CULEBRA, CARLOS ROSARIO, FLAMENCO, & TAMARINDO BEACHES
January 26, 2014
 |
| Culebra Puerto Rico Flamenco Beach |
The day before we got round trip tickets from Fajardo to Culebra and back to Fajardo so we can make sure we had a spot on the ferry boat. We arrived early and parked our car at the parking lot that they had set up for travelers to the islands. Eventually, we made it on the ferry and got to the island in good time. The atmosphere was different, a lot more chill and slow unlike the craziness Puerto Rico can be at times. We got to Flamenco beach and set up our tent in the back section thinking this was going to be the quietest place to camp but not so much, we found that this was not the case.
 |
| Flamenco Beach rocks to the east Culebra Puerto Rico |
We set up the tent and within about 20 steps, we were on the beach overlooking the crystal clear blue water with our feet in the fine white sand. There were coral reefs just off shore that provided some decent snorkeling but the best snorkeling was on the other side of the bay. We walked to the east side of the beach in a west to east direction and went beyond the sand, over the rocks, and around the bend. I noticed blue contours and pockets of coral just off shore. We stopped and got in the water for a little snorkel into these reefs. Now, I am not really one to "want" to go snorkeling but I see a reef right in front of me so why not check it out. I get out there and...WOW...Immediately I see brain coral, Star coral, Yellow and Blue Tangs as couples and schools, Trumpetfish, Stonefish (dangerous), large Parrot Fish, Durgon, Angelfish, Wrasse of different species, Boxfish, Jacks, and so many more. There were sea fans, ferns, coral, and sponges peppered through out the reef. I was impressed. This was the best next to shore reef snorkel Ive been on. I remember some dives being just like what I saw and all I had to do this time was free dive to get a good look at everything. I was really impressed with that!!
After the day of snorkeling, we grabbed dinner and sat on the beach watching the full moon rise above the clouds in the Caribbean ocean. It was nice until the music started. Some wedding at the only hotel on the beach was blasting some shit music. Not to mention it was some Jimmy superman pants fucker singing songs like “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk in broken English. LOUUD!!! It made it a bit hard to sleep in the hot weather with this moron singing but eventually we got to sleep and we were also able to sleep in the following day.
We woke up early after sleeping in till 8 am as our sleep schedules are so jacked up but we managed to get ready and walked over to Carlos Rosario Beach at around 9 am. We get to the trailhead and traverse over a hill through the desert like terrain to get to the beach. Since the island was used by the Navy, there are explosive devices still under the water and laying around in the terrain so we wanted to make sure we stay on the beaten trail and not find our selves twirling in the air without our legs because we stepped on one of these government surprises, so we were extra careful. We made it to Carlos Rosario beach and there was nobody on the beach as expected but throughout the day we didn't see many people.
We could see another island about a mile away from us which appeared to have a few beaches but we didn't rent any kayaks which later we found out to be a good thing!, for us. We swam out into the bay and into the underwater grass land a bit than came back around to swim in the reef near the shore. Again, there were swarms of fish everywhere with very similar fern and fans we saw at Flamenco beach only this place has more!!! soo awesome!! I saw a large barracuda in the distance and I tried to get Laura's attention but the fish swam away before I was able to point her in the direction. We swam and scrambled over rocky shores on this desert beach finding the reef in between Carlos Rosario and Tamarindo to be the best overall place to snorkel. We saw a kayak company take people from Tamarindo to this same exact location and I was happy we didn't pay for that since we could have walked (and did walk) to snorkel in a reef. This reef was just like a dive site, plenty of fish and the biggest puffer fish I have ever seen. It was huge.
We made it to Tamarindo Beach for some snorkeling fun and had a relaxing lunch. We went back the way we came, went to the preserve, and back to the grassland section to snorkel. We found a giant sea cucumber, starfish and a large Lobster. I was really surprised to see the Lobster but it was a type of Lobster that either didn't show its claws or didn't have any. We went back to the beach and rented a golf cart to drive around the island. Yea a golf cart!!! It was a nice addition to the day as we just can't stand still and we got to see more of the island including St. Thomas from the other side of Culebra. Super awesome!!
Culebra is an amazing place to visit and its worth a trip in itself for a nice long weekend of relaxation and snorkeling fun. We get back to Puerto Rico and set up camp for the last night and the last event, The waterfall cascade hike! We went to visit some waterfalls when we got back to Puerto Rico where we could jump off rocks and swim in swimming holes which was fun but then, as we were driving to the top to go to another swimming hole, some chick was walking down the street with a handgun in her hand. It looked a little thick to be a real one (maybe a BB gun) unless it was a .45, but it was a handgun for sure. It's just not a good look to see someone casually walking down the street holding a handgun like she is holding a can of coke right where we are suppose to be parking our rental car, ya know. Regardless, we table sided that brain photo and proceeded on with our day.
Culebra is an amazing place to visit and its worth a trip in itself for a nice long weekend of relaxation and snorkeling fun. We get back to Puerto Rico and set up camp for the last night and the last event, The waterfall cascade hike! We went to visit some waterfalls when we got back to Puerto Rico where we could jump off rocks and swim in swimming holes which was fun but then, as we were driving to the top to go to another swimming hole, some chick was walking down the street with a handgun in her hand. It looked a little thick to be a real one (maybe a BB gun) unless it was a .45, but it was a handgun for sure. It's just not a good look to see someone casually walking down the street holding a handgun like she is holding a can of coke right where we are suppose to be parking our rental car, ya know. Regardless, we table sided that brain photo and proceeded on with our day.
0 comments