Trip Report Puerto Rican Road Trip Mar 2022

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t-mac

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Location
VA, USA
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Quick trip report. We flew into San Juan and picked up a car. The general idea was to dive Desecheo out of Rincon and then head down to La Parguera for the wall. We were warned ahead of time that weather can be dicey, but we were relatively lucky. A couple of days were blown out the week prior, but none for us. That said, the mornings along the south coast were fine, but by noon the wind picks up to the point that you can’t dive - probably why no one does. Sounds like fighting significant swells, like we had, is not uncommon. The wall was worth coming down to see and I could have done it a few more times and been perfectly happy.

Rincon. We tried Taino as they were the only one to do the Desecheo trip, but it didn’t work out. Apparently they have lost their captain of many years (got a job with the university in Mayaguez) who was the real expert in where to dive when and we heard that they are having other issues. I can’t validate any of this, but the bottom line seems to be book well in advance and plan for cancellations for whatever reason. We’ll come back and try again. Wound up doing a shore dive with Rincon Diving. The shop really has their stuff together. But, the dive was meh. Probably a 30 minute surface swim for about 15 minutes on a “wall” and then back to shore underwater. It was a good easy dive to get dialed in but I think the lesson is you don’t go to surf towns to dive.

We stayed downtown at Que Chevere. The place was in a great location and the staff were fantastic. The location was also the biggest issue. It was party central until about 4 am, so not for light sleepers.

The next two stops were both diving the Parguera wall. The two were experiences quite different so I especially hope this part is useful for folks trying to decide which shop to use.

Guanica. Dove with Island Scuba. Small shop that runs a six pack that really tossed in the 4-5 ft swells. Underwater was fine. I would characterize this as a minimalist shop. They are quite nice, but it’s basically transportation to the reef. They put a DM in the water, but you manage your own dive and can do whatever you want. We basically followed along at our leisure. We did 61 minutes on the wall dive (with at least half of that actually on the wall - not the typical 15 minutes). The reef dive was 70 minutes- didn’t even turn until the 40 minute mark. No pressure to limit your dive. For us, we stopped when we got cold. It’s been said this is not for beginners and that is probably true. But this is exactly what we want from a dive op and we we loved it. Between them and Paradise (below), we would choose Island first.

We stayed at the Parador Guanica 1929. It was built as part of the old sugar mill next door. It’s a really cool old building right on the bay. Rooms are very simple. Staff was great. We dove in the morning and they gave us a later checkout at 2pm without any hesitation. We were able to shower and head out to La Parguera.

La Parguera. We dove with Paradise and they were also very good, but completely different from Island Scuba. They are a big shop and run a big boat that can hold 17 divers. With Island it was a 15 minute trip to the wall, Paradise goes to the same wall, but a little west (the part of the wall we went to with Island was nicer, but this was also quite good), and the trip was about 30 minutes. With the big swells, the larger boat was more comfortable. After the dives with IS, my ears pricked up when that announced the first dive would be 37-45 minutes. That said, once in the water we didn’t really feel limited. We were the first off and last back on and did 50 minutes on the wall and then 59 minutes of the reef. Having 11 divers in the water with a guide versus 4 with Island. Definitely a better choice for the less experienced divers. Though, the six pack was actually easier to board than the big boat in the swells because the stern of the big boat would lift out of the water and the small boat rolled with the swells. Had a sick diver on each trip so the larger boat didn’t seem better for that.

We stayed (are still staying) at Villa La Parguera. Great spot. The place is about in need of some TLC, but ok for now. Walking distance to Paradise, grocery store and restaurants. The town appears to be a weekend town - almost nothing open Mon or Tues and more opening progressively through the week.

Wish we could have done more diving. Should’ve planned better, but it’s the bio bay tonight and then off to San Juan tomorrow for a taste of the city.

We’ll be back with better planning next time.
 
Thanks for the review! Seams to confirm that we don't want to go there next February. I would like to get there at some point, though, and check out the wall.

