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by MARecycle
Atlanta, Georgia
December 23, 2006
The large southwestern Puerto Rico bay of Boqueron has two reefs at its wide mouth opening to the ocean. In December 2006, we snorkeled both of these reefs using a relatively small boat (17 feet Boston Whaler) from the marinas in Boqueron (it wasn’t a rental - a friend’s). Don’t know that there are any "formal" boat rental places, but deals to rent boats at the docks can always be had. As long as the sea conditions are relatively calm, (usually early in the day) a small boat is plenty adequate. It is a short run out to the reefs, only about 15 minutes and they are easy to locate. Depths range from awash to about 10-15 feet with the most interesting areas for snorkeling being in the 2-10 feet range. When we were there on our recent trip, visibility was 10-15 feet, which was adequate. Boqueron Bay itself is not the highest quality water, but when you get out towards the entrance, it cleans up nicely.
We recommend the reef on the south end of the bay opening, as it has somewhat more vibrant and alive coral than the north reef. Both are easy to find as they have areas that even in high tide are just barely a wash. In December 2006, the south reef was well marked by several pipes with orange cans on them. The north reef is a good distance north of the main entrance buoy into the bay. On the south reef we saw a few small lobsters and in the grassy area behind the reef, quite a number of conchs. All in all, a very nice snorkel that you can get to in a small boat. We don’t believe that access is available from land, certainly not on the north side. I think that you could access the south reef from land, but you need a four-wheel drive vehicle to navigate the dirt roads that would lead you to Punta Melones.
From journal Snorkeling and Dining in Southwest Puerto Rico