I’d like to provide an overview of my scuba trip to La Parguera. Puerto Rico from December 27 through December 30, 2012. I’ve been coming to La Parguera at with some buddies at this same time for several years. It offers great diving and a very relaxing atmosphere where you can truly unwind and detach from the normal business that so often surrounds us.
I dove with West Divers (Scuba Diving in La Parguera, Puerto Rico) which is one of the two dive shops in town. Their shop is located near the very end of Route 304 as you come into town. Their dive boat and shore base is at the former Parador Posada Porlamar.
We were asked to meet at the dive shop every day at 7:30am for a 8am departure. Please keep in mind that is “La Parguera time.” We usually came around 7:45am and the boat would leave between 8:15 and 8:30. Our divemaster for the entire week was BamBam (Eliel) Ramos and our boat captain was Manny (Emmanuel) Mercado. Both of these guys are top notch. We dove with BamBam before and wanted to dive with him again. West Divers tries to use him whenever they can.
We were asked to sign release forms each day. We were given a brief overview of how the day would go. We were then asked to set up all our gear. Each day is a two tank dive so I definitely recommend checking the pressure on both tanks beforehand. West Divers uses standard air. Nitrox is not available. There were a few days where the tank pressure was below 2800psi, my threshold for rejecting a tank.
We were given a safety briefing on the operation of the boat. There are life jackets on board, fire extinguishers, and a marine radio. Both the divemaster and captain had cell phones as well. There is an emergency lift raft and a locator system. We then began the 25 minute boat ride to the first dive site, usually the wall that the area is known for. Although the ride is generally smooth, I do take sea sickness medication because there can be occasional swells. The waters were pretty calm for the first two days of diving but we did have 4-7 foot waves during the last two days. Overall the waves were very manageable, but the medication did help.
When we arrived at each dive site, the captain dropped a current line into the water. In the middle of the current line there was an ascent/descent line. We were asked to wait on the current line until the divemaster told us to descend. The first dive was generally a wall dive for 40-50 minutes. We would swim out to the wall and go down to 80-90 feet for about 20 minutes. The wall is incredibly vibrant with lots of life. You’ll see standard Caribbean fish as well as eels, lobsters, crabs, and an occasional shark. After 20 minutes, we swam over the top of the wall with the remainder of the dive being 50-60 feet. The dive ended with a three minute safety stop at 15-20 feet. We were reminded to approach the ladder cautiously due to the wave action.
During the first surface interval, we were offered sandwiches, fruit, water, and soft drinks (and after the second dive the infamous Bimbo Brand Cookies!). We changed our tanks and then began our trip to the second dive site. The total surface interval was 50-60 minutes. The second dive site was usually a shallower reef site with a maximum depth of 45-60 feet. After the second dive, we began the 25-30 minute ride back home. We were usually back on shore between 12:30 and 1pm.
The sites we visited included:
Efra's Wall
The Hatchery (four moray eels!)
Fallen Rock
Chiminea (chimney)
Andreas 1
Andreas 2
Posas
An Unnamed Site
We paid $85/day plus tax for each day of diving. We provided our own gear. Gear is available for rental if you need anything. The shop accepts credit cards.
In terms of accommodations, I suggest Villa Parguera (Parador Villa Parguera - Portada) . It is one of the island “paradores,” which are a type of traditional inn. The rooms are clean and come with A/C, a television, phone, and a private bathroom. The staff is very attentive and will do what they can to help you.
For breakfast each morning, I recommend going to Supermercado Perez which is near the bottom of the hill on Route 304. You’ll probably see some roosters and some dog sleeping in the road (no joke!) as you go there. Supermercado Perez opens at 7am and offer eggs, toast, bagels and some other things. Their coffee is fantastic. There are a few places to grab lunch in town (Reef Pop, Yolanda’s, Los Balcones). For dinner, the best places are Restaurante El Turromote (just outside of the main town at the marina), Moon’s Tapas (in town), Yolanda’s (in town) and the Puerto Parguera (in town). There are also several shops that sell empanadas (meat pies), pinchos (skewers of meat), burgers, pizza, and other things. For a different experience, head over to San German, and Cabo Rojo (each 30-40 minutes away) or go to Ponce (an hour away) for various restaurants and attractions.
