Water Sports & Activities, Puerto Rico

4 more images

Our host at the villa suggested a snorkle trip out to Culebra, which he said was really just gorgeous, it was. He booked us with East Wind Tours, a high speed catamaran, it takes just about a half hour or so to get to the first snorkle stop at the Luis Peña Nature Preserve. On the ride out, snacks and yummy rum beverages are served. The rum punch was delicious. When you get to the reserve you have an hour or so to snorkle around, you can bring your own gear but if you don't have any, snorkles, masks and flippers are provided for you. We saw all kinds of fish, including parrotfish, trumpetfish and stingrays. Another passenger saw a sea turtle, we were not as lucky :( We also saw a barracuda, luckliy it was from the safety of the boat! We were told they won't hurt you, but they still scare the bejesus out of me, all those big teeth!) After this stop, the boat continues onto beautiful Flamenco beach, supposedly the 2nd most beautiful beach in the world, I think they said the 1st was in Hawaii. Lunch is served on the boat, and you are given a couple of hours to snorkle and enjoy the beach. After that, it's time for the return trip to Farjado Marina. I don't remember that bit so well, I fell asleep on a bench (All that rum punch!)
This was Lou's first snorkling experience, he loved it, we'll have it do it again ;)

(continued from above I ran out of room!)

We went on the Las Tortugas tour. Our guide Alvin was great. It was about $80 for the two of us. I highly recommend this tour. We saw other tours with people that had straggled behind their group and their tour guide just left them! Alvin would rescue them and tow them out. They also appeared very unorganized and slow, and they wouldn't pull aside to let us pass, as we would do for other companies.
There are 2 more Bio bays on the island. the brightest is on the island of Vieques, the other is in the southwestern corner of PR. It used to be the brightest, but now since so many motorboats have gone through it and killed off alot of the microorganisms, it is the dimmest of the 3. please if you go on a tour, kayak, or take a boat with an electric motor.
Check out the second link for fantastic shots of the glowing waters!

You must go on a bioluminescent kayak tour while in Puerto Rico. It was amazing, something I plan to go back again in the future to see and take my children to (and I don't even have kids yet!) We were just kayaking along when suddenly the water was glowing, I cannot even explain it, it was so amazing! From what I've read and heard, there are only 5 of these bright biobays in the world, 2 in Australia and 3 in Puerto Rico. Brilliance is measured by plankton population.

The Bioluminescent Bays of Puerto Rico
• Mosquito Bay in Vieques has 750,000 plankton per gallon
• Las Croabas Lagoon in Fajardo has 500,000 plankton per gallon
• La Parguera near Guanica has less than 300,000 per gallon

We went to Las Croabas Lagoon using the hotel to book the trip. It was $70 per person which included transportation from my hotel in Isla Verde to the kayak site near Fajardo. At the time I was clueless about how to take pictures of the glowing. My pictures were all failures. Now I found this website http://www.islavieques.com/biolinks.html . So maybe someday I'll go back again and successfully get pictures.

I never really saw biobay tours advertised, maybe because they're trying to preserve the ecosystem? But I arranged my Las Croabas Biobay tour through the Ritz Carlton's concierge 787-253-1700. If you want to see an even better glow at Vieques, http://www.eastwindcats.com can get you there and back from the Puerto Rico mainland. I didn't get to do the Vieques biobay tour because there weren't enough people (should be at least 8 on the boat) and they canceled the tour.

4 more images

I think diving in Puerto Rico must be the best kept secret of the Caribbean! There are only a few dive centers spread along 500 km of coastline. Puerto Rico is full of beautiful beaches, clear water and unbelievable healthy coral reefs. For scuba diving tours or even scuba diving lessons, i recommend to travel to the east coast.
In Palmas del Mar you will find a relatively new dive center called East Puerto Rico Diving. You can get on a diving tour to Viequez Island, dive with dolphins and manatees and enjoy dive the most beautiful dive spots of the Caribbean without bumping in to other divers. And if you are very, very lucky.. you might even have the chance to see whales!
The staff is well trained, they know their turf, and everybody is friendly and helpful.
If you're not up for scuba diving, go for a snorkeling tour. The east coast of Puerto Rico is shallow and the warm Caribbean water hosts more healthy coral reefs and tropical fish than you could ever explore in one single Puerto Rico Vacation. For me, this is not the only reason to come back to Puerto Rico. There are so many things to do here, but that is subject to another page.

This was the only 1 day tour that I found that gets you to Culebra fast (from Fajardo or San Juan) and gives you time to snorkel in the reef and later spend 2.5 hours on Flamenco Beach. The tour includes BBQ lunch, which is hamburgers, grilled chicken, and hotdogs. The tour includes all you can drink rum punch, pina coladas, and soft drinks. Wear your swimsuit with shorts over it, bring a towel, and clothes to change into. I must warn you that because the trip is so fast on the way over there and is against the wind, it is a very bumpy ride. I don't normally get seasick, but this time I wasn't feeling well. But the ride is only 40 minutes and it is well worth it. Anyway, the ride back is not bumpy, because it is going in the same direction as the wind. It costs $89 per person if you meet them at their marina in Fajardo. You can pay more if you need transportation from your hotel. We met them at the marina dock at 9 am and they returned us to the dock at 4 pm. I would not suggest taking a ferry over to Culebra, because you should have seen the lines. I heard that those people have to wait for 4 hours in the morning just to secure a seat on the 11 am ferry. This tour was very efficient and always on-time to take us from one place to the next. They provide the snorkel equipment for you. They also have a water hose you can use to wash off at the end of the day. They have 2 restrooms on-board - men's and women's.

Find a Snorkeling tour off Fajardo and they will take you to the many cays that lie off the coast. The water is beautiful and the tours will give free rum drinks and an elaborate lunch. It's the way to go!

Go sailing, deep sea fishing, snorkeling, jet skiing, swiming, tanning, you name it. My favorite time back home is Dec-March. It's nice, sunny, cool (70-80) and dry. The beaches are lonely and quiet because summer is the party time. So, if you like the beach to yourself...
This is 'mice island' in Joyuda, Cabo Rojo. It's managed by the DNR. You can take a boat to it and spend the day. You can also eat good seafood in this neighborhood. My High School friend owns a small restaurant-Miramar, there. Eat Mofongo relleno de Mariscos. While you wait for dinner, get pina coladas, or beer, and surrullitos and sit in the back and watch the sunset over 'mice island.'

If you go to Puerto Rico, you simply have to squeeze in some water-time.

The possibilities are endless: scuba, boogie boarding, snorkeling, surfing, snuba, para-sailing, and plain old swimming.

The NW coast, near Isabela, provides some of the most beautiful beaches and scenery I've ever seen. They are fairly clean, with great tides and plenty of room. Wonderful.

If you are a little more adventurous, go for snuba. It's a cross between scuba and snorkeling. The extensive cost and training for scuba is not necessary, but the deeper underwater exploration is still possible. There are several places on the NW and NE coastlines that provide the service. Aquatica, near Isabela, is a friendly place that will schedule an excursion if requested.