Puerto Rico Diving

[cruisin 07]

Am doing a 4 day precruise stay in San Juan at the end of Mar with a rental car. I know PR isn't the best dive island but would like to get a 2 tank dive in. From what I've read on these boards the west and south coast seem to be the best. Any recommendations on dive shops and which coast. Thanks, Larry

[scubaran]

Am doing a 4 day precruise stay in San Juan at the end of Mar with a rental car. I know PR isn't the best dive island but would like to get a 2 tank dive in. From what I've read on these boards the west and south coast seem to be the best. Any recommendations on dive shops and which coast. Thanks, Larry

 

If you pick up the Nov 2008 edition of Scuba Diving magazine they have a full article on PR diving including a take along map you can cut out of the mag. You are right about diving in the east and south and unfortunately I've only been in San Juan so no personal diving experience there. Though I do know that night diving in the south is interesting because they've got the phosphoresent sea life that lights up around you as you swim through it. :)

 

Randall

[gmcrow]

We spent two days in San Juan last year pre-cruise, but having seen the traffic there on a previous visit decided not to rent a car. I am sure that once you get out past the city it would be fun to explore. We sort of felt like since our cruise itinerary had so much great diving that we would save the diving for the cruise. We did shore dives right in Old SJ on a previous trip with Caribe Aquatic Adventures. Though it was not pristine diving conditions (bad vis and strong surge) it was one of our more memorable dives-- saw sea horses and more fish than one would expect among the old tires and debris. I believe Caribe Aquatic does boat dives somewhere within an hour's drive of the city.

 

Be sure to let us know what you end up doing and how it goes.

[Middleager]

We stayed 6 days pre-cruise in PR last year. We stayed 2 days in OSJ, and went one night to Farjado to take the fast cat to Vieques Island, to go in the bio bay. That was something special.

 

We then drove to La Parquera for 2 days, and another 2 days in Rincon. The diving in the Parquera Wall was pretty good. It could've been better, but a storm had past by a few days before, making the viz not as good as usual.

 

From Rincon, there is one shop (Taino) that goes to Desecheo Island. That was quite good, but it's a little more expensive due to the 45min boat ride. They also required you to help relay the tanks to the boat.