DIVING PUERTO RICO

THE NEXT BEST THING TO SLIPPING INTO AN AQUARIUM

by Madelyn Miller

Since diving in Puerto Rico is one of the Caribbean's best-kept secrets, most of the sites remain untouched. Every dive trip is still an adventure, every diver an explorer. And diving in Puerto Rico may be the next best thing to slipping into an aquarium. Underwater visibility can exceed 100 feet, and land and water temperatures hover around an easy-to-take 78 degrees all year rounds. (I wish the pool at my health club was this consistently warm)

During the last Ice Age, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands formed one land mass. Today, the waters connecting these islands are uniformly shallow, and the marine life is spectacular. Exquisite communities of elaborate patch reefs and dazzling reef fish sit in clear turquoise waters rarely deeper than 760 feet. Reached by boat, these sites challenge both novice and experienced divers. Dive conditions are consistently favorable, underwater photography is exceptionally good, and night dives are memorable.

Scuba divers see very special things in Puerto Rico. Pristine reefs, spectacular walls, intriguing caverns, and mangrove-topped cays define the tropical waters that surround Puerto Rico. They form the backdrop for dives that are as dazzling as any found in the Caribbean and as diverse as the surrounding marine life. Multitudes of fish coexist with endangered manatees and humpback whales. Corals abound, including species that are mere memories on other islands. Dive options are as varied as the sites themselves. Explore reefs that lie within a splash of your hotel room, or ones that fringe remote islets far from shore. start your scuba experience with an easy half-day resort course, or enjoy an advanced dive 100 feet below the surface. Puerto Rico offers beach dives, shallow dives, boat dives, wall and ledge dives, night dives, cave and wreck dives, and they are all memorable. Operators are NAUI or PADI affiliated, fully qualified professionals using Coast Guard certified boats; they are also enthusiastic veterans of their dive region.

Where to stay? The exquisite Palmas del Mar Resort is home to the only on-site dive operation in Puerto Rico. Noted for more than 3,000 coconut palm trees swaying over the property, when you check in at the open-air lobby, you'll be greeted by Roberto, a multicolored parrot and the soft sounds of the lobby's mini-waterfall.

The resort gives new meaning to the phrase "a room with a view". From the balcony of a beach-front villa, the Caribbean, mysterious and exotic, is like a chameleon: frequently changing colors from deep blue to jade green. The sky over Palmas del mar is surprisingly predictable, soft blue and usually dotted with fluffy white clouds. Even after you awaken each morning, you'll think you're still dreaming. Because you'll have a breathtaking view of the Caribbean sea or mountains or beautiful man-made lakes and waterfalls.

The resort actually looks like the hillside coastal towns of the Mediterranean. Pastel stucco building with red tile roofs terrace down the sides of hills to the sea. Walkways twist and wind their way through lush canopies of trees into sunlit plazas framed by riots of flowers.

Most dive sites are located between five and 20 minutes from the docks at Palmas del Mar and include views of multicolored coral, reef walls, small caves, overhangs, swim-throughs and pinnacles hosting a variety of tropical fish.

If you get a chance, try diving off the western coast of Vieques, a small offshore island that marks the easternmost boundary of Puerto Rico. Here the waters are relatively shallow and studded with impressive elkhorn coral. Conch and large barrel sponges are also abundant, and grouper, angelfish, morays and other fish are common sights. Green Beach, shaded by towering palm trees, has an offshore reef in 10 to 30 feet of water that features sloping valleys and huge coral heads. Much of Vieques remains unexplored, with many outstanding dive sites still waiting to be discovered.

In between dives, you can wade through Old San Juan, one of the best-preserved historic districts in the New World, explore the Camuy Caves, the biggest river cave system this this of Europe, visit a century-old coffee estate , or try your luck in an opulent casino. From rain forests to dry forests, pineapple fields to golf courses, folkloric festivals to classical jazz and salsa concerts, kayaking to hiking--it's all right there in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico is also the Caribbean's most accessible island. It offers the flavor of a different world, with the comforts of our own.

PALMAS DEL MAR RESORT, BOX2020 HUMACAO, PUERTO RICO. 800-PALMAS-3.