Ponce and Aguadilla airports reopen in Puerto Rico (and 9 top dive sites)

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 written by Gay Nagle Myers, Travel Weekly.


Ponce's Mercedita International airport on the south coast and Aguadilla's Rafael Hernandez airport on the northwestern tip of the island had both been closed to commercial flights since March 20, 2020, when the pandemic hit.

San Juan's Luis Munoz Marin International airport in San Juan remained open this past year.

JetBlue now offers flights from JFK and Orlando to Ponce; Spirit has service from Orlando to Aguadilla.

Covid safety measures are in place at both airports, and entry requirements remain the same as in San Juan: Arriving passengers must fill out an online travel declaration form and produce a negative Covid test result taken 72 hours prior to arrival. This applies to travelers who have already been vaccinated.

Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and is excluded from the CDC requirement to provide a negative Covid-19 test to enter or return to the U.S.


Recently released data by Adara, a global provider of travel data, revealed that Puerto Rico's bookings are up nearly 25% from a year ago, totaling $112 million in hotel bookings since January.

Isla Verde in San Juan topped first place among destinations with the biggest increase in searches on Tripadvisor year-over-year. 

Get the best deal on hotels, resorts, villas, apartments,... in Rincon, Aguada, Fajardo, and San Juan.

Dive sites:

Parguera's wall













Several drop-offs along a 20 mile long wall that start at 30 ft and reach up to 120 ft. Black Corals, Elkhorn coral, Sponges & Gorgonians cover the wall. Mantas, Barracudas, Big Dog fish, Turtles Angelfish, Sharks, Angelfish & Black Durgon all reside here.


Angel reef







This pristine coral reef at 60 ft depth is ideal for all level divers.
Spanish Anchors can be observed between the corals & Rocks.
Gray Angelfish, Morel, Damsel fish and Butterfly fish made this reef their home.


Cayo Raton

















With a maximum depth of 60 ft this reef is ideal for open water and more experienced divers.

It is the home of Angel fish, Peacock Flounders, Horse Eye Jacks and Parrot fish.

Viz is often over 100 ft at Cayo Raton.


Palomino wall










Located at the eastern side of the island this 15 to 80 ft wall is densely covered in hard & soft corals, Gorgonian fans and sponges.

Plenty of Hawksbill turtles and Eagle rays are to be seen here.

 White Dolphins can be spotted regularly from the boat.


Las cuevas
















These caves with a max. depth of about 30 ft are ideal for all level divers.
Many Eels, Crabs, Shrimp, a variety of Bony fish and Sharks dwelling in the sand can be observed here. 
Take a torch and you'll see the eyes of many invertebrates reflect the light.


Cayo lobito











This 75 ft deep reef is ideal for intermediate divers.

Because of the abundance of tropical fish,Cayo lobito is the ideal  place to see Barracudas, Jacks, Nurse Sharks and other pelagic fish.

There's plenty of healthy Corals and visibility is fantastic.


Cayo Icanos










This shallow dive (29 ft) is suited for all levels of divers.

Parrot fish, Jacks, Butterfly fish, Barracudas and Angelfish are to be observed at this reef, together with healthy Soft Corals.


Efra's wall














The wall starts at 55 ft and reaches a maximum of 100ft.

Gorgonians, Whip Coral, Rope Pore Sponges, Green Finger Sponges and Large Golden Zoathids are all part of this spectacular vertical reef.
Large Black Coral forests house Lobster, Black Dungeons and Striped Parrot fish.


Fallen Rock














This 'V' shaped notch in the wall, with a pinnacle formed by a large, Coral covered boulder is one of the most popular spots in Puerto Rico.
It is a great place to observe Eagle Rays and Barracudas in the open water.
Spanish Hawk fish, Chromis and Caesar Grunts all swim around here.

 Read about diving in:

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