. She also said that the government should focus on the energy crisis. Portela also criticized how "Dominicans make laws, and then abandon them," referring to Energy Laws 125-01 and the Monetary and Financial law.

Two prominent Dominican athletes have been banned this weekend from the Pan American Games after having both tested positive for banned substances by the Dominican Republic Olympic Committee. Pitcher Jose Jimenez has tested positive for anabolic steroids and the boxer Rafael Fernandez Sosa had elevated levels of testosterone of epitestosterone found in samples taken before they both traveled to Rio de Janeiro to compete in the games which are commencing next week.

Easily accessible by boat from either Santa Barbara de Samana, or Sanchez, Los Haitises stretches for approximately 200 sq. kilometers along the coast (south side of the Bay of Samana), and for approximately 1000 sq. kilometers from Sabana de la Mar in the east to Sanchez in the north.

Famous for its caves depicting many Taino drawings and carvings dating back to the 16th century, the coastline is also home to red and white mangrove swamps, lagoons, cays, and reef systems that are an ideal breeding ground for a number of birds, including the brown pelican, blue heron, frigate, roseate tern, and northern jacana.

The inland areas are littered with thousands of limestone promontories or mogotes, some rising up to 300 meters in height. These buttes are covered with tropical humid forest. The area is also home to an abundance of American cedar and Dominican mahogany.

Bordering Haiti and stretching over 500 square kilometers this park consists of subtropical dry forest, the Los Cayos de los Siete Hermanos (the Seven Brothers Cays) many coastal lagoons with dense mangroves, and the 700 foot El Morro, a limestone mesa towering above a lovely golden sand beach.

One of the driest regions of the Dominican Republic, averaging only 2-3 inches of rain annually, the area mainly consists of dry sub-tropical forests and marine and land ecosystems. The outlying group of islands (Los Siete Hermanos) is home to a variety of seabirds, such as brown pelicans, great egrets, yellow-crowned night herons, red-footed gannet, and frigate birds.

The main gateways in the Dominican Republic are Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo, Punta Cana, and recently Santiago de los Caballeros and Samana.  There are are other smaller airports here but are more geared toward in-land air travel and the immediate islands within the area.

These main gateways receive flights from the United States, Canada, & Europe. Folk traveling from Australia or New Zealand usually will have to travel first to the United States and continue to the DR from there.

There are plenty of scheduled flights from the United States and Canada, with most British tourists arriving on charter holiday flights from the UK and Ireland.

It is possible to arrive here via the water. A ferry from Mayaguez in Puerto Rico will bring you across the Mona Passage into Santo Domingo, cheap as it may be the journey is long and uncomfortable into the night. Approx costs for the ferry are US$150.00  one way plus US$10.00 entrance tax.

There are two main seasons in the Dominican Republic, the cool season which runs from November to April and the rainy season from May to October.  A lot of people and visitors to the island prefer the cool season as the heat is less intense, the humidity is lower and the rainfall is less frequent.  Temperatures are generally around 29°C during the day and will go down to about 19°C at night.

During the rainy season the rainfall can get very heavy, on the good side though the showers are heavy but short lived. Rainfall can wash out roads and make traveling difficult throughout the island. Rain is most frequent from May to Mid June (although for the last two years the rainy season has in fact been very dry).

In rainy season the average temperature is 31°C during the day and 22°C at night.

As you can see there isn’t that much seasonal variation between temperatures, although the summer months seem to get hotter each year and August can be sometimes unbearably hot, however if you are within arms reach of a swimming pool my advise is to do like the hippos do and just wallow around in some cool water!

Hurricane season runs from June to November and the Dominican Republic lies within the hurricane belt.  It is not possible to predict when a storm/hurricane will occur but with today's hurricane warning stations and systems they can certainly be tracked a lot quicker and warnings be given earlier than in years gone by.