Hormigaquatica
Active member
If you went into the shop this week, you saw I actually took a few days off! We went to Puerto Rico for a few days- my first time there. The whole trip was designed around snorkeling, hanging out at the beach as much as possible, and hiking the rainforest.
I used Fajardo as "base camp" while there, with a couple days out on the small island of Culebra (about 17 miles E. of PR, 12 miles W of St Thomas, BVI). The snorkeling there was supposed to be great. I never actually got time to snorkel in Fajardo, but did spend a lot of time in the water around Culebra. Im sad to say, at least in the spots I was in, the reef is struggling. I never ventured more than 100 feet from shore (the beaches were deserted- literally. I didnt want to risk going out much farther alone, in water I was unfamiliar with). However, everything you hear about algae taking over the reef was clearly demonstrated there. The gorgonians, sponges, and fire corals were doing great, and there were some maze brains scattered around, but all the Elkhorn/Acropora, and Id say 90% of the LPS, was long dead and covered by invasive algae. The GOOD news is, there were lots of fish (blue headed wrasse harems in particular), and the Urchins appear to have returned in huge numbers. I hope that means the war against the invasive algae is being slowly won.
That said, if you have a chance to go- GO!! Culebra is stunning. I hate to give away the dive areas, just because their big appeal is how pristine they are, and how few people are on them, but at the same time, its one of those things I think everyone should get to see (in a responsible manner). Next time, I will probably skip the Big Island altogether and just go straight from San Juan to Culebra, Vieques, or Culebrita.
Underwater camera malfunctioned, so no fish pics just yet. A few beach shots for fun (I havent reduced photo size yet, sorry):
I used Fajardo as "base camp" while there, with a couple days out on the small island of Culebra (about 17 miles E. of PR, 12 miles W of St Thomas, BVI). The snorkeling there was supposed to be great. I never actually got time to snorkel in Fajardo, but did spend a lot of time in the water around Culebra. Im sad to say, at least in the spots I was in, the reef is struggling. I never ventured more than 100 feet from shore (the beaches were deserted- literally. I didnt want to risk going out much farther alone, in water I was unfamiliar with). However, everything you hear about algae taking over the reef was clearly demonstrated there. The gorgonians, sponges, and fire corals were doing great, and there were some maze brains scattered around, but all the Elkhorn/Acropora, and Id say 90% of the LPS, was long dead and covered by invasive algae. The GOOD news is, there were lots of fish (blue headed wrasse harems in particular), and the Urchins appear to have returned in huge numbers. I hope that means the war against the invasive algae is being slowly won.
That said, if you have a chance to go- GO!! Culebra is stunning. I hate to give away the dive areas, just because their big appeal is how pristine they are, and how few people are on them, but at the same time, its one of those things I think everyone should get to see (in a responsible manner). Next time, I will probably skip the Big Island altogether and just go straight from San Juan to Culebra, Vieques, or Culebrita.
Underwater camera malfunctioned, so no fish pics just yet. A few beach shots for fun (I havent reduced photo size yet, sorry):
