Mosquito Pier

Location: Vieques Island

Getting there: Take the ferry from Ceiba to Vieques Island. When you arrive on Vieques, you’ll need to rent a UTV or golf cart for $60.00 – $160.00 and drive 15 minutes along the north coast to get there. Park where the road ends to be close to the pier under which you’ll be snorkeling. To enter the water, find a good spot in the rocks that line the road to scramble down, and then swim towards the dock. Alternatively, you can hop off the dock (about a 10ft jump). There are apparently stairs to enter the water somewhere but I have never seen them.

What to look for: This is a fantastic place to see marine life like sea turtles, barracuda, tarpon, and rays. You’ll see a host of smaller tropical fish, but these bigger animals are the main reason to come here. We saw a big hawksbill turtle and beautiful spotted eagle ray last time we went. You may also spot scuba divers if you go in the morning as this is a popular shore dive location.

Heads up: This is one of the deeper snorkeling spots so if deeper water makes you nervous, you may not like this one so much. Also, the pilings are covered in sharp coral, so be careful navigating around them, especially when you are floating on the surface as the current can push you into them. The visibility here varies with the surf. At first things look dark under the pier when you approach, but once you are under the pier’s shadow as well you’ll be able to see much better.

For more information, see Vieques Itinerary and Keys & Islands.