I’ve been coming to La Parguera for several years and enjoy it. It is truly a relaxing vacation with great diving. I’ve already made my hotel reservations for 2013 and look forward to going back. I commend BamBam and Manny , Harry (the owner) and the staff at West Divers for offering a top quality diving experience.
I dove with West Divers (Scuba Diving in La Parguera, Puerto Rico) which is one of the two dive shops in town. Their shop is located near the very end of Route 304 as you come into town. Their dive boat and shore base is at the former Parador Posada Porlamar.
We were asked to meet at the dive shop every day at 7:30am for a 8am departure. Please keep in mind that is “La Parguera time.” We usually came around 7:45am and the boat would leave between 8:15 and 8:30. Our divemaster for the entire week was BamBam (Eliel) Ramos and our boat captain was Manny (Emmanuel) Mercado. Both of these guys are top notch. We dove with BamBam before and wanted to dive with him again. West Divers tries to use him whenever they can.
We were asked to sign release forms each day. We were given a brief overview of how the day would go. We were then asked to set up all our gear. Each day is a two tank dive so I definitely recommend checking the pressure on both tanks beforehand. West Divers uses standard air. Nitrox is not available. There were a few days where the tank pressure was below 2800psi, my threshold for rejecting a tank.
We were given a safety briefing on the operation of the boat. There are life jackets on board, fire extinguishers, and a marine radio. Both the divemaster and captain had cell phones as well. There is an emergency lift raft and a locator system. We then began the 25 minute boat ride to the first dive site, usually the wall that the area is known for. Although the ride is generally smooth, I do take sea sickness medication because there can be occasional swells. The waters were pretty calm for the first two days of diving but we did have 4-7 foot waves during the last two days. Overall the waves were very manageable, but the medication did help.
When we arrived at each dive site, the captain dropped a current line into the water. In the middle of the current line there was an ascent/descent line. We were asked to wait on the current line until the divemaster told us to descend. The first dive was generally a wall dive for 40-50 minutes. We would swim out to the wall and go down to 80-90 feet for about 20 minutes. The wall is incredibly vibrant with lots of life. You’ll see standard Caribbean fish as well as eels, lobsters, crabs, and an occasional shark. After 20 minutes, we swam over the top of the wall with the remainder of the dive being 50-60 feet. The dive ended with a three minute safety stop at 15-20 feet. We were reminded to approach the ladder cautiously due to the wave action.
During the first surface interval, we were offered sandwiches, fruit, water, and soft drinks (and after the second dive the infamous Bimbo Brand Cookies!). We changed our tanks and then began our trip to the second dive site. The total surface interval was 50-60 minutes. The second dive site was usually a shallower reef site with a maximum depth of 45-60 feet. After the second dive, we began the 25-30 minute ride back home. We were usually back on shore between 12:30 and 1pm.
The sites we visited included:
Efra's Wall
The Hatchery (four moray eels!)
Fallen Rock
Chiminea (chimney)
Andreas 1
Andreas 2
Posas
An Unnamed Site
We paid $85/day plus tax for each day of diving. We provided our own gear. Gear is available for rental if you need anything. The shop accepts credit cards.
In terms of accommodations, I suggest Villa Parguera (Parador Villa Parguera - Portada) . It is one of the island “paradores,” which are a type of traditional inn. The rooms are clean and come with A/C, a television, phone, and a private bathroom. The staff is very attentive and will do what they can to help you.
For breakfast each morning, I recommend going to Supermercado Perez which is near the bottom of the hill on Route 304. You’ll probably see some roosters and some dog sleeping in the road (no joke!) as you go there. Supermercado Perez opens at 7am and offer eggs, toast, bagels and some other things. Their coffee is fantastic. There are a few places to grab lunch in town (Reef Pop, Yolanda’s, Los Balcones). For dinner, the best places are Restaurante El Turromote (just outside of the main town at the marina), Moon’s Tapas (in town), Yolanda’s (in town) and the Puerto Parguera (in town). There are also several shops that sell empanadas (meat pies), pinchos (skewers of meat), burgers, pizza, and other things. For a different experience, head over to San German, and Cabo Rojo (each 30-40 minutes away) or go to Ponce (an hour away) for various restaurants and attractions.
I’ve been coming to La Parguera for several years and enjoy it. It is truly a relaxing vacation with great diving. I’ve already made my hotel reservations for 2013 and look forward to going back. I commend BamBam and Manny , Harry (the owner) and the staff at West Divers for offering a top quality diving experience.
