sparragus
Contributor
After two months away from the Island, I was desperate to come back and dive. So, as soon as I touched land, I called up Island Scuba in Guánica, and booked two two-tank dives. Both were in early September.
About the dive shop: Island Scuba
Island Scuba is a small dive shop in Playa Santa, Guánica. They sell basic gear and equipment, but they're most know for their boat dives. They'll go out Monday-Saturday as long there's at least one reservation. So, if you're the only one to book the two-tank morning dive, they'll go and take you diving even if it's just you and the divemaster.
A bit of disclaimer: Island Scuba has a special place in my heart because that's were I got certified as OWD. I've befriended both Pedro and Nayda, the owners, as well as Papo, the boat captain. They treat me well, and I keep coming back. They are great people!
But it's not just me who says that. They are very well loved by the local dive community. VERY! A ton of regular divers come here. I, for example, have done 15 of my 17 dives with them. I've also met a bunch of divers who come back again and again: underwater photographers, divemasters, spearfishers, recreational divers. Island Scuba has a great reputation.
Admittedly, their boat is small; a six-pack. Because that's what I'm used to, I don't mind it. It make me feel like we're all part of a small team of divers, a special family. But I've read there's people in SB that dislike them very much. So, this message is mostly for them.
One outstanding thing thing to note is that Island Scuba is one of the very few places in Puerto Rico that rents and refills Nitrox tanks.
Island Scuba ALWAYS does one wall dive, and one reef or drift dive.
Saturday, September 2, 2023
It was an excellent day. Sunny and mostly cloudless. Waves were fine, nothing crazy. No current. Not windy either. A perfect day to go diving.
Today, Island Scuba has two boats. They had more than six divers so they were split 3/4 between boats. One boat had the most expert divers, and the other one had the more novice divers. I was in the novice boat, but I only had 13 dives so hey, I'm not gonna pretend.
Meeting time was 7am, but it did take a while more before we would go out. It'd be close to 8 before we will be on our way to our first dive.
In my boat was Pedro and Nayda, the shop owners. Nayda stayed on board while we dove.
Today it was four divers in the boat, so it didn't feel packed.
First dive: Hatchet
Coordinates: Google Maps
Type of dive: Wall dive.
Life: Reef sharks, nurse sharks, moray eels, turtles, huge crabs, lobsters, rays, corals (alive, not bleached), lion fish, and a ton of fishes whose name I don't know.
Visibility: 70ft+
Water temperature: 85ºF
Max depth: 114ft
Hatchet is a wall dive. It starts at 55ft. When you reach the wall, it'll be around 60-65ft before dropping to 100ft+.
As soon as we started going down, reef sharks. Not one. Not two. But three! They are fun to watch. They just swim by and go. Down there, at 55ft, it's beautiful. Full of sea fans, and a bunch of different corals (whose names I still don't know).
Because I hadn't dove since before the summer, one thing I was curious was if the corals were bleached. Well, mostly they aren't. Some are, specially those at 55ft or shallower (other dive sites). But fortunately it isn't as widespread as I feared. That may not be the fate of dive sites north of Puerto Rico, but at least it wasn't as horrible as I feared.
We started swimming south to reach the wall, which is close by from the mooring. We get there and all the sudden, a turtle! Just chilling by.
The wall was impressive, as it always is. It's tall, and in its caves hides crabs, lobsters, and moray eels.
Pedro frequently carries a trident (?) to fish lion fish, an invasive species. After he gets one, he'll give it to the sharks. It's always interesting to watch the sharks starting to gather and see who gets the lion fish.
This dive was also the first time I ever used a GoPro. So, me thinking I'd be so smart and perfect, I bought a red filter for it. Cause you know, red is quickly lost underwater specially at that depth. Well, I sucked and the filter sucked, too. I have a ton of takes where there's an orange tint on the blue. Lesson learned: take it easy building skills and have fun in the process.
Well, with that orange tint, I present to you my first diving video.
Second dive: Frankie's Cave
Coordinates: 17°54'04.8"N 66°54'49.6"W · Guánica, Puerto Rico
Type of dive: Reef dive.
Life: Reef sharks, nurse sharks, crabs, lobsters, rays, corals (alive, not bleached), lion fish, and a ton of fishes whose name I don't know.
