Cayo Luis Peña

 3/5

Location: Luis Peña Key, Culebra

Getting there: Take the ferry from Ceiba to Culebra Island. From Culebra, you’ll need to hire a water taxi or organize a tour to get to Luis Peña Key. I went via this Airbnb Experience for $100 per person. It seems to be operated via Bright Paddle Tours. You can also kayak to this key from Tamarindo Beach if you rent a kayak in town. It’s about a mile-long paddle to get to the key. Only attempt this in mild weather and surf conditions.

Things to do: There is excellent snorkeling on the left side of the beach (looking out to sea from shore). The reef gets deeper as you swim further out but still worth exploring even if you prefer to stay on the surface. If you have long fins, this is a good place to bust them out. The reef is not the healthiest, but somewhat healthier than the one at Flamenco Beach. There were many moon jellyfish and a few beautiful parrotfish.

Heads up: The conditions at this beach change depending on the time of year. When I went, there were no waves at all, but there can be rather large shore break waves.

Pros

Great snorkeling albeit over a deep reef.

Cons

To get there, parking at the ferry terminal costs $15.00 a day, the ferry costs $4.00, and the water taxi costs $65.00 – $100.00.
A deeper reef than many would prefer.
Although apparently doing better since Hurricane Maria, the reef doesn’t look particularly healthy.