Dive Review of
Taino Divers/Casa Kristina in
Puerto Rico/Rincon

Mexico, Bonaire, Tortola, Grand Cayman, Saba

Dive Conditions

Safety stop, return to boat with 500 psi  

[None]  

Overall Rating

I flew to San Juan from NYC to do a quick weekend in the southern town of
Rincon.  I rented a big house from a girl named Nicole (787-823-5839),
who's number was given to me after I had phoned most hotels and various
inns in the area.  She has a great deal of houses and condos to select
from, and is very personable.  In Rincon there are two dive operators: 
Taino Divers and Ocean's Unlimited.  I chose Taino Divers because they
claimed to take less time to get out to Desecheo Island, and were closer to
where we were staying.  Ocean's Unlimited, however, has Nitrox and what
appears to be a much nicer boat.  The trip from Rincon to Desecheo takes
about 45 minutes, which was no problem given the calm, dry weather.  The
Taino boat is a 20-odd foot pontoon with twin 200 outboards that gets a
little crowded with more than 5 people.  The dive staff were a young and
fun group of American dudes (urp), but were a little sloppy in regard to
underwater policies.  They harrassed a burrfish to inflation, rested
cameras in sponges, did not help divers with buoyancy control issues, and
were in general pretty laissez faire.  Despite this the diving was good and
very easy.  We did Candyland, Crab Alley, Aquarium and Pesones (Spanish for
nipples); nothing deeper than 70 feet, excellent vis, gentle surge, etc. 
The coral is in average shape, but the small fish life is good.  The usual
suspects were all around, but I was surprised to see several Sargassum
Triggerfish and what I thought were either Gray or Ocean Triggerfish.  We
only dove the eastern sites as the swells and current around the other side
of the island were too strong.  Overall I liked Rincon with its excellent
beach and surfer community feel.  There are a few cool places to eat - Rock
Bottom, Tamboo - and you're never far from any of the conveniences of the
USA.  If you ever plan to explore PR diving, I strongly recommend a few
days in Rincon.  I may return later this summer to finish out the rest of
the sites at Desecheo, and perhaps take the controversial trek to Mona
Island to see for myself whether it's all fact or fiction. 

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