Beaches
Kathy’s Snorkeling Guide to Vieques South Beaches
* Beaches are sandy unless otherwise noted
** There are no bathroom or snack bars unless otherwise noted.
*** Gazebos for shade are found only at Red, Blue, Green and Media Luna.
created by Casa de Kathy
Snorkeling beaches walking distance from Esperanza |
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| Map# | Name | Snorkeling | Difficulty | Notes |
| 1 | Esperanza Beach | 2 | 1 | Snorkel under the long pier and between the two piers, to see fish, turtles, rays |
| 2 | Cayo Afuera (Outside Key) | 1 | 3 | Snorkel to the left and right side of the Cayo. Do not swim to Cayo unless you are well-marked to avoid being hit by a boat. Or rent kayaks for about $35 per day. |
| 3 | In front of Trade Winds | 2 | 1 | Enter the water in the sandy beach across from Banana’s and swim west past the Trade Winds. Lots of fish. |
| 4 | Coco Beach (Playa Cocal) | 2 | 3 | This beach can be accessed by a dirt road near the intersection of Flamboyan & Tintillos streets. You need water shoes or Tevas or fins to enter the water because it is a rocky coast. Be careful when there are waves. Good snorkeling is away from the shore in deep water in the middle of the bay. |
| 5 | Sun Bay | 3 | 1 | Good for swimming. Some snorkeling in the middle of the bay where you see reefs along the shore. Also decent snorkeling on the far east (left) side but you have swim a distance to see the reefs. Fish & sea fans. |
| 6 | Media Luna | 3 | 1 | Decent snorkeling on the far east (left) side but you have swim a distance to see the reefs. Very shallow. Fish & sea fans. |
| 7 | Navio | 2 | 3 | Unless the sea is calm, you cannot snorkel much here. If sea is calm, it can be great snorkeling on the west (right) side. Deep water. |
| 8 | Black Sand Beach /Beaches west of Esperanza | 2 | 3 | All the beaches west of Esperanza can be rough and lined with reefs and shoes are needed. Be careful. |
Snorkeling beaches inside the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge |
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| 9 | Playa Caracas (Red Beach) | 2 | 2 | Snorkel on the east side ( left). Go to the point where the waves start crashing on the rocks. Lots of great sea fans. |
| 10 | Playuela (Playa Garcia) | 1 | 3 | Snorkel on the island off the beach. Careful if there are waves. |
| 11 | Playa la Chiva (Blue Beach) | 1 | 2 | Start opposite Goat Island (La Chiva) and swim to the west side of staying away from the close end of the island because that is shallow. Many pretty things to see. In good weather you can swim all around the island – leave plenty of time to do that. |
| 12 | Pata Prieta (Secret Beach) | 2 | 1 | Snorkel on the left and right to see nice reefs with fish. Very little shade on this beach. |
| 13 | Playa Plata (Silver Beach) | 1 | 2 | There are several places to snorkel – I am still exploring this area. |
Key
Snorkeling: 1 – Excellent, 2 – Good, 3 – OK, 4 – Poor.
Difficulty: 1 – Easy, 2 – Normal, 3 – Advanced.
There are more snorkeling areas on the north and west coasts of Vieques. Most popular are the beach at Mosquito Pier (the old Navy pier) where you will usually see many starfish and Puntas Arenas (Green Beach) on the western tip of Vieques. Do not stay much later than 4:30 PM at Puntas Arenas because the biting flies and gnats come will bother you.
