Best Scuba Diving Puerto Rico : Ultimate Dive Guide

Puerto Rico is an archipelago made of multiples small islands, making it a paradise for scuba divers. The diverse marine life variety is incredible in the clear water of the Atlantic ocean. These pristine waters are a perfect place for beginners and advanced scuba divers. In this best scuba diving puerto rico blog post, I will tell you everything you need to know to have the greatest underwater adventure possible. This blog post contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase, I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Find out more here.

Do you need help with your planning? Check out these helpful resources:

Should I book in advance ?

If you’ve never dive before you should book in advance. The main reason is because, you will need to check with your doctor for any medical conditions that might prevent you from diving, before your trip. For safety reasons, the personnel will ask you to fill out a medical form.

Best Scuba Diving Puerto Rico : fish while diving

They will ask about heart conditions, eg asthma, spinal injuries, etc. So, be prepared and ask your doctor in advance if he can write you a letter saying if you can dive. Because, if you don’t have a medical clearance and they have doubts about your safety underwater, they will not let you try. But, if you are in good health and are a confident swimmer, you’ll be ready to go!

P.S. don’t worry, you will receive a full refund if you contact them 24h prior to your day of reservation on a regular day and 72h in advance during holidays.

Culebra Island

Which dive shop to choose ?

You should totally go with one of the local dive shops, the Culebra divers, for the best underwater experience. If you and your party are not certified divers yet, that’s not problem. You can do your dive certification with them or if it’s your first dive and your not sure yet, you can totally go for a padi discover scuba diving program. Then, you will learn the scuba dive basic concepts, while accompanied by dive masters. If you have your certification, you’ll find that they offer dives fit for every level divers. Plus, they offer very unique experiences, like fluorodiving.

What dive trip to choose ?

If you have your open water diver certification, go with the Morning 2-tank dive trip for the best experiences. You will have more time to sharpen your scuba skills while visiting two dive sites. Of course during these dive, you will be under supervision at all time. After the first dive, the personnel usually gives useful tips to practice during the second dive. I really liked it and, since I was in my first dives, I found that it really helped me get better faster.

Then, if you’re an advanced divers, I highly suggest that you try the fluorodive for the first time. This tour is not available at many dive shop in Puerto Rico. Therefore, if you would like to give it a try and are comfortable with night dive, this might be the only place you can experience coral fluorescence.

What can I expect ?

You will meet with your team around 7h AM to get ready for your dives and receive a small briefing from the personnel. Once you get on the dive boat, you will visit two different sites that are in shallow and warm water. As a result, you will have longer dive time. When I dove with them, I visited The Saddle and the Spotted Eel Garden site. Both of these sites were really fun dives, because we had the chance to see a lot of tiny animals, like multi-color sea slugs and shrimps.

With the right weather conditions, you can expect crystal-clear waters, bright white sand and vibrant coral reefs. The peak season to dive in Culebra is from December through may. Consequently, the best conditions are during these winter months. I dove in early may and I got the chance to see a wide variety of sea creatures, such as moray eels, sea turtles, varieties of soft corals, a bunch of tropical fish and stingrays. I really had fun at both dive sites, and since they bring you at two sites that are quite different, you will get to check some species off of your list!

Main Island

Which dive centers to choose ?

From the many dive shops in Puerto Rico that I tried, one that I liked a lot and that I would recommend is paradise scuba & snorkeling center in La Parguera. It is a bit far, since it’s a two hour drive from San Juan, on the west coast, but it is totally worth it. The people working there are simply amazing. They are always ready to help, the professional guide give useful advice and make sure you have the best time on the boat. Plus, I think that they have some of the best dive sites of the main island.

What dive trip to choose ?

If you can only choose one, you need to do the wall dive in the Caribbean Sea. It’s only a short boat trip away and you will have a great time watching all the animals in the pristine coral reefs. Plus, since you are going to be swimming in open wters, you’ll have more chance to see manta rays, if you are travelling in the summer months. The day before I did dove with them, they had the chance to swam with dolphins.

What can I expect ?

For this activity, you can expect to dive in crystal-clear waters, swimming along coral reef and maybe sea turtles. With the wall dive, you can experience all the height of a coral reef, with all the living creatures swimming around you. When I dove in may, I was lucky enough to see many thing, such nurse sharks, sea turtles and I swam at least 30 minutes with a remora. It was a wonderful moment. That is why I am certain that you will have a good time with this activity, I can assure you.

You do not have prior experience? Don’t worry, another good option is to try a discovery dive. You will go underwater and learn about the all the diving basics, while having fishes swimming around you.

Need help for your next trip? Check out some of my other posts.

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culebra itinerary – how to have the ultimate day trip

Culebra scuba diving guide: all you need to know

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Alexe

Alexe is the creator of Alexe on the Move, a blog dedicated to beginner-friendly hiking and adventure travel. With years of personal experience exploring Quebec’s trails, planning weekend road trips, and slowly expanding to international destinations, she shares practical tips and honest recommendations to help others get outside with confidence. Backed by a background in science and a love for learning, Alexe makes adventure feel accessible—one step at a time.