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Two divers in black wetsuits descend beside a dive boat over clear turquoise water and dark reef patches off a green Culebra shore.

Culebra · Puerto Rico · Wall

Cayo Ballena

Culebra's deep exception: a coral wall to 37 m (120 ft)

Area photo: https://www.flickr.com/people/dejeuxx/ · CC BY 2.0

Cayo Ballena is one of the cays around Culebra, and its wall dive reaches 37 m (120 ft), well past the 18 m (60 ft) that most of the island's sites keep to. The wall is known for its coral, and deeper coral around the island is still thriving while the shallow reefs have been hit hard by warmer water.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Cayo Ballena: typical dive to 37 m (to 121 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit37 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 50 m (164 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

18.3475° N, 65.2368° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

Cayo Ballena is a cay off Culebra, reached by boat. The site is a wall dive that reaches 37 m (120 ft), the exception among Culebra's sites, which mostly stay at 18 m (60 ft) or less; what the island's dive shop calls a deep dive is typically 15 to 24 m (50 to 80 ft). The wall is known for its coral. Around the island the deeper coral is still thriving, while the shallow reefs have been hit hard by warmer water.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Cayo Ballena
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodGoodFairFairFairFairFairFairFairFairGood

Season follows Culebra: Dec–Mar is the high season, when dive trips should be booked from July; May–Oct is slower, needing about 2 weeks' notice. The sea averages 27–29 °C all year.

Know before you go

  • The wall reaches 37 m (120 ft); plan the maximum depth, gas and no-stop time before the descent.

Questions divers ask

How deep is the Cayo Ballena wall?+

The Cayo Ballena wall dive reaches 37 m (120 ft), much deeper than most Culebra sites, which stay at 18 m (60 ft) or less.

Sources

  1. Culebra's Beaches: Diving, Snorkeling, and Kayaking — Moon Travel Guides
  2. List of Caribbean islands — Wikipedia
  3. Scuba Diving - Culebra Divers — Culebra Divers
  4. Culebra — Wikivoyage

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