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Puerto
Rico is a 110 by 35 mile island with beautiful beaches, great diving,
and many other activities, both natural and man made. Coupled with first-class
hotels, easy access from the US, affordable dive accommodation packages,
and a choice of rural or urban settings, it is gaining popularity as
an all-around vacation spot for divers visiting the Caribbean. Puerto
Rico is located att the eastern end of the Greater Antilles chain, and
has the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean to the south.
Vieques and Culebra islands lie to the east, and Mona Island is to the
west. There are 3.5 million residents of Puerto Rico, with about one
million in the San Juan metropolitan area.
Puerto Rico offers many Scuba Diving and snorkel Adventures for both
experienced and novice divers. From reefs to walls, underwater caves
and wrecks, warm water and great visibility will greet you as you descend
into deep blue. The small islands shown on the map below offer a special
treat to divers, including Mona, which is known as the "Galapagos
of the Caribbean"
Climate Annual Average 80+F 27+C
Water Temp 75 - 85F 24 - 29C Visibility 75 - 150 ft 23 -45 m
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Dive
Services & Accommodations
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Caribe Aquatic Adventures
1062 Calle 19
Villa Nevarez
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00927-5217
USA
Tel. 787-281-8858
Fax. 787-765-7444
caribaqu@aol.com
http://www.diveguide.com/p2046.htm
Best critter shore dive in San Juan (behind Normandie
Hotel, 4 dives daily)! Also Island/Diving Picnics to
Fajardo. NAUI/PADI, Karen & Tony (owners) 33 yrs.
as guides. Convenient to cruise ship divers. |
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Nekton
Diving Cruises
520 SE 32nd Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 USA
Telephones: (800) 899-6753 (954) 463-9324
Fax: (954) 463-8938
lynn@nektoncruises.com
http://www.nektoncruises.com
Nekton Diving Cruises now offers seven exciting itineraries
including Belize, Mona Island (Puerto Rico), Northwestern
Bahamas, Cay Sal Bank, Cay Lobos, Silver Banks and the
Southern Bahamas aboard super-stable SWATH design vessels. |
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Sea
Ventures Diving Centers Puerto Rico
PO Box 70002
Fajardo, PR 00738
Ph. 800-739-3483
Fax. (787)863-0199
SeaVentures@DivePuertoRico.com
http://www.DivePuertoRico.com
With 3 great dive centers in Puerto Rico! Sea Ventures
is Puerto Rico's premier PADI 5-Star IDC Center. Join
us for a great dive experience!
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Tamarindo
Estates Beach Cottages
P.O. Box 313
Culebra, Puerto Rico 00775
Tel.: 787-742-3343
Fax.: 787-742-3342
http://www.tamarindoestates.com
Tamarindo Estates rents 12 one and two-bedroom kitchen-equipped
cottages. We are the only resort located on Culebra's
Marine Reserve. We dive pristine reefs that are in excellent
condition and marine life is abundant everywhere.
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Travel
To Puerto Rico
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Getting
to Puerto Rico almost always means flying to Luis Muñoz
Marín (LMM) International Airport. The gleaming
white terminal located just outside of San Juan is ranked
34th among passenger airports in the United States.
Most U.S. and many international airlines offer direct
flights to Puerto Rico, and making connecting flights
is easy. LMM is one of the largest airports in the Caribbean
and is a popular place for hopping over to the U.S. Virgin
Islands and other Caribbean destinations.
Transferring from the airport to your hotel usually requires
taking a taxi, although some hotels provide complimentary
transportation to their properties in special buses. Puerto
Rico Tourism Company representatives at the airport will
assist you in finding the right transportation. Major
car rental agencies are located at the airport, and others
offer free transportation to their off-airport sites.
Although there is no regular passenger service to Puerto
Rico by sea, more than a million passengers visit the
island on cruise ships every year, whether on one of the
many cruise lines whose homeport is San Juan, or on one
of the visiting lines.
From North America
2 ½ hours from Miami
3 ¼ hours from Atlanta
3 ¼ hours from New York
3 ½ hours from Washington, DC
4 ¼ hours from Toronto
4 ½ hours from Chicago and Dallas
7 ½ hours from Los Angeles
From Latin America
2 ½ hours from Caracas
5 ¾ hours from Mexico City
11 hours from Sao Paolo
From Europe
7 ¾ hours from Madrid
10 hours from Paris
10 ¼ hours from Brussels
12 hours from London
Getting
Around
Ground transportation in Puerto Rico can mean a taxi,
a tour bus, a rental car, a ferry, a small plane, a charter
boat, a Metrobus, or a público. In the near future,
you will also be able to get around part of greater San
Juan in a shiny new Urban Train.
