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Dive Review of Nan Sea Charters/Wyndham Martineau Bay Resort & Spa in
Puerto Rico/Vieques

Nan Sea Charters/Wyndham Martineau Bay Resort & Spa, Nov, 2004,

by Ben Blair, NJ, USA . Report 1463.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments It had been about six and a half years since my wife and I had been to Vieques (May 1998). Back then, the accomodations were pretty limited, and there was only one dive shop on the island (Blue Caribe Divers). The diving was so-so then, but we decided that it was time for a return trip after the new Wyndham resort on the north shore finally opened in February 2004 (it was under construction by others when we were there in 1998).

There's one less dive shop now -- Blue Caribe is operated as a kyaking center specializing in night trips to the biolumenescent bay. But the last owner of the dive shop still lives on the island, and he runs two tank dives departing from the pier in Esperanza, the only town on the south shore, and the primary social center on the island for tourists.

We were in Vieques for a long Thanksgiving weekend, and only managed to get in one day of diving. But Chipper ran a nice operation, the visibility was excellent, the dives were leisurely, and the tropicals were plentiful. On our first dive, a hawksbill turtle greeted us as we dropped down to the bottom at about 75 feet, and seemed to be in no hurry to leave the area. In my view, any dive with a turtle is a good dive, so this was an auspiceous start.

Chipper's limit is six divers, but there were only three customers plus Chipper diving the day I was out, along with Chipper's assistant Dave, a newly certified instructor and a professional photographer. It wasn't very rough, but the other two divers were seasick and didn't make the second dive, so Chipper and I had the entire ocean to ourselves.

It isn't great diving, but its certainly good enough to make a brief trip to Vieques appealing. They leave promptly at 8:30 in the morning, the dive sites are only a few minutes away, and you're back in Esperanza in plenty of time for lunch at one of the many restaurants along the waterfront. Since the Navy left, and the Wyndham opened, tourism is gradually on the rise, and there are plenty of good restauarants and watering holes on both sides of the island.

Vieques is about about a 15 minute flight from San Juan, so it's easy to get there from the States (you can take a high speed ferry from Fajardo, too, which takes about 30 minutes). The Wyndham was a great place to stay, with plenty of uncrowded beaches (most guests seemed to prefer the pool), and there are lots of good boutique hotels on the island, as well. Next time you're considering a quick trip to the Caribbean, consider making Vieques your destination.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Almost every island in the eastern Caribbean, as well as Florida, Belize, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, etc.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas choppy, noCurrents
Water Temp 0-82°F / -18-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 0
Water Visibility 0-70 Ft/ 0-21 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Everyone was diving with computers, and the computers set the limits (we did not, however, dive any deep sites)
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 2 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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