Erik
 
Interesting! I went to Google Maps to locate the place you stayed; well away from San Juan, toward the southeast. I sometimes get lost in the foreign place names (even if it's an American holding; I can't keep info. on Hawaii straight for love or money), so I looked back over your report. A few questions.

You wanted to dive Desecheo but that didn't work out. What is the diving there supposed to be like? What in particular made adding it to the itinerary worthwhile? If you were going to dive it out of Rincon, which looks to be east/northeast, that's out of your way.

One thing looking over the map that stands out is that Puerto Rico is big compared to some of the other Caribbean dive destinations. Far larger than Bonaire or Curacao.

You used 2 different op.s to dive the same general region (Parguera wall), which is useful for people reading your report, but a little unusual. Why did you use 2 different dive op.s?

Do you consider that region a good choice for a week long dedicated dive trip? How many dives/day could you get in?

Puerto Rico seems to be an odd duck dive destination; well-spoken of, large with a range of topside entertainments, part of the U.S. so perhaps gets a bit of favor with U.S. citizens, and yet when I try to picture in my mind what a dive trip there looks like, it's hard to do. I understand what a week in Bonaire or Roatan's CocoView Resort looks like. Puerto Rico seems to have diverse offerings...but spread out.

How does Puerto Rico stack up against other places you've been in the Caribbean as a dive destination (allowing that it'll be an apples-to-oranges comparison)?
 
Interesting! I went to Google Maps to locate the place you stayed; well away from San Juan, toward the southeast. I sometimes get lost in the foreign place names (even if it's an American holding; I can't keep info. on Hawaii straight for love or money), so I looked back over your report. A few questions.

You wanted to dive Desecheo but that didn't work out. What is the diving there supposed to be like? What in particular made adding it to the itinerary worthwhile? If you were going to dive it out of Rincon, which looks to be east/northeast, that's out of your way.

One thing looking over the map that stands out is that Puerto Rico is big compared to some of the other Caribbean dive destinations. Far larger than Bonaire or Curacao.

You used 2 different op.s to dive the same general region (Parguera wall), which is useful for people reading your report, but a little unusual. Why did you use 2 different dive op.s?

Do you consider that region a good choice for a week long dedicated dive trip? How many dives/day could you get in?

Puerto Rico seems to be an odd duck dive destination; well-spoken of, large with a range of topside entertainments, part of the U.S. so perhaps gets a bit of favor with U.S. citizens, and yet when I try to picture in my mind what a dive trip there looks like, it's hard to do. I understand what a week in Bonaire or Roatan's CocoView Resort looks like. Puerto Rico seems to have diverse offerings...but spread out.

How does Puerto Rico stack up against other places you've been in the Caribbean as a dive destination (allowing that it'll be an apples-to-oranges comparison)?
The main reasons we chose PR is we’ve been here before and wanted to see more and we didn’t want the hassle of leaving the country and possibly treating positive as this just happened to some friends (they had to extend their stay 5 days). I don’t think you want to come here to focus exclusively on diving. We’re on the west and SW coasts and there is diving out of the east (Fajardo/Culebra). It’s spread out and really doesn’t seem set up for doing tons of dives. But there’s plenty of other things to do, so it’s a good combo. The wall down here compares favorably with many of the other walls we’ve seen throughout the Carribbean. It you are looking for a dive trip, I'm not sure I’d choose it. If you want a trip with a bit of good diving, I would. I personally would come back to do Desecheo and spend a few days on the Parguera wall. There are lots out things to do outdoors when not diving - plus good good and very friendly people.

Desecheo is a marine reserve about 15 miles out in the Mona passage towards the DR (used to be a navy bombing range like other islands down here - guess it was easier to make it a reserve than clean it up). The diving out there is supposed to be very good because no one goes there and the Mona is a big corridor where the whales migrate. But it can be very dicey with the weather - hence the need for an experienced captain. I’m sure that’s why Taino is the only outfit to even try it.

The main reason for the two dive ops was that we could only get one day with Paradise - they were booked. But it was a very happy occurrence and allowed us a nice head-to-head - and to experience another are (albeit less than 10 miles away).

