Instant Reader Report
on Parguera Divers / Parador Posada Porlamar in
Puerto Rico / Southwest coast/La Parguera on
2003/07
by
Karren & Tom Darone , VA, US
Report Number 030926012503896

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 Grand Cayman; Bonaire; Cozumel; Palm Beach & Key Largo in Florida; Cape
Hatteras & Morehead City in NC 

Dive Conditions

Divemasters were scrupulous about checking everyone's air consumption and
making sure the group stayed together.    

[None]  

Overall Rating

I wish we'd known it was the start of a four-day holiday weekend.  Seems
like most of San Juan joined us on the road to La Parguera.  Parador
Posada Porlamar is part of a network of 18 "paradores" in Puerto
Rico -- sort of a three-story eclectic country inn overlooking the south
coast.  We unfortunately got a room right next to the outdoor wooden
staircase, and listened to stair climbers for most of our first three
nights.  Also had problems with air conditioning, since the influx of
holiday visitors to the town quite overloaded the town's electrical
capacity.  The onsite restaurant, La Pared, was excellent (but pricey) for
dinner.  Buffet breakfast was included with dive packages but service was
quite slow.  And for some reason, the waterfront bar was never open. 
Never!  Now....the diving, with Parguera Divers (Angel Rovira and wife
Roberta Santos are owner operators -- www.pargueradivers.com) was just
spectacular.  Parguera Divers is one of the best, most thorough dive ops
we've seen.  The ride to the wall can be pretty choppy, we learned. 
EVERYTHING not stowed away in the fore cabin will get wet.  Water temps
were consistently 83 degrees top to bottom - balmy!  Saw a huge crowd of
Atlantic spadefish on one dive, an overly intrusive remora on another. 
Lots of black durgon, parrotfish, chromis, tangs, gobies.  Corals were
great and varied (sea fans and rods, black coral bushes, wire corals,
brain and sheet and encrusting corals) and the walls just
wonderful--particularly a swim-through at 120 feet marked by an
eleven-tube lavender stovepipe sponge.  We did a night dive one evening (I
didn't enjoy it...too many people and too little viz) and afterwards Angel
took us over to swim in the Phosphorescent Bay, which was unbelievable. 
Recommend Guacataco for open-air local food, or Golden City
(Chinese/criollo in the local mall) for lunch, followed by naps!   

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