First things first. No waterslide at any waterpark will ever be the same again -- not after cascading down real waterfalls in the Dominican Republic. The waterfall escapade -- billed as 27 Waterfalls, though that's really a misnomer, as it's more like 12 waterfalls flowing into 27 pools of water -- is only one of a multitude of outdoor adventures offered by Iguana Mama, the ultimate outdoor tour operator in the Dominican Republic.

I was up close and personal with the coral moonscape and the many multi-colored residents who call it home. Trigger fish, trumpets, sergeant major fish, blue parrots, butterfly fish -- "The list is so long it would take me a whole day to tell you," my instructor claimed. At one point, he directed me to the bottom to look underneath a big coral formation where a Puffer Fish was happily hiding. You can't do that when snorkeling!