It’s been on my list for a while, but mainly because I wanted to come back anyway. PR is a great place to visit - you feel like you’re leaving the states, but you aren’t. It’s so easy. No passport control or customs. A little good diving is a bonus. It was worth lugging the gear.
 
Thanks for the added insights. Puerto Rico gets asked about on ScubaBoard occasionally, and it seems to me a destination that's a bit hard to wrap my head around when comparing to others, because the logistics of it are different. Bonaire has Buddy Dive Resort; Roatan has CocoView Resort and Anthony's Key Resort; Cozumel has plenty of hotel/dive op. combo.s we're familiar with from trip reports; with Belize there's Ambergris Caye/Turneffe Island and the outer atolls (e.g.: via live-aboard). There's sort of an iconic 'stay here, dive there, with this op.' example. With Puerto Rico, the dive scene seems more spread out. That makes it all there important when you and others post about who you dove with, where you stayed, etc...

El Yunque is a beautiful rainforest. Puerto Rico has a nice, big old Spanish fort as I recall. I've visited a few times (e.g.: cruises, tail end of our honeymoon). On our honeymoon in '06, riding away from the airport, I noticed the signs turned more to Spanish only, and I told my wife this was a look at what it's like to be illiterate. Riding around unable to read most of what we saw.
 
Indeed. It is spread out and the logistics are more complicated. We just dial back the type A instincts and go with it. We don’t speak Spanish either, but the locals mostly speak English and don’t mind using it. We try a few words and they aren’t fooled and immediately switch. That’s part of the fun - being a bit out of our comfort zone. Reminds us we need to learn Spanish, though!
 
In the spirit of crafting examples other people may use to get a sense of their options, I decided to run some numbers for a hypothetical trip inspired by (but simpler than) yours, to get a rough idea of cost.

Parador Guanica 1929 stay from August 6 - 13 (June and July look all booked up) for 2 people (hypothetical dive buddy team). $122/night room (not including taxes), with 7% room tax $913.78, whether I run it for 1 person or 2.

They have various meal plan option add-ons. The $165.50 (not including taxes) 3 meals/day A.I. plan would make this easier to compare to a dive resort. But is that per night, or for the week? I click 'More Info.' and get an offer to dial a phone number. Sounds like food is either very cheap, or very expensive.

Island Scuba offers trips 7 days/week, meet at 7:30 a.m., I only see a 2-tank morning dive option (plus Discover Scuba) for $120. I don't see package options, but one might be able to negotiate something for a multi-day package. But then again, remember tips to boat crew. Maybe we should assume a multi-day discount and tips nearly cancel each other out? Lets assume you dive 6 days, a 2 tank trip per day, 12 dives for $1,440.

Here's some good news! Southwest Airlines flies to San Juan Airport (SJU), and that means good airfares and 2 free checked bags. Using their cheapest tier 'Wanna Get Away' tickets, I see $255 going and $190 coming back for 1 person, with taxes and fees $443.60. I'd add Early Bird check-in, but ignore that for now.

So far, without food, rental car or taxi budgeting, this hypothetical trip would be:

1.) $913.78 (Bring a paying buddy and split the cost!).
2.) $443.60.
3.) $1,440.00.

$2,797.38. Call it $2800.

But to get from San Juan to that area, and to get around and entertain yourself in the afternoons, I'm thinking a rental car will be mandatory, and one big enough to haul a diver's luggage (assume you bring your own gear). I went to Orbitz for pricing. 1 Guy might get by with a little car (maybe Economy or Compact?), but I'll use Midsize Toyota Corolla or Similar, I see a $60/day option, about $560 for the week, but you know car rental agencies often surprise you at the counter with the issue of CDW insurance. I see Orbitz offers:

Protect your rental car at $10 per calendar day

  • Covers your rental car from collision damage, theft and vandalism
  • Up to $35,000 in primary coverage with $0 deductible

To keep the math easier, let's just add $70 and call it $630 for the week.

$2,800+630 = $3,430.