Visibility: 70ft+
Water temperature: 85ºF
Max depth: 58ft
I don't know where the cave is here, or what they mean by cave, but it doesn't matter. Frankie's Cave was gorgeus. A relaxing dive full of fish and a beautiful reef.
We saw a nurse shark that had a fishing line and hook around it's neck. It was resting. Pedro tried to remove it, but as soon as he got near, the shark swam away.
I enjoyed it very much. Even better visibility because I wasn't as deep, so there was better light.
I also recorded a video, but it sucked. I still used the red filter, and I also ran out of battery
. But here's what I got.
Monday, September 4
A holiday. No work, so that means we're diving.
I woke up at 5:45am to a cloudy day. It was gonna rain anytime now, and who knows. Perhaps we'll get thunder. I was afraid the dive was gonna get cancelled.
I get there at 7am, and meet the other three divers. This means only one boat will go out. Good for me. More space in the boat.
The sea wasn't too bad either. Sure, it wasn't calm, but it wasn't very choppy.
We got to the first dive site, and the weather hadn't improved. In fact, it started raining. But at least there wasn't any thunder, so down we went.
First dive: Caminos
Coordinates: 17°53'54.0"N 66°56'59.6"W · Guánica, Puerto Rico
Type of dive: Wall dive.
Life: Reef sharks, nurse sharks, remora, moray eels, crabs, lobsters, rays, corals (alive, not bleached), lion fish, and a ton of fishes whose name I don't know.
Visibility: 50ft
Water temperature: 83ºF
Max depth: 105ft
I don't know what to say here that isn't different from the Hatchet dive. Main difference was that it was darker because it was cloudy. I wish I had had a diving light cause it would have help shine the dim light.
Wall dives are unique and humbling. The wall must have been about 50ft tall. You swim next to it and you feel you're deeper than you actually are.
As usual, there were reef sharks.
This time I shot video without a red filter. Take a look.
Second dive: Unnamed drift dive
Coordinates: Not sure. I heard we were about a mile south of Caminos.
Type of dive: Drift dive.
Life: Lion fish, pufferfish, fishes, corals, a lot of lobsters, crabs, sea cuccumbers
Visibility: 50ft
Water temperature: 83ºF
Max depth: 105ft
I love drift dives. I think they're the most fun type of dive I've done. And this dive site was a site I hadn't visited before so that made it very interesting, but it turns out no one had been here before! I'm not sure why or how Pedro selected this site, but he did. I do remember hearing him say to Papo that we would be moving about one mile south of Caminos, and that we would be dropping somewhere there.
Everyone got the brief of how drift dives are done: we all get into the water at the same time, Pedro would be dragging the diver below buoy, if you get lost, deploy your DSMB and wait to get picked up, other wise follow the group and surface when you need to.
Pedro and Jovet, another diver, where going to fish, too. So they brought their spear guns with them.
The dive was fun, but the two who had the most unexpected fun were Pedro and Jovet. They fished A LOT, particularly Capitan. (I don't know what this is called in English).
Visibility was about the same, but because it was shallower light was better.
I had never seen as many lobsters as in this dive. Granted, they were rather small, but there were many!
My favorite underwater buddy was a pufferfish. Big and thick, dude was fun to watch swim. Check him out at the end of the video:
Take away
After a two month break, I'm happy to have returned to the water. One thing I was very concerned was coral bleaching. And while there's some of it, fortunately it isn't widespread. Marine life if also very good. I saw a bit of everything.
I got to practice more shooting video with the GoPro. I won't be doing red filter any more. The outcome of that was horrible. The editing process was fun, though. GoPro's app, Quik, makes it super easy to edit these videos.
I love diving with Island Scuba and will come back. But next time I'll go dive elsewhere in the Island. I've stuck around with them for too long and it's time to explore other shops and dive sites.
And Guanica is amazing. It's wall and reefs must be world class. It's impressive and amazing. If you ever come to Puerto Rico and you'll only have one morning to dive, make it Guanica. This is my recommendation and what everyone else was saying in the boat.
