Puerto Rico; the Diver’s Heaven

The archipelago of Puerto Rico is comprised of the main island of Puerto Rico, the Greater Antilles Island, several smaller keys and islands such as Vieques, Culebra and Mona.

It has an amazing tropical climate, too many beaches to mention and is surrounded on three sides by a continental shelf; ensuring that there is an abundance of caves, trenches, sea walls and coral reefs. All of this, plus a great deal more make the entire area of Puerto Rico and surrounding areas perfect for scuba diving, attracting divers from all different levels of experience.

The Condado area holds the metropolitan area of San Juan and is probably the easiest location to reach. There are other areas that are more impressive, but it does have great laver reefs, tunnels, and caverns along with overhangs that provide the perfect habitat containing schools of snapper, copper sweepers, coral shrimp, jacks, butterfly fish and even octopus.

For the more experienced divers looking for a more impressive dive consider a visit to the Humacao Region, it offers over 24 great dive spots with caves, tunnels and overhangs. Divers here are likely to see Dolphins, Lobsters and goby stations. This area offers great visibility and gorgeous coral views where angelfish and nurse sharks make their home.

For perhaps the ultimate dive try visiting western Puerto Rico that contains Mona Island sometimes referred to as the “Caribbean version of the Galapagos Islands”. These waters are home to 270+ species of fish, that includes some 60 “reef dwellers” along with larger marine life such as dolphins, marlin, sea turtles and whales. The vertical walls are all around the island that also includes steep drop-offs and caverns. The solitary nature of the island, including the 5 hours that it can take to get there means that the number of visitors is usually kept to a small number.

Of course there are many other areas that hold the same kind of beauty and wonder, just get out there and explore.