One other comment: Do not speed in Puerto Rico.
Looking for Puerto Rico dive recommendations
- Thread starter RyanNM
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RyanNM
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TT_Vert
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1000% agree with you on food but also Guanica had that issue. We drove around for an hour once only to end up at a McDonalds once and a strip mall another time as nothing was open and no times were published. If you speak to Pedro or his wife at Island Scuba there was some local place that makes them food and delivers it to the dive shop, perhaps get in on that deal otherwise you'll pay a fortune as the one restaurant we found had a tourist menu which was very expensive. That is why I stated it wasn't a tourist hot spot. I'd hit up a grocery store and just cook to alleviate those problems.
Dave
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Did you get bothered? It seems all the locals went way too fast and it was an over all free for all. People stopping in the middle of the road, turning right from the left lane and vice versa, people going through lights. etc. That was my experience from my week driving through most of the island. Probably one of the worst and most unpoliced places I've driven, and I've driven in some countries other refuse to drive in.
Dave
Guanica is much closer to the wall making the morning trip out much faster. I usually stay in La Parguera but it does take an extra 20 minutes out and back. If you are in Guanica, I recommend dining at Bodega Andreu Sole – La Bodega – Tapas, Wine, and Live Music.
First time we dove the wall, we were staying in Rincon and drove down to La Parguera to dive with West Divers. We preferred the wall so much over diving Desecheo that our last trip we stayed in Playa Santa. It is unfortunate that the support community hasn't developed around the wall dives as much as we'd like to think it demands, but understanding the economy in PR, that might explain some of it.
We stopped on the way down and picked up stuff to cook in the unit we stayed in, but clearly underestimated the availability of alternatives, and ended up eating in more times than eating out.
We love to cook, so next time we'll just be better prepared for either Guanica or Playa Santa.
That is one advantage of La Parguera. For breakfast, the local supermarket M&M opens at 7am to make breakfast for divers and for locals. For lunch and dinner there are restaurants along the main coastal drag. On the weekends, the town square often has live music. The drawbacks are the longer distance (figure 25 minutes to get to the wall) and the matter of having enough divers to go out.. You definitely want to make reservations. If you just show up on the spot, they may not necessarily be going out that day. You are also not far from San German and Cabo Rojo if you want to explore some other towns. If you stay at Villa Parguera you are a two minute walk from the dock in the morning.
Puerto Rico has great diving but I would not call it a "dive oriented" island.
Great observation! While coming from Rincon to Cabo Rojo, I was on Route 2 and took the exit to Route 100. As I was I merging on the 100 I sped up a bit and was pulled over. It may be a free-for-all in some sense, but I found most people drove slowly even on the major highways.
Here are some other things I learned over the years driving in PR:
(1) Police often drive with their top mount lights on. I was told this was routine. If they turn on their sirens, then you pull over. I didn't know this and one time I saw an officer with his lights and I was the only one who pulled over. I was mystified.
(2) Drivers often make left turns on red lights in remote areas (not in the big cities) at night. I asked why people did this and was told they are afraid of getting mugged. I refused to do this.
(3) Do not drive with your windows down in populated areas. If you do, people may reach into your car and ask for money. I had not remembered to do this and a woman started running towards my car. I rolled up my window just in time.
(4) Do not assume police speak English. In San Juan, Mayaguez, and Ponce you are more likely to find English speaking police. This is getting a little better over time but I would say only 15-25% speak English. Mind you, I only mention this because it sometimes catches folks from the mainland by surprise. I don't expect locals in PR to speak English unless they are in tourist areas.
I love PR! The quirks give it a flair all its own.
I hope I am not hijacking this thread too much but I just found out that my Father in law is going to take my daughter and myself on a dive trip to PR late this October. My daughter is 12 years old and we are hoping she can do her open water check out dives in PR after training here at home. I haven't been diving in several years and have mainly been to Cozumel. We are trying to find a decent area for some fun but fairly easy dives for my daughter's first dives. We are also looking for fun post-diving activities (no night life required!). I think my father in law in looking at Fajardo area and maybe a day trip to Vieques or Culebra. I would really appreciate any feedback!!
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