Peña Blanca Beach

Location: Aguadilla

Getting there: From San Juan, drive 1 hour 30 minutes west until you reach the west coast of the island. Drive through a neighborhood until you get to a dead end. The trail down to the beach is at that dead end. Just before the dead end is a dirt lot where you’ll have to pay $10.00 to park. Walk down the trail, there are steps down to the beach on the left hand side.

What to look for:  There isn’t always a lot to see. I did see a young green sea turtle cruising around my first time there. There are the usual tropical fish in the rocky area, you may even see small eels tucked away in cracks. My second time snorkeling there, I swam much further out to sea. Standing on the cliffside you will see a dark patch in the water extend from shore. I followed this rocky area out quite far, it stays relatively shallow and there is much more to see. In fact, I had one of my favorite snorkel moments in Puerto Rico here. I came upon a Green Sea Turtle napping in a depression in the rock. It was amazing and I didn’t have my GoPro with me so I have no video of it. Heartbreaking.

Heads up: Don’t park on the road, you’ll get a ticket. There may be sand flies when you visit. They get worse in the evening or early morning. This beach is very small and can get eaten up up by high tide, check a tidal chart before you visit to arrive during low tide.