2000 Chapbook

Puerto Rico has always been a waypoint to other dive destinations in the Caribbean, but as dive tourism infrastructure develops, more divers are stopping to sample the reefs. While night life is abundant, crime is somewhat of a problem . . .

For a full review of the following Puerto Rico destination, see:

Parguera Divers - Puerto Rico, Undercurrent- April 1999

Islabela

La Cueva Submarina Dive Shop/Costa Dorado Beach Resort, July 1999, Beth Carey (bcarey@interport.net), NYC. Vis: 10-50 ft. Water: 85 degrees. Sunny. water: choppy. Cave/cavern diving near dive shop off beach on Atlantic side was only an OK dive due to lack of fish and lower visibility than I am used to. Though manatees in the caverns we did not see any. PR is a lot nicer than expected, and the resort was fabulous. Bring an exposure suit and gloves. (Telephone: 787-872-1390; Fax: 787-872-1390)

Parguera

Parguera Divers/Posada Por La Mar, July 1998, Jose J. Suarez, Shawnee Mission, KS. Vis: 80-100 ft. Water: 85-87 degrees. Sunny. Restrictions: Depth limits, and air consumption. Efra Figueroa is a class act. He and Angel Rovira are great divemasters. They pride themselves on great customer service, and they deliver one of the best I have dived with in 15 years. From selecting great sites, to helping with equipment, to cleaning and storing our gear, there is no better customer service. They ensure that you have fun! I have returned twice. (Ph: 800-234-7682, 809-899-4171, Fax: 809-899-4171)

Parguera Divers, December 1998, P. Swartz, W. Newbury, MA. Water: 80 degrees. Sunny. Captain rushed us from the dock. He refused to give us the weights we asked for. He was agitated when I was gearing up. I had been seasick, so I was slow. He rushed me with my gear and insisted on inappropriate procedures, saying that everything would be OK once I got in the water. I was so uncomfortable, I returned to the boat. When my wife made the same decision, he shouted that she had 30 seconds to get back in the water. We have Advanced Open Water Cert. and have logged 50 dives each in the past 2 yrs, so we have plenty to learn. But this guy has more to learn about dealing with divers.

Parguera Divers/Posada Por La Mar, May 1999, Rick and Pamela Gordon, Issaquah, WA. (flashandfreckles@msn.com) Vis: 20-70 ft. Water: 78-80 degrees. Once we showed our abilities, they required us only to take a 5 minute safety stop, and return with 500 psi. Efra and Angel made the diving interesting and fun. Wall diving as good as Cozumel, but not in the same league as the walls in Washington State/British Columbia or the vertical walls of Cayman. Two days with large schools of Atlantic Spadefish, which had not been in the area for a few years according to Efra. They often surrounded us. Majority of divers on the boat got seasick to one degree or another. Anyone who gets seasick should look for a different location. If you are a seasoned boat diver, this is a trip worth taking. Though we paid extra for an upper floor room, they put us into a ground floor room the first night and the partying outside in the pool lasted all night. Next night, they moved us to the top floor and let us have the large suite for the entire 10 days - very nice - more than made up for the one sleepless night. All hotel employees were very friendly and helpful.

Parguera Divers/La Jamaca, June 1999,Thomas Daly (oilertom@aol.com), Hudson, NH. Vis: 80-110 ft. Water: 82-84 degrees. Sunny, cloudy. Water: Calm, no currents. Restrictions: Return with 500-700 psi, obey sport limit, use common sense. Rinse tank with fresh water. Room (not a lot) for camera work. Bring nonskid rubber matting to work on so your equipment doesn't slide. Staff will be glad to hand your equipment overboard to you and take it after surfacing. La Jamaca is on hillside overlooking the bay. Breezes keep it cool. Bedrooms are Spartan but clean. Bathroom with shower, a couple of wire shelves, a view of the bay. Beautiful setting with tropical foliage, gardens and the constant song of the Coqui frog found only in PR. 9 foot deep freshwater swimming pool next to the small restaurant. Beer, wine, mixed drinks. Food is exquisite. $15-$30/person for dinner. Owned by Elsie Rosado and cooking is by her husband Carlos. Very friendly and will make you feel at home. Efra Figueroa owns Parguera Divers. He has been diving the Parguera wall for 28 years. Assisted by divemaster Angel Rovira. They provide consistently great service, know the best sites and ask repeat guests where they would like to dive. They check your c card, not logbooks. Boat is usually underway at 0800 returning 1300 to 1400. Both dives are usually deep so they do not offer an afternoon dive. Night dives for a minimum of 4 divers. Coral in great shape, many huge vase sponges, tube sponge bridges spanning canyons and all tropical fish and macro critters. Saw a large nurse shark, school of Atlantic spadefish 100+, free-swimming moray, large pufferfish. Abundant black coral and deep water gorgonians on the black wall. Queen angels and queen triggers are common. Not many large fish, as there is fishing and spearfishing. Parguera wall has a wild feel to it and is exciting diving for those with advanced skills. They provide lunch and water and soft drinks. Top notch divers outfit.

Parguera Divers/Posada Por La Mar, August 1999, Jose J. Suarez (jjflsuarez@aol.com), Morgantown, PA. Vis: 70-85 ft. Water: 85-87 degrees. Sunny. Water: calm. Restrictions: Depth, and safety stops (5 minutes). Third straight year with Parguera. La Posada Por La Mar has been reconstructed; they have a first rate restaurant. Efra Figueroa is a diving god, and Angel Rovira is a great dive leader. Safety conscious, they treat you well. Corals are alive and healthy, and every dive nurse sharks 5-7 feet long. School of 200 Atlantic spade fish. Awesome.

Parguera Divers, August 1999, Gabriel I. Penagaricano, Guaynabo, PR. Thanks for your April article on Parguera Divers. I had given up hope finding good diving in Puerto Rico, however, what you wrote about Efra and Angel was on the mark. Not only were the dives at Hole-in-the-Wall and Black Wall just as you described, but our hosts made the 2 hour drive from Guaynabo more than worthwhile. Now I can look forward to an excellent dive destination and dive operator close to home without having to crank up the airplane and take off for foreign sites. My gratitude and that of my son, son-and daughter-in-law. You have made the four of us believers in the value of a subscription to Undercurrent.

Vieques

Blue Caribe/Tradewinds Inn, March 1999, Jayne Johnson, Milford, NH. Vis: 80-100 ft, Water: 80-84 degrees. Parade: had to follow divemaster. Great inn, great location on ocean front walk. Told us about snorkeling sites only locals know. Good food, restaurant, owner's nice; high ceilings, noisy when people talked in hallways and rooms; ceiling fans or A.C available; huge decks on rooms. Blue Caribe: Divemasters Chipper and Denny indifferent. Led dives but didn't point out anything. Sites bare and lifeless. Divemasters swam too fast to see anything! spotted drums, rays, huge pufferfish, a few lobsters, nudibranchs. Shallow dives and only 30 minute surface interval. I dived Vieques 3 years ago and loved the diving. Saw sharks, octopus, many more fish. Either it's getting fished out or the divemasters just didn't want to go to good sites (what we suspect). Everyone was disappointed and chose not to dive the next day. Great snorkeling from shore - so fish life is there! (Phone/Fax: 787-741-2522)