Puerto Rico - Staying at Gran Melia

[mo4391]

Hello,

My wife and I are going on a company sponsored trip to Puerto Rico from Apr. 30th to May 5th. We're hoping to fit in one day of diving. We'll be staying at the Gran Melia. Can anyone give us a little advise on our options? From what I've read it seems we basically have two option: Fajardo - closer but the diving isn't real good or La Parguera - diving is much better but it is a long way from where we're staying. Does that pretty much sum it up or are there other opinions/options? What are the typical dive conditions this time of year?

Also, are there any recommendations on dive operators? A few of the links I've seen for dive operators from past posts here seem to be dead.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Nolan]

Hello,

I will be in PR around the same time. A lot of people have recommended Walter at Culebra Divers (welcome). I am planning on calling there tomorrow to make some reservations. I am also planning on morning dives in Fajardo and the following day in Palmas Del Mar through Sea Ventures Dive Centers (Scuba Diving Puerto Rico's Caribbean with Sea Ventures Dive Centers - Fajardo & Palmas del Mar in Humacao, Puerto Rico). I haven't gone on any dives with these shops, so I can't really recommend them or not. Just giving you an idea of my plan. Hope it helps a bit. As a side note, I have been having a lot of people, online and in real life, telling me to be sure to do the kayaking in the bioluminescent bays. I am also planning on ziplining.

-Nolan

 

[Bhtmec2]

Go over and dive with Walter in Culebra. You will not regret it..

 

[lgordonal]

We are going to Humacao in November and I was wondering how your trip went.

 

[Tiana Haley]

How was the diving, and were you satisfied?? I'm staying at the Gran Melia also, but I was looking at the prices of the Aqua diving company that they use, and they're prices are high it seems. We will have a car. Did you have a car when you stayed there, and if so, did you have to pay for parking? Are you going with RCI or not?

---------- Post Merged at 12:07 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 12:06 PM ----------

Nolan, how was your diving adventure in Puerto Rico? Did you have a car, and did you stay at the Gran Melia?

 

[mo4391]

We ended up diving with Sea Ventures out of Fajardo. They were a very good, professional dive operator. They actually picked us up and returned us to the hotel for a small fee. I would certainly recommend them. As for the diving, the dive sites in Fajardo left a lot to be desired. So far in my short diving career I've had the opportunity to dive in Fiji, Roatan, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and now Fajardo. I will rank Fajardo at the bottom of that list. Don't get me wrong, it was still nice to get under the water and there was some decent fish life, but I felt the coral was rather bland. None the less, Fajardo worked for us because it was much more convenient than going to La Parguera. I will say this though, the DM's for Sea Ventures told us that they prefer to travel to La Parguera when they can for their own pleasure diving. So, I would say if you can make La Parguera work in your plans I would dive there. If not, I would highly recommend Sea Ventures.

 

[nestor2k]

As a local diver, I would say that Fajardo is a nice place to dive, but the wall in La Parguera is a lot better. Also in Isabela (northwest) you have the caves. Check youtube for a video from Unlimited Divers called "Isabela Caves Diving Puerto Rico" (Isabela Caves Diving Puerto Rico - YouTube). Culebra offer crystal clear waters and nice areas. Basically all the small keys between Culebra and the main island of Puerto Rico are a protected nature reserve, hence sea life is plentyfull. Plenty of dive shops throughout the island that offer tours to those places plus other more. Some have their own boats, others just have agreements with boat owners/operators to use them. Check the PADI website to search dive operators throughout the island. Like any other company, some operators are better than others. I have gone on tours and training with Sea Ventures in Fajardo and Casa del Mar also in Fajardo and both offer great service. Recommended.