PUNTA GALÍNDEZ

Location: Vieques Island, Vieques National Wildlife Refuge

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 20 minutes to get there. Enter the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge and drive down a dusty, unpaved road. You’ll turn right down another unpaved road before you reach La Chiva Beach.

What to look for: Swim out straight from the beach for quite a ways. If you go too far to the left you’ll hit very shallow sections that are passable but not recommended if there are big waves. Once you pass the shallow area it will get deeper with more coral variety. Head to the left to the rocky point pictured above. I saw a strange kind of crab hiding under an anemone which appeared to be his home, I saw a skittish turtle who wouldn’t let me get remotely close, and I saw a variety of fish and an even greater variety of corals. The great variety of healthy hard corals was immediately apparent to me and my favorite part about this spot.

Heads up: It may be easier to get to the snorkeling spot by taking the next road which puts you on the other side of the point. You may be able to walk out to the edge of the point and enter the water there to cut out the medium-long swim you’ll need to take from the beach on the other side. I have not tested this but plan to try it out next time.

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