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Snorkeling Desecheo: a forbidden island off Rincón, Puerto Rico

Snorkeling Desecheo: a forbidden island off Rincón, Puerto Rico

Towering surf surges across the 12-mile pass between Rincon, Puerto Rico and an uninhabited island. Our dive boat crests the waves time and time again, summiting the indigo hills with ease. We plan to dive off the coast of Desecheo Island, a National Wildlife Refuge that was once home to smugglers and pirates, but is now home to a group of brown boobies, three species of lizard found nowhere else. place in the world and a healthy population of introduced species. rhesus monkeys.

Unfortunately, the island itself is off limits. During World War II, the United States used it as a firing range, and unexploded military ordnance now poses a threat to the safety of visitors.

As we close the gap, Desecheo emerges from the noticeably shifting tides and strong currents of Mona Passage. When his rugged shoulders jerked into view, we dropped anchor at forty feet. I watch the shoreline where the white water funnels through the jagged rocks and crashes onto the land. There is something enticing in the mystery of a secluded place. I want to investigate the wild hills. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to explore the bay, but even as I don my gear and take a giant step off the dive platform, I’m focused on the small beach just a short swim away.

The water closes over my head and for a moment I am suspended at fish eye level, suspended between heaven and earth in a world free of gravity. Visibility is over 80 feet and this is a cloudy day. Queen triggerfish float near the boat, perhaps hoping to share our sandwiches. They wave their slender ends like girls tossing their hair. After cleaning my snorkel, I dive face down into the water, watch a tropical fish dance, and allow the warmth of the sun to seep into my body like Puerto Rican rum. Pink and blue parrotfish tango on sand and striped sergeant major cha-cha on limestone ledges. A pair of butterfly fish leap into a cascading spiral to greet me.

That’s when I notice a barracuda staring at me. Barracuda tend to swim close to the surface and if you are too focused on the distant sea floor, you are likely to miss their threatening presence. Mr. Flashy Teeth is just beyond arm’s reach. We look at each other for a long moment and then it wags its tail and disappears into the blue.

I allow myself to drift towards the beach. Submerged rocks rise below me and the surf breaks over them reducing visibility to a bubbling two or three feet. Even if it were safe to set foot on the island, reaching it would be treacherous. I was hoping to at least get close, but not today.

Resigned, I kick against the current and return to the safety of deeper water. Our guide is calling everyone back to the boat anyway. Perhaps one day he will set foot on the island of Desecheo. In the meantime, I have to admit that the snorkeling off the coast is impressive. And I’m glad that in my yearning to explore the reaches of something unattainable, I didn’t miss out on the wild encounter at hand.

Information, please

CONVENIENCE

No passport is required for US citizens.

Puerto Rico uses US dollars.

English is widely spoken, although Spanish is the traditional local language.

Puerto Rico phone numbers can be dialed without an international code from US phones.

Cell phone coverage in the US is pretty good, especially along the coast. We didn’t need to do anything extra to use our cell phone and since we have a national plan, we weren’t even roaming!

GET THERE

Fly into (BQN) Rafael Hernández Airport in Aguadilla, on the west side of Puerto Rico.

Desecheo is 13 miles off the coast of Rincón, a small surf town on the western end of the island, 20 minutes from the airport.

Taino Divers is the only officially licensed dive shop in the waters around Desecheo. You can snorkel, scuba dive, or try a scuba discovery class and dive with an instructor.

WHERE TO STAY

Rincon offers everything from luxurious resorts to budget hotels to private homes that you can rent.

WHERE TO EAT

You’ll find everything from a Spanish-style tapas bar to the famous Lazy Parrot Rum Shack, where reggae night is held every Wednesday. We enjoyed having lunch and watching the surfers at Tamboo Seaside Grill

THINGS TO DO

Visit an art gallery.

Check out Rincon’s 8 miles of beaches, most of which are famous for surfing, especially in the winter months.

Take surf lessons.

Learn to navigate.

Go deep sea fishing. Marlin, sailfish, swordfish, tuna, dorado, wahoo, and shark all wait to tangle with you in the blue waters of Rincon’s Caribbean coast.

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