Caribbean Scuba Diving in Western Puerto Rico
Scuba - Blue Hole Caribbean Diving at Shacks Beach
Here in Aguadilla and Isabela are a sequence of pristine, virtually deserted beaches that are just becoming known for their underwater sports.
Our guests can learn scuba - right here off our " Shacks Beach", 400 yards up the way. We have an Aquatica Caribbean Dive team outpost here at the Villa Montaña Beach Resort.
José from Aquatica and his dive team will take care of many of your scuba needs right from here at the resort and then take you off on excursions to Desecheo and further afield.
Our certified scuba team from Aquatica can either guide our scuba diving guests with care and passion or give lessons with wisdom and skill.
For beginners, José will set up the pool as an instruction area and graduate their learners as their underwater skill set becomes rock solid.
Just dow the way a few hundred yards is our own Blue Hole dive spot here in the secluded Northwest tip of Puerto Rico.
Where to go scuba diving in Western Puerto Rico:
Right here off the beach:
We have our own Caribbean blue hole dive 400 yards down on Shacks beach for Scuba diving and surfing, then around the headlands (short trip), we have Crash boat beach and Jobos beaches for diving and surfing just a little further down the beach, and further on with a 13 mile boat trip, the pristine depths of Desecheo Island, home to one of the healthiest reef systems and the clearest waters in the Caribbean, yet it is virtually unknown as a dive destination. Scuba diving and snorkeling at Desecheo Island boasts 100 to 150 foot visibility consistently.
A Little Further Afield:
Our PADI Master Scuba Diver Instructor, Jose, will lead our scuba divers into our exceptional underwater dive world here in Western Puerto Rico.
PUERTO RICO SCUBA DIVING - the sites
Here are details of our dive sites courtesy of our good friends at Oceans Unlimited.
For scuba divers, we have something unique and very special.
Pristine reefs, spectacular walls, intriguing caverns, and mangrove- topped cays define the tropical waters that surround our island. They form the backdrop for dives that are as dazzling as any found in the Caribbean and as diverse as its marine life. Multitudes of fish coexist with endangered manatees and humpback whales. Corals abound, including species that are mere memories on other islands.
Since diving in Puerto Rico is one of the Caribbean's best-kept secrets, many of our sites remain untouched. Every dive trip is still an adventure, every diver an explorer. Diving in Puerto Rico is the next best thing to slipping into an aquarium. Underwater visibility can exceed I 00 feet, and land and water temperatures hover around an easy-to-take 78 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Centigrade)- all year round.
Desecheo Scuba Diving | Puerto Rico
South End Dive Sites - Desecheo
2. Sea Fan City
This Desecheo dive site more of a large garden of sea fans. This wide strip of sea fans, sitting in about 50-55ft, runs parallel to the island, but the sea fans themselves are oriented in a perpendicular manner (making for easy navigation). Nestled in with the sea fans are mounds of coral teeming with fish and eels. Hawksbill turtles are often found swimming through this area.
3. Candyland
This Desecheo diving Just out beyond Sea Fan City you will come to Candyland. Generally starting in about 60ft with a maximum depth of 80-85ft at the very edge. This area is primarily HUGE mounds of coral with overhangs and ledges - great places for nurse sharks, eels, crabs & lobsters to hide. Large schools of snappers are found here, as well as congregations of ocean triggerfish.
4. The Grottos
This Desecheo dive site sits inside of Sea Fan City. With a maximum depth of about 45ft, this is an interesting rocky reef habitat. Many rocky ledges and overhangs are a good place to find eels and the occasional nurse shark. Heading west along the island's underwater coast, you will encounter the remains of a small boat. Living within the wreckage are several large snappers. There are also a few big archways to swim through and mazes of rock formations. On the rocky bottom we commonly see flying gurnards searching diligently through the rubble for food or peacock flounders blending in with their surroundings.
