Destination: Rincon, Puerto Rico / Activity: Surfing / Price: $15 a day
We loved loved loved Puerto Rico! Rincon reminded me a lot of the north shore on Oahu. It's where the surf bums dwell and locals strive to keep the country country. Such beautiful country too! We met the nicest people who ran a surf shop by Playa Maria's called The Dive Shop. Their boards were in awesome condition and they even hooked us up with an amazing penthouse rental with a view of Rincon lighthouse. Check out that view!
Again, we used
airbnb for our lodging in Puerto Rico. It was around $100 a night for a whole house to ourselves (4 people). We rented a car at the airport in San Juan to get around the island. Taxis get spendy and rip tourists off. A lot of people speak both English and Spanish, so you won't have any trouble getting around if you know one of those languages. We met people from Italy, Japan, California, Texas, and Hawaii. Rincon attracts beach bums from around the world!
So a little about the surf! We surfed at Playa Maria, a reef break . There are several other surf breaks to choose from depending on the day, including the popular Dome Beach. We found it suitable at Playa Maria for a longboard (9'), soft top (8'8"), and fun board (7'6"). We were warned about a few things surfing at Maria's that we thought we'd let you in on...
Hazards:
-sunken ships
-urchins
-fire coral
Honestly, I was nervous about hitting these things so I was very wary of my surroundings. Sometimes the water gets pretty shallow until a wave comes, and if you get taken out by a wave just pray you don't hit anything underwater. A local told us that visitors won't know or see the sunken ships and break their board and get hurt. Also, if you look down while you're paddling out you can see the gnarly reef! The fire coral looks like big reddish-orange mushrooms and the urchins look like small purple spikey balls. If an urchin gets you it secretes a poison that requires medical attention. If you hit the fire coral, expect a lot of pain and burning sensations!
With those tips, don't do what I did and paddle in just anywhere. I got nasty reef bite on my leg! Reef is full of bacterias and isn't good for your skin. Thankfully the nicest local guy directed me to a safe place to come in and then we had a good chat about all the rad big waves he has surfed. It was so fun. As you can see, the people there are awesome.
Let us know if you have any more questions about traveling in Puerto Rico, or better yet any tips! I know we have a few Puerto Rican followers and we love your home! Es la vida.
