La Parguera wall diving

The wall off Puerto Rico’s south coast

La Parguera is a small waterfront village in the municipality of Lajas, on Puerto Rico’s southwest coast. It is best known for its mangrove cays, its bioluminescent bay and, among divers, for the wall. Offshore, the island shelf stays fairly shallow for several miles, covered in patch reefs, seagrass and sand. Then it ends. At the shelf edge the bottom falls away in a steep wall that continues down far beyond recreational depths.

That shelf edge runs for miles along the south coast, so there are many different dive sites along it. Some have a gentle slope before the drop; others go almost vertical from the top of the reef. Well-known sites include Black Wall and Hole in the Wall, but operators choose sites on the day based on current, swell and the group’s experience.

What you see on the wall

The wall face is where the diving gets its reputation. Large barrel sponges, tube sponges and rope sponges grow out from the face, along with sea fans and sea whips that lean into the current. Black coral grows on deeper parts of the wall. Look closely in the cracks and overhangs for lobster, moray eels and small reef fish, and keep an eye on the blue for passing eagle rays, turtles and schools of jacks.

The reef top behind the wall is worth a dive of its own. Its coral heads, sand channels and gorgonian gardens sit in shallower water, which makes it a good second dive and a good place for newer divers. Many operators plan a wall dive first and a shallower reef dive second.

Who the wall suits

Wall diving is about buoyancy. There is no bottom below you, so you need to hold your depth without thinking about it, watch your gauges and stay with your guide. Divers with an advanced certification or several dives of recent experience will be most comfortable. Newer divers can still join the reef-top dives, and many shops in the area teach courses, including deep and buoyancy specialties that suit the wall.

• Plan your depth with your guide before you descend, and agree a turn-around point.
• Use a dive computer and keep an eye on it. Depth creeps on a wall.
• Carry a surface marker buoy, because boats pick up divers in open water.
• Keep fins off the wall face. Sponges and corals grow slowly.

How a dive day works

Trips leave from the La Parguera waterfront and from nearby Guánica. The ride out crosses the shelf, past the mangrove cays, so expect some time on the boat before the first dive. A typical morning is a two-tank trip: a deeper wall dive, a surface interval, then a shallower reef dive, back by early afternoon. Some operators also run afternoon or night dives.

The south coast faces the Caribbean and is often sheltered from the winter swells that reach the north and west of the island, which makes La Parguera a good choice from November to March. In summer and early fall, watch the tropical weather forecast during hurricane season.

Night diving on the reef

Some La Parguera operators run night dives on the shallower reefs inside the shelf. After dark the reef changes completely: parrotfish sleep in mucus cocoons, octopus and lobster come out to hunt, and coral polyps open to feed. Bring a primary light and a backup, and stay close to your guide.

Above water in La Parguera

La Parguera is a relaxed place to stay for a few days of diving. After dark, boat and kayak tours visit the bay’s bioluminescence. By day, small boats take visitors to the mangrove cays and snorkel spots on the shelf. Nearby, the Guánica dry forest has hiking trails and beaches, and the Cabo Rojo lighthouse and salt flats are a short drive west.

Combining the southwest and the west coast works well: from La Parguera it is a short drive north to Rincón, the base for Desecheo Island dive trips. See all the regions on the Puerto Rico dive sites page.