Finally, this is my first dive report. Do let me know if you liked it, or if you didn't. Also let me know what you thought about the videos. If you have any questions, let me know. I'll be happy to chat about it.
About the dive shop: Island Scuba
Island Scuba is a small dive shop in Playa Santa, Guánica. They sell basic gear and equipment, but they're most know for their boat dives. They'll go out Monday-Saturday as long there's at least one reservation. So, if you're the only one to book the two-tank morning dive, they'll go and take you diving even if it's just you and the divemaster.
A bit of disclaimer: Island Scuba has a special place in my heart because that's were I got certified as OWD. I've befriended both Pedro and Nayda, the owners, as well as Papo, the boat captain. They treat me well, and I keep coming back. They are great people!
But it's not just me who says that. They are very well loved by the local dive community. VERY! A ton of regular divers come here. I, for example, have done 15 of my 17 dives with them. I've also met a bunch of divers who come back again and again: underwater photographers, divemasters, spearfishers, recreational divers. Island Scuba has a great reputation.
Admittedly, their boat is small; a six-pack. Because that's what I'm used to, I don't mind it. It make me feel like we're all part of a small team of divers, a special family. But I've read there's people in SB that dislike them very much. So, this message is mostly for them.
One outstanding thing thing to note is that Island Scuba is one of the very few places in Puerto Rico that rents and refills Nitrox tanks.
Island Scuba ALWAYS does one wall dive, and one reef or drift dive.
Saturday, September 2, 2023
It was an excellent day. Sunny and mostly cloudless. Waves were fine, nothing crazy. No current. Not windy either. A perfect day to go diving.
Today, Island Scuba has two boats. They had more than six divers so they were split 3/4 between boats. One boat had the most expert divers, and the other one had the more novice divers. I was in the novice boat, but I only had 13 dives so hey, I'm not gonna pretend.
Meeting time was 7am, but it did take a while more before we would go out. It'd be close to 8 before we will be on our way to our first dive.
In my boat was Pedro and Nayda, the shop owners. Nayda stayed on board while we dove.
Today it was four divers in the boat, so it didn't feel packed.
First dive: Hatchet
Coordinates: Google Maps
Type of dive: Wall dive.
Life: Reef sharks, nurse sharks, moray eels, turtles, huge crabs, lobsters, rays, corals (alive, not bleached), lion fish, and a ton of fishes whose name I don't know.
Visibility: 70ft+
Water temperature: 85ºF
Max depth: 114ft
Hatchet is a wall dive. It starts at 55ft. When you reach the wall, it'll be around 60-65ft before dropping to 100ft+.
As soon as we started going down, reef sharks. Not one. Not two. But three! They are fun to watch. They just swim by and go. Down there, at 55ft, it's beautiful. Full of sea fans, and a bunch of different corals (whose names I still don't know).
Because I hadn't dove since before the summer, one thing I was curious was if the corals were bleached. Well, mostly they aren't. Some are, specially those at 55ft or shallower (other dive sites). But fortunately it isn't as widespread as I feared. That may not be the fate of dive sites north of Puerto Rico, but at least it wasn't as horrible as I feared.
We started swimming south to reach the wall, which is close by from the mooring. We get there and all the sudden, a turtle! Just chilling by.
The wall was impressive, as it always is. It's tall, and in its caves hides crabs, lobsters, and moray eels.
Pedro frequently carries a trident (?) to fish lion fish, an invasive species. After he gets one, he'll give it to the sharks. It's always interesting to watch the sharks starting to gather and see who gets the lion fish.
This dive was also the first time I ever used a GoPro. So, me thinking I'd be so smart and perfect, I bought a red filter for it. Cause you know, red is quickly lost underwater specially at that depth. Well, I sucked and the filter sucked, too. I have a ton of takes where there's an orange tint on the blue. Lesson learned: take it easy building skills and have fun in the process.
Well, with that orange tint, I present to you my first diving video.
Second dive: Frankie's Cave
Coordinates: 17°54'04.8"N 66°54'49.6"W · Guánica, Puerto Rico
Type of dive: Reef dive.
Life: Reef sharks, nurse sharks, crabs, lobsters, rays, corals (alive, not bleached), lion fish, and a ton of fishes whose name I don't know.