5. Medusa's Head
This Desecheo diving site, starting in approximately 60ft, you will gradually slope down to about 70ft to a large coral head surrounded by many tropicals and offering great housing opportunities for crabs, lobsters, octopus & eels. Heading off to the right, you will see a small coral head, with many rope sponges protruding out (similar to the snakes on Medusa's head.) DON'T LOOK - you may turn to stone! Here, you will find a more abrupt drop off to over 100ft. This is a great spot to encounter eagle rays, reef sharks, large lobster and crab. Drift diving is common at this site.
6. Las Cuevas
This Desecheo dive site offers a great variety in just one dive! Starting in about 35ft, you will venture out along the outer edge of the reef. Here you will find a maximum depth of 60-65ft and large schools of Bermuda chub, snapper and other tropicals. Along the edge of the reef, it is common to see southern stingrays in the sand. Winding your way back in towards the island, you find yourself back in about 25-30ft and entering a series of swim through archways and large caverns. These are good hiding places for turtles, nurse sharks and crabs - so bring a light! Barracuda tend to patrol the area, sometimes at a close distance. This site is also great for spotting many juvenile species, such as spotted drum, high hats and smooth trunkfish.
7. Aquarium
This Desecheo diving site's name says it all! As you submerge, you find yourself in a true aquarium with many different species of fish busily working their way around the reef. Starting in a depth of approximately 50ft, this dive actually follows out along an old communications cable that runs from the island. Before you begin the journey along the cable, you must make a quick stop off at the old schooner anchor. It is covered in coral growth, but is still quite impressive. Heading out along the cable to the edge of the reef, you will loop back around along the edge of the reef (looking in the sand for southern stingrays). From the edge of the reef, we head back across the mounds of coral to the communications cable.
Scuba Dive Sites in Our Part of the Caribbean
Our dive options are as varied as the sites themselves. Explore reefs that lie within a splash of your hotel room, or ones that fringe remote islets far from shore. Start your scuba experience with an easy half-day resort course, or set off on an adventure to Desecheo or just around the cliffs.
Our certified PADI scuba dive team has beach dives, shallow dives, boat dives, wall and ledge dives, night dives, cave and wreck dives, and they are all memorable. The boats chartered are all are all USCG certified, of course.
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The west coast of Puerto Rico is home to one of the healthiest reef systems and the clearest waters in the Caribbean, yet it is virtually unknown as a dive destination. Scuba diving and snorkeling at Desecheo Island boasts 100-150ft visibility consistently. The sites here are a wonderful place to practice your underwater photography or just relax and enjoy the scenery! The depths at Desecheo Island range from shallow (beginning at 20-30ft) to deeper, more advanced dives (dropping off to over 100ft). The majority of our sites at Desecheo Island are conducive for all levels of diving, as well as snorkeling opportunities.
The sites around Desecheo vary from the typical coral reef habitats (soft and hard corals) to gardens of sea fans. Rocky reef habitats are also located closer to the island, as well as large swim-through arches and caverns. Sitting away from the island, on the northwest side, is a dramatic pinnacle rising from over 100ft up to 20ft. On the east side of the island is an underwater ravine, starting in approximately 40 feet and dropping down sheer walls to over 100ft. Follow down this page for more description on several of our dive sites.
Desecheo Island sits approximately 14 miles offshore and covers roughly 360 acres. It is a relatively small island that juts out of the Mona Passage. The uninhabited island is managed by the US Fish & Wildlife Services. It was named a National Wildlife Refuge in 1976. The surrounding waters are a marine reserve. Oceans Unlimited visits the area for scuba diving / snorkeling activities; however, guests are not allowed on to the island.
:: ask us to arrange for your learning program, extended training or guided trips >
:: contact José directly at Aquatica > e-mail: aquatica@caribe.net
Tel: 1 787 890 6071
Below are several of the more common and well-known dive sites at Desecheo Island:
- again courtesy of our fine friends at Oceans Unlimited --
Desecheo Scuba Diving | Puerto Rico
:: East End Dive Sites - Desecheo >
:: South End Dive Sites - Desecheo >
:: West End Dive Sites - Desecheo >
:: Northwest of Desecheo >
:: Caribbean Scuba Dive With The Humpback Whales and Turtles - The Hump Dive Site - off Puerto Rico >
