Scubadude
Contributor
Well we made it back safe & sound. What a great trip this was. To think that I hesitated going at all. We first took the fairy to Culebra island on Sunday morning from Fajardo so we could spend the night and dive first thing in the A.M. on Monday. We did 2 tanks with Culebra divers. I have dived w/ better dive operations but who cares, we made the most of it. We dove Cayo Raton, which translates into Rat's Cay. Lots of hard & soft corals, very pretty reef. Saw some new fish species & soft corals that I had never seen before, very cool.
We then went west, to the town of Rincon, famous for surfing & whale watching. There we dove Desecheo island. Did 2 tanks. We dove Candyland reef. The most healthy sea fans I have ever seen in my 10 years of diving. We then dove Las Cuevas reef. Very nice also. Mostly swim throughs, lots of fun. Unfortunately one of the engines broke down and what was an hour trip back to the dock in Puerto Real, took us 5.5 hours. We put putted our way back. Did we care ? Heck no ! We were on vacation ! The seas were very calm. No chop at all. On the way back to the dock we saw Flying Gunnards, Portuguese Man-o-Wars, ate and took in the rays. It was a perfect day for a breakdown !
Needless to say that since it was a holiday weekend we had to cancel Saturdays reservation with them because on a religous holiday like Easter weekend, in Puerto Rico, no mechanic is going to attempt to repair an engine. The dive operation was done.... for the bussiest weekend of the year. I felt very bad for them:broken_he , but that's life. I immedeatley said goodbye to Lisa, Kenny & Cpt. Jim & went into action and implemented plan "B". I began to call all the dive operations on the west coast that I knew of and tried to book a reservation for 2 with less than 24 hours to go. A difficult task to say the least. Considering that it was the weekend of Good Friday & Easter. However, my persistance paid off. I was victorious in my search ! I remember diving with Dive Paradise in La Parguera in 98. I had also e-mailed Capt. Kiko before I left to the island that I would be in the vicinity and that I would stop by and say hello. I called the operation and spoke with his dad. A gentleman. I explained my situation to him and he told me that he would see what he could do but that they were completely booked also. Honestly, I didn't really think that anything would develop being the weekend, their boats being all booked and calling at 7:00 pm. He told me that he would call my cell and get back to me one way or the other. At about 8:00 pm, low and behold, the cell phone rang and it was him. He told me that he had done some " creative scheduling " and that we were booked for the following morning. Were we excited ! That next morning we were diving the famous Black Wall which I might add was the pinnacle of our diving trip and also dove The Chimmney reef. 2 of the nicest reefs on the southern coast. The Balck Wall is a must dive if you are diving the southwest coast area in Puerto Rico. The wall starts at about 50' and goes down forever. Awesome formations and a lot of Balck Coral, hence the name of the reef. The Chimmney was awesome as well. If you are thinking about going to Puerto Rico to dive, stop thinking about it and book it already ! You won't regret it. Great food wherever you go, very friendly people, great reggae, salsa and merengue blasting everywhere, beautiful weather and some great diving. I highly recommend it.
Something else to consider is doing the 3 day camping & diving trip on Mona island. It is the buzz everywhere you go in the diving community there. For $475.00 you get 3 days of camping on one of the most incredible islands in the world. All camping equipment, food and cook are included. All you need to bring is your spirits, insect repelent and your gear, gear is optional, Oceans Unlimited also rents gear. Notice how I prioritized supplies.
You also get 5 dives included in this package. The diving there is off the hook ! Big animals all over. There is nothing you won't see there. I had tried to book a 3 tank day trip but other circumstances dictaded. This island is called the Galapagos of the Carribean. There are birds, insects, flowers, reptiles, spiders and fish that do not exist anywhere else in the world. Imagine that ! Well I hope I haven't gone on too long but it is just that awesome there. Good divin' and good Viz. Scuba-Rican
We then went west, to the town of Rincon, famous for surfing & whale watching. There we dove Desecheo island. Did 2 tanks. We dove Candyland reef. The most healthy sea fans I have ever seen in my 10 years of diving. We then dove Las Cuevas reef. Very nice also. Mostly swim throughs, lots of fun. Unfortunately one of the engines broke down and what was an hour trip back to the dock in Puerto Real, took us 5.5 hours. We put putted our way back. Did we care ? Heck no ! We were on vacation ! The seas were very calm. No chop at all. On the way back to the dock we saw Flying Gunnards, Portuguese Man-o-Wars, ate and took in the rays. It was a perfect day for a breakdown !
Needless to say that since it was a holiday weekend we had to cancel Saturdays reservation with them because on a religous holiday like Easter weekend, in Puerto Rico, no mechanic is going to attempt to repair an engine. The dive operation was done.... for the bussiest weekend of the year. I felt very bad for them:broken_he , but that's life. I immedeatley said goodbye to Lisa, Kenny & Cpt. Jim & went into action and implemented plan "B". I began to call all the dive operations on the west coast that I knew of and tried to book a reservation for 2 with less than 24 hours to go. A difficult task to say the least. Considering that it was the weekend of Good Friday & Easter. However, my persistance paid off. I was victorious in my search ! I remember diving with Dive Paradise in La Parguera in 98. I had also e-mailed Capt. Kiko before I left to the island that I would be in the vicinity and that I would stop by and say hello. I called the operation and spoke with his dad. A gentleman. I explained my situation to him and he told me that he would see what he could do but that they were completely booked also. Honestly, I didn't really think that anything would develop being the weekend, their boats being all booked and calling at 7:00 pm. He told me that he would call my cell and get back to me one way or the other. At about 8:00 pm, low and behold, the cell phone rang and it was him. He told me that he had done some " creative scheduling " and that we were booked for the following morning. Were we excited ! That next morning we were diving the famous Black Wall which I might add was the pinnacle of our diving trip and also dove The Chimmney reef. 2 of the nicest reefs on the southern coast. The Balck Wall is a must dive if you are diving the southwest coast area in Puerto Rico. The wall starts at about 50' and goes down forever. Awesome formations and a lot of Balck Coral, hence the name of the reef. The Chimmney was awesome as well. If you are thinking about going to Puerto Rico to dive, stop thinking about it and book it already ! You won't regret it. Great food wherever you go, very friendly people, great reggae, salsa and merengue blasting everywhere, beautiful weather and some great diving. I highly recommend it.
Something else to consider is doing the 3 day camping & diving trip on Mona island. It is the buzz everywhere you go in the diving community there. For $475.00 you get 3 days of camping on one of the most incredible islands in the world. All camping equipment, food and cook are included. All you need to bring is your spirits, insect repelent and your gear, gear is optional, Oceans Unlimited also rents gear. Notice how I prioritized supplies.
You also get 5 dives included in this package. The diving there is off the hook ! Big animals all over. There is nothing you won't see there. I had tried to book a 3 tank day trip but other circumstances dictaded. This island is called the Galapagos of the Carribean. There are birds, insects, flowers, reptiles, spiders and fish that do not exist anywhere else in the world. Imagine that ! Well I hope I haven't gone on too long but it is just that awesome there. Good divin' and good Viz. Scuba-Rican