By Ground
Most of the major car rental companies have offices at
the airport, in San Juan and in the larger cities and
towns. Roads are clearly marked and maps are available.
Note that speed limits are indicated in miles per hour,
but distances are shown in kilometers.
Taxis are available at the airport, hotels and major tourist
points. In the tourism zones, rates are fixed and posted.
Outside the zones, taxis are metered and can be hired
by the hour.
Public transportation in the metropolitan San Juan area
is convenient and practical, with regular bus service
on established routes.
By Air
You can fly to many of the cities and towns within Puerto
Rico, including Vieques and Culebra, by chartering a small
plane or taking one of the regularly scheduled commuter-type
flights from the Ribas Dominicci Airport in Isla Grande,
San Juan, or other local airports. If you are staying
in the west of the island, look into direct flights to
and from the Aguadilla airport.
By Water
Ferry service to Culebra and Vieques is available at the
small port of Fajardo on the east end of the island. Private
boats can also be chartered at many of the marinas on
the east coast.
By Publico
Among the most interesting and adventurous ways of traveling
in Puerto Rico is by público. Públicos are
independently owned and operated vans that service hard
to reach urban areas. They also travel between island
towns; if you have the time and inclination, they can
be an inexpensive and fascinating way to learn about the
island. You may find yourself riding with a family on
its way to see a grandmother on the other side of the
island, or a half dozen ballplayers on their way to a
game. All in all, públicos offer visitors a terrific
opportunity to meet Puerto Rico and its people.
Dining & Nightlife
San Juan is the Caribbean capital of nightlife and entertainment,
where you can indulge in bar hopping, enjoy fine dining,
partake in Vegas-style gaming or anything in between.
Throughout the San Juan area, bars, discos and popular
restaurants are found on nearly every corner of the city,
but be sure not to miss the vibrant nightlife out on the
island, including the special charms of resorts in Dorado,
Rio Grande, Ponce and Mayagüez. Discover all of Puerto
Rico's Top Entertainment Areas .
Activities
Whether you're dreaming about spectacular surfing waves,
a challenging golf course, or the perfect sunbathing beach,
Puerto Rico offers the active traveler a tremendous array
of opportunities. Surfing and golf compete with tennis,
fishing, kayaking, SCUBA diving, and horseback riding,
not to mention windsurfing and parasailing, for your active
time. Our perpetual summer weather begs you to enjoy the
sport of your choice!
Beaches
Puerto Rico is home to some of the most beautiful beaches
in the world, and its hundreds of miles of coastline harbor
an almost endless selection for the beach lover. Beaches
come in every size, color, and form, from the pure white
dunes of Isabela to the black volcanic sands near Punta
Santiago. You can find a beach for any level of seaside
activity, from a stroll in the shimmering shallow waters
at Luquillo to a thrilling ride in the boisterous surf
of Rincón. |
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Getting
To Culebra
The easiest way to reach Culebra is via San Juan. San
Juan International Airport is served from the U.S. Mainland
by American Airlines, Delta, TWA, USAir, Carnival, Continental,
Northwest, PanAm, and United. Culebra has daily flights
arriving from the San Juan International Airport on Isla
Nena Air Services (787-741-1577), and from San Juan Isla
Grande Airport on Vieques Air Link (787-722-3736). A 1
1/2 hour ferry ride is also available from Fajardo, a
sea port on the east shore of Puerto Rico, about 1 1/2
hour drive from San Juan.
Puerto Rico Ports Authority
Phone Numbers --- Culebra (787) 742-3161
Fajardo (787) 863-0705, (787) 863-0852
Voyage to Culebra is about 1 1/2 hours. The cargo ferry
also takes passengers. Passengers do not need reservations.
However, reservations are required for cars, and car should
be at the ferry dock at least one hour before departure.
Schedules are subject to change and should be verified
ahead of time. Passenger fare: only $2.25 per person.
For vehicle and cargo fares, call the Ports Authority. |
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