Visibility: 70ft+
Water temperature: 85ºF
Max depth: 58ft
I don't know where the cave is here, or what they mean by cave, but it doesn't matter. Frankie's Cave was gorgeus. A relaxing dive full of fish and a beautiful reef.
We saw a nurse shark that had a fishing line and hook around it's neck. It was resting. Pedro tried to remove it, but as soon as he got near, the shark swam away.
I enjoyed it very much. Even better visibility because I wasn't as deep, so there was better light.
I also recorded a video, but it sucked. I still used the red filter, and I also ran out of battery
. But here's what I got.Monday, September 4
A holiday. No work, so that means we're diving.
I woke up at 5:45am to a cloudy day. It was gonna rain anytime now, and who knows. Perhaps we'll get thunder. I was afraid the dive was gonna get cancelled.
I get there at 7am, and meet the other three divers. This means only one boat will go out. Good for me. More space in the boat.
The sea wasn't too bad either. Sure, it wasn't calm, but it wasn't very choppy.
We got to the first dive site, and the weather hadn't improved. In fact, it started raining. But at least there wasn't any thunder, so down we went.
First dive: Caminos
Coordinates: 17°53'54.0"N 66°56'59.6"W · Guánica, Puerto Rico
Type of dive: Wall dive.
Life: Reef sharks, nurse sharks, remora, moray eels, crabs, lobsters, rays, corals (alive, not bleached), lion fish, and a ton of fishes whose name I don't know.
Visibility: 50ft
Water temperature: 83ºF
Max depth: 105ft
I don't know what to say here that isn't different from the Hatchet dive. Main difference was that it was darker because it was cloudy. I wish I had had a diving light cause it would have help shine the dim light.
Wall dives are unique and humbling. The wall must have been about 50ft tall. You swim next to it and you feel you're deeper than you actually are.
As usual, there were reef sharks.
This time I shot video without a red filter. Take a look.
Second dive: Unnamed drift dive
Coordinates: Not sure. I heard we were about a mile south of Caminos.
Type of dive: Drift dive.
Life: Lion fish, pufferfish, fishes, corals, a lot of lobsters, crabs, sea cuccumbers
Visibility: 50ft
Water temperature: 83ºF
Max depth: 105ft
I love drift dives. I think they're the most fun type of dive I've done. And this dive site was a site I hadn't visited before so that made it very interesting, but it turns out no one had been here before! I'm not sure why or how Pedro selected this site, but he did. I do remember hearing him say to Papo that we would be moving about one mile south of Caminos, and that we would be dropping somewhere there.
Everyone got the brief of how drift dives are done: we all get into the water at the same time, Pedro would be dragging the diver below buoy, if you get lost, deploy your DSMB and wait to get picked up, other wise follow the group and surface when you need to.
Pedro and Jovet, another diver, where going to fish, too. So they brought their spear guns with them.
The dive was fun, but the two who had the most unexpected fun were Pedro and Jovet. They fished A LOT, particularly Capitan. (I don't know what this is called in English).
Visibility was about the same, but because it was shallower light was better.
I had never seen as many lobsters as in this dive. Granted, they were rather small, but there were many!
My favorite underwater buddy was a pufferfish. Big and thick, dude was fun to watch swim. Check him out at the end of the video:
Take away
After a two month break, I'm happy to have returned to the water. One thing I was very concerned was coral bleaching. And while there's some of it, fortunately it isn't widespread. Marine life if also very good. I saw a bit of everything.
I got to practice more shooting video with the GoPro. I won't be doing red filter any more. The outcome of that was horrible. The editing process was fun, though. GoPro's app, Quik, makes it super easy to edit these videos.
I love diving with Island Scuba and will come back. But next time I'll go dive elsewhere in the Island. I've stuck around with them for too long and it's time to explore other shops and dive sites.
And Guanica is amazing. It's wall and reefs must be world class. It's impressive and amazing. If you ever come to Puerto Rico and you'll only have one morning to dive, make it Guanica. This is my recommendation and what everyone else was saying in the boat.
Finally, this is my first dive report. Do let me know if you liked it, or if you didn't. Also let me know what you thought about the videos. If you have any questions, let me know. I'll be happy to chat about it.
