Exploring an Underwater Cliff: Scuba Diving the Wall in La Parguera, Puerto Rico

Join us on our scuba diving adventure in La Parguera, Puerto Rico, as we explore an underwater cliff called “The Wall.” Discover the diverse marine life while experiencing the thrill of diving in one of the world’s most unique underwater landscapes!

It’s no secret that the two of us adore our diving adventures. From our first date in Key Largo for some lionfish hunting to the many underwater explorations of Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, and our current home on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.

We’re both dive professionals and live and breathe the sport! So naturally, a scuba diving trip was in the cards for our adventure-laden honeymoon in Puerto Rico!

The rest of this article details our experiences scuba diving the Wall in La Parguera, Puerto Rico! Expect to learn who to dive with, the necessary certifications and potential hazards, what to expect during your experience, and other tips and tricks. Enjoy!

Scuba Diving in Puerto Rico

Initially, I didn’t know much about scuba diving in Puerto Rico other than knowing it existed. I figured there’d be some cool stuff in Culebra, Vieques, and maybe scattered around the perimeter of the mainland. But honestly, I always pegged Puerto Rico as more of a surf-centric place, with Rincón constantly making the headlines.

However, upon learning about a mysterious “Wall Dive” in Southwest Puerto Rico from a guest on my boat, I was eager to discover where exactly he was talking about. 

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Scuba Diving – La Parguera, Puerto Rico

Scuba Diving on our Honeymoon to Puerto Rico

During the planning process of our honeymoon, I conducted a quick Google search of “Wall Dives in Puerto Rico,” which yielded the results I was seeking. Apparently, the only dive shops visiting The Wall are both in Southwest Puerto Rico:

1. Paradise Scuba in La Parguera – Paradise Scuba’s Website
2. Island Scuba in Guanica – Website

As newlyweds, Laura and I were eager to explore the beautiful island of Puerto Rico – with scuba diving the Wall dominating the top of the list. So when all was said and done, we decided to go with Paradise Scuba after renting a VRBO nearby La Parguera!

🇵🇷 Honeymooning in Puerto Rico: We went on countless adventures during our time in Puerto Rico, including an amazing day in Old San Juan and hiking to waterfalls in El Yunque.

Scuba Diving in La Parguera, Puerto Rico

Initially, unbeknownst to me, Puerto Rico is a premier scuba diving destination in the Caribbean, boasting warm waters, breathtaking marine life, and diverse dive sites. The island is home to many dive shops and charters, catering to all experience levels. La Parguera, in particular, is a popular spot for divers, thanks to its surrounding shallow reef, mangrove shoreline, and unique wall dive.

🛏️ Where to Stay in La Parguera: We stayed in a pretty cool RV with an incredible view on the outskirts of town. But a quick search on Booking.com yields some awesome guesthouses right in the center of the city.

Where is La Parguera?

La Parguera is a small town situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico, surrounded by a beautiful mangrove shoreline. The city has a laid-back vibe; visitors can enjoy local restaurants, bars, and shops before hopping aboard a day charter to visit outlying mangrove islands and cays. 

Scuba divers are particularly fond of the city, with fantastic opportunities for certified dive diving AND non-certified divers (DSDs). For certified divers, the famous Wall dive is just a short boat ride from the town’s marina.

Despite the fantastic diving, the town is most famous for one of the most amazing bioluminescent bays in the world. During your visit, consider hopping aboard a snorkeling trip to see the glowing bioluminescent bay!

🛥️ Must-See Tour: The Bio Bay in La Parguera is one of the only in the world – I highly recommend taking this highly-rated boat tour into the glowing body of water while staying in La Parguera!

What is a Wall Dive?

A wall dive is a style of scuba diving where the diver descends along a vertical rock face or underwater cliff. Typically, the wall begins at a shallow depth and drops into deeper water, often reaching depths of 100 feet or more. 

Wall dives can offer stunning scenery, such as canyons, crevices, overhangs, and unique sea life encounters. Due to the deep depths, wall dives are typically reserved for experienced divers with advanced scuba diving and Nitrox certifications.

🤿 More Epic Dives: The intensity of a Wall Dive reminded me all too much of the adrenaline rush of shark diving in Jupiter, FL!

The Wall in La Parguera

The Wall in La Parguera is a stunning underwater cliff formation that drops off into the depths of the Puerto Rican trench – the second deepest point in the world. Diving the Wall in La Parguera provides divers a unique experience as they explore the vibrant coral gardens, swim-throughs, and tunnels while hovering along the edge of sheer drop-offs. 

