With gleaming blue waters and spectacular underwater sights, Puerto Rico is a paradise for those who love diving. Diving in Puerto Rico amongst its extensive shoreline, numerous amazing dive shops and alluring marine life adds to the quality of Puerto Rico’s dive sites. Here’s a look into the most amazing spots for diving in Puerto Rico:
4 Best Destinations for Diving in Puerto Rico!
1) Mona Island
Having over sixty meters of underwater visibility, Mona Island is one of the best destinations for diving in Puerto Rico. Apart from the spectacular rock formations, caves and corals, Mona Island has abundant aquatic life including dolphins, sharks, turtles, humpback whales, etc. It takes close to six hours on a live-aboard boat to reach the island located almost forty five miles away from the west coast of Puerto Rico.
The amazing currents, the unique wildlife and the clear blue waters of Mona Island makes diving greatly enjoyable despite the remote location which is difficult to reach. Private charters are another option to reach the island also known as ‘Galapagos of the Caribbean’.
Best time of the year to visit: November to January
Diving Skill: Intermediate to Advanced
2) La Parguera
Efra’s Wall, Fallen Rock and Black Wall are the most significant among the fifty plus diving sites in La Parguera. With beautiful coral reefs, stunning marine life, a lengthy sea wall and over thirty meters of underwater visibility, La Parguera is an amazing site for diving in Peurto Rico. La Parguera located in the southwestern town of Lajas is popular among divers all around the world for the excellent diving at The Wall.
West Divers and Island Scuba are companies in La Parguera that offer scuba diving trips and also ‘Discovery Dive’, a single day program that allows non-certified divers to experience scuba diving.
Best time of the year to visit: NA
Diving Skill: Intermediate to Advanced
3) Culebra
The number of diving sites in the island city of Culebra exceeds fifty. Cayo Raton has a visibility of more than hundred feet and an abundance of fishes. Having a depth of seventy five feet, Cayo Lobito is filled with nurse sharks that add thrill to the diving experience. Cayo Lobo and Tamarindo Beach are familiar among the travelers for picking up diving gear.
The underwater spectacle at Culebra contains caves, sunken ships and corals. Culebra Divers and Culebra Snorkeling and Diving Center are two of the prominent dive shops in Culebra for booking dive trips, collecting gear and learning diving lessons.
Best time of the year to visit: December to March (book during July itself since this period is the high season)
Diving Skill: Beginner to Intermediate
Note: May to October is the slower season. Even if you are planning to visit Culebra then, booking two weeks in advance is recommended.
4) Vieques
Having ideal diving conditions year-round and great underwater visibility, Vieques is a fantastic destination for diving in Puerto Rico. Rompeolas or Mosquito Pier is a sought after dive site in Vieques with fascinating aquatic life such as eagle rays, stingrays, Caribbean lobsters and a diverse range of reef fishes. Usually, diving in Rompeolas is equally enjoyable for beginners and experienced divers.
Isla Chiva, Patti’s Reef and Angel Reef are the other prominent dive sites situated in Vieques. The number of diving sites on the southern shore exceeds a dozen and it only takes a boat ride from Esperenza to reach any of them. There are no dive operators in Viques other than Isla Nena Scuba and Black Beard Sports.
Best time of the year to visit: mid-April to June
Diving Skill: Beginner
Did we miss to mention any of the amazing destinations to try diving in Puerto Rico? Let us know in the comments.