Not bad, but we've got at least one tank of gas (dunno what that'd cost; let's guess $80 for the week?), food (I don't know the prices or whether you need sit-down restaurants or eat a lot of PB&J sandwiches, eat out or cook your own meals - let's conservatively budget $60/day per person, no alcohol but drinking sodas, not counting tips if you do sit-downs - maybe $420 for the week?), and add $500. So we're at $3,930. Throw in the cost of airport food flying back and forth plus tipping baggage handlers, etc..., and this is an easy $4,000.

Budget your own shopping, souvenirs, alcohol if desired, paid topside excursions, etc... If you've got a traveling dive buddy who pays his own way, you can split the cost of room and vehicle rental.

@t-mac Do my figures look accurate to you? Anything you'd add or change?
 
That’s pretty close @drrich2. We paid $30 for a tank of gas for a Corolla. There are Supermarkets everywhere. Restaurants are reasonable based on what I’m used to. One thing about Guanica is there isn’t much around there. It’s a 20 minute drive to La Parguera and that’s a hub of activity (lots of non-scuba excursions). Personally, I’d be happy with about 3 days of Island Scuba. But for maximum diving and minimum hassle and expense, what you suggest is good. I don’t believe anyone does afternoon dives because the wind builds during the morning and they’d probably get blown out more often than not. Go kayaking in the mangroves with a cooler of beer instead!
 
Just a few random thoughts about Puerto Rico.

We've been there three times (was supposed to be four, but that was going to be in May 2020, and we all know how that went).

For each trip, our research showed that the month of June offered the best potential in terms of weather.

On our first trip, we stayed in Rincon and dove with Taino, and did two days at Desecheo. It is truly unfortunate that they lost the captain.

With two days, we dove both the Southwestern side (two tanks) and then the Northeastern side (two tanks the next day).

What really appealed to us was the structure on the Northeastern side was markedly different from the more popular Southwestern side. There were huge boulders, and not really that much coral, but it was spectacular. The structure on the Northeastern side reminded us of what you see diving the Corridor in Cabo San Lucas or the Pacific side of Costa Rica.

Also on our first trip, we drove down to La Parguera for two tanks with West Divers on the wall. That experience influenced the planning for our second trip.

For the second trip, we stayed in Playa Santa (about three miles South of Guanica) and dove with Island Scuba on the La Parguera wall. What stuck with us for those dives was the magnificent coral growth on the wall. On one of the dives, we were literally swimming past yards and yards of healthy Black Coral.

We would compare the La Parguera Wall to some of the wall dives on Cozumel, with the health and size of the corals superior at times.

For our third trip, we flew out to Culebra and dove with Culebra Divers.

What struck me there was the variety of species. On our first dive, we encountered a free-swimming Manatee. Additionally, one of the shallow dives we did was through what was essentially a nursery area, where you saw schools of hatchling and juvenile fish hiding in the sea grass.

As mentioned above, and we fully recognize, Puerto Rico does not have a reputation as a dive-specific destination. However, with proper planning and research, there are some extraordinary dive opportunities.

On each of the trips, we spent our non-diving time in Old San Juan, experiencing the history and colonial architecture (and great dining).
 
We've been to PR twice in the early and mid 2000s, each time work related, but the wife and kids came along too. We all really enjoyed it and still think fondly back to it. Each time we stayed at large chain hotels in the Old San Juan area, and being native Floridians, it seemed even less like we were in a "different" country. Each trip was around two weeks, and my family would go see different things and places on days I worked. We really enjoyed walking around in old San Juan and trying different restaurants. One day my son had a discovery scuba course and dive with the Scuba Dog shop. Very nice guy, and afterwards he and I did a dive across the bay from a park to the Caribe Hilton Hotel. And the two main forts there reminded us of our own Castillo de San Marco in St. Augustine. We also went to El Yunque one day in a rental car.
On the next trip a couple years later, we felt like we were back in familiar territory in old San Juan, One thing we did different though was to fly right off the bat from San Juan to Virgin Gorda, BVI for a couple nights at Guavaberry resort near the Baths. I dove on the Rhone too while the family swam. Our kids are young adults now, but these trips, experiences and photos are still talked about.
 

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