The Wall is home to abundant marine life, including Caribbean reef sharks, hawksbill and green sea turtles, colorful schools of fish, giant crabs, moray eels, and sometimes even dolphins. Don’t forget to look for rare species like large dog snappers, elkhorn coral, queen angels, black coral, and many more underwater creatures.

Paradise Scuba & Snorkeling Center

Paradise Scuba Center is the local dive shop in La Parguera and one of the only dive shops in PR that offer daily dive trips to the Wall. Their experienced dive guides provide thorough briefings and ensure divers’ safety throughout the dive.

Getting Ready for the Dive

Certification Requirements 

To scuba dive the Wall in La Parguera, divers must be certified through a recognized scuba diving agency like PADI, NAUI, SSI, or SDI. Paradise Scuba, the local dive shop, requires all divers to present their certification cards and complete a health questionnaire before diving.

Recommended Experience Level 

Due to the depth and sea conditions, the Wall dive is recommended for intermediate to advanced-level divers. Divers should have plenty of experience with boat diving in adverse surface conditions and be comfortable with deep dives.

Gear and Safety Precautions 

Divers should have their own scuba gear or can rent equipment from Paradise Scuba Center. We rented gear and were pleasantly surprised with the state of the equipment for the dive trip. Dive guides provide a detailed briefing on the dive plan and safety precautions.

Our Captain and dive guide was bilingual in English and Spanish – although this may not always be the case. So touch up on your Spanish!

Typical Sea Conditions

Although we didn’t experience any current while diving The Wall, I can’t imagine it isn’t susceptible to them. As for surface conditions, Puerto Rico is at the whims of the eastern trade winds. Sea conditions are typically choppy, with large swells battering the boat, like our Scuba Diving Adventures at home in the USVI.

Scuba Diving in La Parguera – The Wall

Descending The Wall

Despite all our diving experience, this was our first-time wall diving. And it lived up to its reputation.

The dive began around 50 feet beneath the boat. Here, we explored a carpet reef with spur and groove channels before making our way to the sheer drop-off. We descended deeper and deeper at the Wall – into a seemingly never-ending abyss. 

It’s a strange thing. It’s incredibly easy to lose your sense of depth during a wall dive. That’s why monitoring your gauges and air consumption is extremely important. 100+ feet of depth can creep up on you quickly!

The wall’s sheer size is incredible, and it’s hard to comprehend just how deep it goes. It’s a humbling experience, and you feel small in comparison to the vastness of the underwater landscape.

For a quick overview of The Wall, check out this video I made for our YouTube channel, OceanWide Explorers!

Underwater Landscape and Unique Features of The Wall

The underwater features of the Wall are like nothing else. Although, I don’t fully understand the formation – whether it’s limestone, volcanic rock, or tectonic plates. Regardless, the structures are covered in colorful coral formations stretching as deep and far as the eye can see. 

The wall is also full of unique features, like crevices and caves you can swim through. The water is crystal clear, and the sunlight creates a graceful glow, illuminating the corals and sea creatures below.

Marine Life Encounters

The marine life in La Parguera is incredibly diverse, and it’s not uncommon to encounter various sharks, sea turtles, and columns of tropical reef fish while diving the Wall. A few species we witnessed:

• Hawksbill Sea Turtle: one of our first encounters as we descended along the wall. He passed directly by me!
• Caribbean Reef Shark: although spotted, this guy kept a safe distance at depths unreachable to us divers.
• Lionfish: if you’ve ever been diving with us, you know hunting these pesky invasive fish is our passion!
• Spiny Lobster: just as yummy as those we love to catch in Florida, although MUCH larger in the Caribbean.
• Crabs: arrow crabs and channel-clinging crabs were seemingly hiding under every rock.
• Elkhorn Coral: this critically endangered species is always a pleasant surprise and a good indicator of overall ecosystem health.

Surface Interval

These waters are almost always choppy. And after diving to 100+ feet on an air tank, chances are you’ll need a 45-minute to one hour surface interval before dive two. If you’re susceptible to seasickness, this is what you should prepare for.

As a Captain of a dive boat in the US Virgin Islands, I always recommend taking seasickness medication, like Dramamine or Bonine, the night before AND the morning of. If you take the medication AS you board the boat, it’s too late – it won’t absorb into your system in time.

