Scuba Diving Rincon Puerto Rico | Dive Rincon Puerto Rico

Scuba Diving Puerto Rico: What to Expect

With the continental shelf surrounding it on three sides, Puerto Rico has an abundance of coral reefs, caves, sea walls, and trenches for divers of all experience levels to explore.

The tropical setting and warm waters make Puerto Rico a diver’s paradise. This fact was confirmed in 2006 when Puerto Rico was nominated as one of the top five diving destinations in the Scuba Diving Magazine's "Readers' Choice Awards". In addition, it has been named one of the Top 20 diving destinations in the world. It is no wonder that so many scuba divers come here to enjoy this activity in Puerto Rico.

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Scuba Diving in Puerto Rico

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Other Popular Dive Sites in Puerto Rico

Metropolitan San Juan: This easy beach dive off the Condado district in San Juan is not as spectacular as other dives mentioned here, but it's certainly more convenient. Lava reefs sculptured with caverns, tunnels, and overhangs provide hiding areas for schools of snapper, grunts, and copper sweepers. In the active breeding grounds of the inner and outer reefs, divers of all levels can mingle with an impressive array of small tropical fish -- French angels, jacks, bluehead wrasse, butterfly fish, sergeant majors, and more -- along with sea horses, arrow crabs, coral shrimp, octopuses, batfish, and flying gunards. Visibility is about 10 to 20 feet (3-6m). The Condado reef is also ideal for resort courses, certification courses, and night dives.

Mona Island: Mona Island, 40 miles (64km) west of the city of Mayagüez in western Puerto Rico, is the Caribbean version of the Galápagos Islands. Renowned for its pirate tales, cave-pocked cliffs, 3-foot-long (.9m) iguanas, and other natural wonders, its waters are among the cleanest in Puerto Rico, with horizontal visibility at times exceeding 200 feet (61m). More than 270 species of fish have been found in Mona waters, including more than 60 reef-dwelling species. Larger marine animals, such as sea turtles, whales, dolphins, and marlins, visit the region during migrations. Various types of coral reefs, underwater caverns, drop-offs, and deep vertical walls ring the island. The most accessible reef dives are along the southern and western shores. There are a number of outfits operating trips from the west coast of Puerto Rico. The boat ride now takes about three hours through the often rough Mona Passage.

Southern Puerto Rico: The continental shelf drops off precipitously several miles off the southern coast, producing a dramatic wall 20 miles (32km) long and teeming with marine life. Compared favorably to the wall in the Cayman Islands, this Puerto Rican version has become the Caribbean's newest world-class dive destination. Paralleling the coast from the seaside village of La Parguera to the city of Ponce, the wall descends in slopes and sheer drops from 60 to 120 feet (18-37m) before disappearing into 1,500 feet (457m) of sea. Scored with valleys and deep trenches, it is cloaked in immense gardens of staghorn and elkhorn coral, deep-water gorgonians, and other exquisite coral formations. Visibility can exceed 100 feet (30m). There are more than 50 dive sites around Parguera alone.

Fajardo: This coastal town in eastern Puerto Rico offers divers the opportunity to explore reefs, caverns, miniwalls, and channels near a string of palm-tufted islets. The reefs are decked in an array of corals ranging from delicate gorgonians to immense coral heads. Visibility usually exceeds 50 feet (15m). Divers can hand-feed many of the reef fish that inhabit the corals. Sand channels and a unique double-barrier reef surround Palomino Island, where bandtailed puffers and parrotfish harems are frequently sighted. Cayo Diablo, farther to the east, provides a treasure box of corals and marine animals, from green moray eels and barracudas to octopuses and occasional manatees.

Humacao Region: South of Fajardo are some 24 dive sites in a 5-mile (8km) radius off the shore. Overhangs, caves, and tunnels perch in 60 feet (18m) of water along mile-long (1.6km) Basslet Reef, where dolphins visit in spring. The Cracks, a jigsaw of caves, alleyways, and boulders, hosts an abundance of goby-cleaning stations and a number of lobsters. With visibility often exceeding 100 feet (30m), the Reserve offers a clear look at corals. At the Drift, divers float along with nurse sharks and angelfish into a valley of swim-throughs and ledges. For the experienced diver, Red Hog is the newest site in the area, with a panoramic wall that drops from 80 to 1,160 feet (24-354m).

Desecheo Island | Rincon, Puerto Rico

The 360 acres (0.56 square miles) island of Desecheo is located in the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, 19 kilometers (14 miles) off the coast of Rincón. The island was discovered by Christopher Columbus, but it was not named until 1517 by Nuñez Alvarez de Aragón. Desecheo terrain is rugged, its highest peak reaching 676 feet.

The Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge established in 1983 has been serving as a nature reserve. Today is an important site for seabird nesting. Desecheo, which has no known

Desecheo Island, Puerto Rico

bodies of surface water, reaches a maximum elevation of 218 m and has an annual precipitation, on average, of 1020 mm (40.15 in). The lack of surface water limits its flora to thorny shrubs, small trees, weeds and various cacti, including the endangered Harrisia portoricensis. Fauna includes various species of seabirds, three endemic species of lizard (Ameiva desechensis, Anolis desechensis and Sphaerodactylus levinsi), introduced goats and rats, and a population of Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) introduced from Cayo Santiago in 1967 as part of a study on adaptation. Before the introduction of rhesus monkeys the island was the largest nesting colony of the Brown Booby, however, no species presently nests on the island

Because of a healthy reef and clear waters, with common visibility ranging from 30 to 45 metres (98 to 150 ft), Desecheo is a very popular place for diving fans. Although diving is permitted around the island, the refuge is closed to the public due to the presence of unexploded military ordnance. Trespassers are subject to arrest by Federal law enforcement officers. Divers can enjoy a multitude of coral formations, sea fans, swim throughs and abundant sea life.

Video: Diving Desecheo Island