Great, Valiant and Noble

By Cathryn Castle

“This story is excerpted from Dive Training magazine, September 2015 issue.”

On a recent dive trip to Puerto Rico, I learned that the island's original inhabitants, the Taino people, called it Borinquen, which means “great land of valiant and noble lords.” I mentioned this bit of trivia to my guide, Narisco, and jokingly asked if it was true. He smiled broadly, swelling with pride. “Yes, of course,” he said. “Puerto Rico is a great land, with great people.”

“Well, what’s so great about it?” I asked.

“I could tell you, but please allow me to show you,” he replied. And that is how we began a whirlwind tour of America's Caribbean treasure.

One of the first things you'll notice about Puerto Rico is that is a mix of the familiar and the exotic. You’ll often see two red-white-and-blue flags flying alongside one another. One is the familiar “stars and stripes” of the United States; the other is the flag of Puerto Rico. The island is a commonwealth of the United States, but also an island deeply rooted in Hispanic and Caribbean cultures. Familiar franchise eateries may perch on major highways, but turn onto a back road and you'll catch the aroma of Lechon Asado slow-roasting over an open fire at a roadside food stand.

This juxtaposition of cultures certainly has its conveniences, as the dollar is the official currency, highways and government services are the same, and English is widely spoken. That said, a trip to Puerto Rico also has the feel of leaving the country and entering a different world. For more than 400 years, the island was under the control of Spain, and San Juan was one of the most important ports in the Caribbean. Memories of classic Castilian culture still echo in the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan, but the rest of island moves to a livelier beat that is a fusion of Spanish, Taino and African influences.

Old-timers sometimes talk about the Caribbean “way back then,” when reefs were virgin, teeming with fish life and home to lobsters as long as your leg. My scuba dives in Puerto Rico made me feel like I’d gone “way back then,” as I found the reefs very healthy and indeed teeming with fish life. OK, so the lobsters I saw weren’t as long as my leg, but I noticed several hefty ones tucked into cracks in the reef.

While diving the wall off Guánica, on Puerto Rico’s southeast side, I was thrilled to see exquisite black coral forests thriving at depths of about 100 feet. Ditto for groves of massive gorgonian sea fans extending from the wall. They’re clearly getting the nutrients they need to grow. Along the shallower reefs, a series of ledges provided the perfect hiding spots for a variety of species of reef fish—and one very large nurse shark that seemed unconcerned about me moving closer for a good look. My guide pointed out another indicator of the health of the reefs: a collection of staghorn corals planted by marine researchers a couple of years earlier had grown significantly and now provided shelter for schooling snappers and other fish species.

Moving on to the reefs off Fajardo, on Puerto Rico’s northeast side, I found more thriving marine life. While diving off Palomino Island, which is just a short boat ride from the Aqua Adventure dive center dock at the El Conquistador Resort, I was delighted to see delicate sponges and tunicates mixed in with varieties of hard and soft corals. And because this area is within a no-take marine preserve, it was great to see large “dinner” fish like snappers, groupers and hogfish in plentiful numbers, along with swarms of bright-blue chromis and copper sweepers. This is what we’re supposed to see when we dive coral reefs.

The discoveries continued when we made the trip to the smaller island of Vieques. Diving the Rompeolas pier was a total blast. The pilings are encrusted by colorful sponges, which are a favorite snack of hawksbill turtles. We counted seven on one dive. Our busy schedule didn’t allow us enough time to return for a night dive, but at least one company, Black Beard Sports, conducts regular night dives to the pier. They also schedule trips to the island of Culebra, which boasts more than 50 dive sites, with something for everyone from novices to advanced divers. With more dive sites than days, we didn't make it to the island's west end, and the famous Parguera Wall. That will have to wait for the next trip.

With more than 300 miles of coastline, and several smaller islands and cays, Puerto Rico has a lot to offer divers. Sites range from the spur-and-groove formation, patch reefs, and shallow wreck sites ideal for all divers to deeper walls and offshore sites best suited for the more experienced. Water temperatures are in the low- to mid-80s F, which means you’ll likely need only a tropic-weight wetsuit or skin suit. During my visit, visibility ranged from 50 to 80 feet and beyond. Most dive centers offer two-tank morning boat trips and afternoon dive/snorkel trips. Beach diving and nitrox fills are available in some locations. A range of training options is also available, including tech diving.

Dive boats must meet U.S. Coast Guard standards for safety, including a VHF radio, life jackets and flotation buoys. All boats are piloted by Coast Guard-certified captains, and crews are trained to use emergency lifesaving equipment, including oxygen. At each of the dive centers we visited, we met enthusiastic dive staffs who were knowledgeable about the area's marine life. They also appeared to be well-versed on local history and were quick to recommend their favorite restaurants.

Even while on a mission to “dive, dive, dive,” we had to spend some time at the surface. This is another area where Puerto Rico excels. Within an hour’s drive from the San Juan airport, you can hike the trails of El Yunque National Forest — the only tropical rain forest within the U.S. national forest system. To experience the landscape at a faster pace, plan a trip to Toro Verde Nature Adventure Park. Billed as the largest aerial park in the Western Hemisphere, this is where you will encounter “The Monster,” the world's second longest zip line, which carries riders on a soaring flight more than 1,000 feet above the jungle. When you’re done zipping and climbing and rappelling on the park’s various adventure courses you can enjoy delicious local cuisine in the Toro Verde restaurant.

While rain forest touring and zip lining are decidedly daytime activities, a visit to one of Puerto Rico’s “bio bays” is a must-do once the sun goes down. Bioluminescent bays are shallow mangrove lagoons inhabited by luminescent microorganisms called dinoflagellates that light up at night. A variety of environmental conditions must be just right to sustain a bio bay, which is why they’re so rare — and why Puerto Rico is adamant about protecting them. The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources creates guidelines and visitor quotas for each of the island's three bioluminescent sites. Bay tours are available in Puerto Rico near Fajardo and also at Parguera. While both of these main-island sites offer a dazzling display, it is Vieques’s Mosquito Bay that is considered the most extraordinary. Guided tours usually start at dusk and are available by sea kayak and on small boats.

We visited Mosquito Bay during a new moon, when winds were blowing just enough to cause the slightest waves to form inside the bay, turning the water’s surface into a glowing, glittery mirage. The scene was magical, otherworldly. As our kayak paddles sliced the water’s surface, sparkling contrails of light swirled beneath us. One of our guides, Che Lopez from Black Beard Sports, explained that the Tainos believed the glowing waters were the sacred tears of the rain god Boya’nell, who sent water from the sky to nourish their crops. The Tainos worshiped and protected the bay, and as I dipped my hand into the water and saw it light up, I understood why. Even if the bioluminescent bay isn’t caused by the sacred tears of an ancient god, our visit was spectacular.