Second Dive of the Day

Our second dive spot, Chimney Reef, was significantly shallower than the Wall, maxing at around 50 feet. However, it was no less impressive than our first dive site. 

We could swim through several narrow passages and tunnels, and the ledge structures were stunning. As we gracefully kicked around the reef, we encountered a massive hogfish that used its camouflage mechanism right before our eyes.

The dive lasted around 45 minutes and was the perfect second dive and a great contrast to the deep and dramatic Wall.

The Importance of Preserving Marine Habitats

Marine Conservation Efforts in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico has a rich and diverse environment home to many marine species, including endangered species such as sea turtles and coral reefs. In recent years, Puerto Rico has been protecting and preserving its aquatic habitats.

The government has established several marine reserves and protected areas, such as the Northeast Ecological Corridor, which provides a sanctuary for leatherback sea turtles and other endangered species. Other nonprofit organizations and community groups are working towards marine conservation efforts, such as the Coral Reef Alliance and the CORALations.

Tips for Responsible Diving and Conservation Efforts

As scuba divers, it is essential to be responsible and conscious of our impact on the environment. Here are some tips to ensure responsible diving practices:

• Don’t touch or disturb marine life: It’s important to remember that you are a guest in their world, and handling or harassing marine life can cause damage to their delicate habitats.
• Avoid damaging the reef: Keep your fins and equipment from contacting the reef, as they can easily cause damage.
• Clean marine debris: it’s not a secret that trash, derelict fishing gear, and plastic pollution negatively impact our oceans. If you see any during your dives, try cleaning it up the best you can!
• Dive with eco-friendly operators: Choose dive operators that follow sustainable practices, such as using reef-friendly sunscreen, not feeding marine life, and practicing sustainable mooring and anchoring.
• Reduce plastic use: Avoid using single-use plastics such as water bottles and straws. Instead, opt for reusable containers.

By following these tips and supporting marine conservation efforts, we can help ensure that the beautiful underwater world of Puerto Rico and beyond will be preserved for generations to come.

More of La Parguera, PR

The town is a great little spot seemingly catering to many tourists from San Juan and other parts of Puerto Rico. The entire town was filled with lots of Puerto Ricans on vacation themselves – it seemed as if I might have been the lone-Gringo in the city.

Where to Stay in La Parguera

The small town caters to tourists yet feels like a hidden gem. As such, the city features many unique and fun cottages, vacation rentals, and glamping opportunities:

• VRBO has tons of fun vacation rentals throughout La Parguera.
• La Jamaca is an iconic yet quaint hotel in the heart of town.
• A few streets away is the Casa Bonita Inn – another chic hotel nearby.

Best Things to Do in La Parguera

As I mentioned, one of the best things to do in La Parguera is a snorkeling or kayaking trip into the famous bioluminescent bay. Day charters to remote islands, sandbars, and beaches also seem to be a popular activity.

Here are some recommended tours plus other fun activities we did nearby:

• Sunset and Bioluminescent Bay Boat Tour – see the glowing waters of La Parguera’s famous bio bay.
• Bioluminescent Bay FROM SAN JUAN – this tour provides transportation to and from San Juan if you’re not looking to rent a car and just want to stay for the day.
• Cabo Rojo Lighthouse – take a guided tour departing from San Juan or follow our helpful guide to hiking to the cliffside lighthouse in Cabo Rojo!
• Waterfall Hiking – just over the highway are plenty of hiking trails to beautiful cascades. From La Parguera, we ventured to Charco El Pilon in San German.

Scuba Diving in La Parguera, Puerto Rico – Paradise Scuba: Debrief

Scuba diving the Wall in La Parguera, Puerto Rico, was an unforgettable experience that opened our eyes to more beauty of the underwater world. From the incredible underwater landscape to the diverse marine life encounters, the Wall proved to be a must-see dive site for any avid scuba diver. Our second dive on Chimney Reef was also a fantastic addition to our diving adventure, showcasing the diverse range of dive sites La Parguera offers.

If you’re interested in scuba diving in Puerto Rico, we highly recommend checking out La Parguera and booking a dive with Paradise Scuba. Just be sure to come prepared with the proper certification and experience level, as well as the necessary gear and safety precautions. Remember always to respect the sea conditions and marine life, and do your part in preserving these habitats for generations to come.

Have fun!