Geniquí Caves
Also known as: Cave Dive · Geniki Caves · Cayos Geniquí — caves · The Caves
Dive siteFrom Puerto Rico Dive Sites, the sourced field guide
Geniquí Caves
| Region | Culebra |
|---|---|
| Municipality | Culebra |
| Island | Culebra |
| Access | Boat dive |
| Site type | Caves & swim-throughs |
| Depth (reported range) | 20–75 ft (6–23 m)Single source (current tier 3) |
| Hazards | Overhead environment, unexploded ordnance (Coast Pilot: Navy advises UXO in the immediate offshore vicinity of this cay; mariners to use extreme caution), Current |
| Protected area | Culebra National Wildlife Refuge |
| Location | Approximate area shown on the map (within about 300 m).Location evidence: Approximate area[7] |
| Confidence | Low confidence |
| Last researched | 2026-10-17 |
Overview
Geniquí Caves is a dive at the Cayos Geniquí, off Culebra, where underwater tunnels form an overhead environment. Heads up: caves and tunnels have no direct way up; a local operator lists the tunnels for advanced divers, explored by lamplight, and a 1999 operator page told divers to bring a light on its guided cave dive. The operator gives depths of 20 to 75 feet; a 1998 guide entry that probably describes the same caves gave 35 to 80 feet. A 2012 refuge plan lists the Cayos Geniquí among the islets of the Culebra National Wildlife Refuge.[1][2][3][4]
Heads up: Overhead environment · unexploded ordnance (Coast Pilot: Navy advises UXO in the immediate offshore vicinity of this cay; mariners to use extreme caution) · Current. See safety notes
Site characteristics
- Caves & swim-throughs[1]
Experience & conditions
- Aqua Adventure: “operator: the caves give advanced divers underwater tunnels to explore by lamplight”[1]
- Aqua Adventure: “tunnels for advanced divers”[1]
Attributed descriptions from sources, not our rating. Conditions vary; your training, experience and the day’s conditions decide.
Recent diver reports
Dived here recently? Share a quick report
First-hand reports from divers, reviewed before they appear. Conditions change daily; a report describes one day.
Safety considerations
- Overhead environment — tunnels/caves[1]
- Overhead environment[1]
- unexploded ordnance (Coast Pilot: Navy advises UXO in the immediate offshore vicinity of this cay; mariners to use extreme caution) — Coast Pilot names Cayos Geniqui among the cays with UXO in the immediate offshore vicinity[5]
- Current — about 1.5 knots between Cayo Norte and Cayos Geniqui[5]
- Overhead environment — cave dive (overhead environment) (older report)[2]
What to know
- Overhead environment: you can't go straight up. Don't go inside without wreck or cave training. More →
- Follow the 3Rs. Recognize: treat anything that might be a munition as extremely dangerous. Retreat: don't touch or move it; leave calmly the way you came. Report: call 911 and say what you saw and where. More →
- Strong current possible. Don't fight it, stay with your buddy, use the ascent line and carry a surface marker buoy. More →
Ocean conditions change daily. Dive within your training, plan with current local information and consider a local professional guide. Water safety guide.
Protected area
Culebra National Wildlife Refuge (Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre de Culebra)
National Wildlife Refuge · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Site position falls inside the official boundary[6]
NOAA's MPA Inventory classifies this area's protection level as "Uniform Multiple Use"; fishing: restrictions unknown.[6]
Regulations change. Check with DRNA (Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales) before diving.
Depth reports by source
| Reported | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 20–75 ft (6–23 m) | Aqua Adventure[1] | Current source |
| 35–80 ft (11–24 m) | Colleen Ryan & Brian Savage / Complete Dive Guide Publications[3] | Historical (1998) |
Historical record
What a historical source reported at the time. Not verified as current — access, moorings, reef condition and names may have changed.
Listed as “The Caves” · 35–80 ft (11–24 m) · 1998[3]
- boat
- cave
- exposure: often rough seas
- current: can be strong
- surge: waves break heavily on surface rocks — buoyancy control critical
- overhead: long tunnels, may require finning against current
- ~40 ft tunnel through to island's north side
- narrow high tunnel to a cave ~20 ft across with two ~20 ft exit tunnels
Match to this modern site is probable; see research notes.
See also
Straight-line distance only — not travel time, and not necessarily reached from the same departure point.
- Cayo Ballena — 0.9 mi
- Isla Culebrita — 1.2 mi
- Playa Tortuga (Culebrita) — 1.3 mi
- Playa Zoni — 2.2 mi
- WIT Power — 3.5 mi
- Bajo Amarillo — 4.6 mi
Sources & verification
Last researched: 2026-10-17 · Last independently verified: not yet field-verified · Confidence: Low confidence
- 1.Scuba Diving in Culebra — Aqua Adventure · Dive operator · Tier 3: Corroborating · accessed 2026-09-25
- 2.Cave Dive - Geniqui Caves — Culebra Divers (1999-10-08) · Dive operator · Tier 2: Specialist · historical
- 3.The Complete Diving Guide: The Caribbean, Volume 3 (Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands) — Colleen Ryan & Brian Savage / Complete Dive Guide Publications (1998) · Historical guide · Tier 3: Corroborating · historical
- 4.Culebra National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan — U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2012-09) · Government · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · accessed 2026-10-14
- 5.U.S. Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 13 — Puerto Rico (20 Sep 2026 edition) — NOAA Office of Coast Survey (2026-09-20) · Government · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · accessed 2026-09-26
- 6.NOAA Marine Protected Areas Inventory 2024 (feature service NOAA_MPA_Inventory_2023), State = PR — NOAA NOS Office of National Marine Sanctuaries - MPA Center (2024) · Government dataset · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · accessed 2026-09-25
- 7.Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) — Domestic Names, Puerto Rico — U.S. Geological Survey (2026-08-28) · Government dataset · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · accessed 2026-10-17
Facts are summarised in our own words from the sources above; we do not reproduce operators’ or publishers’ descriptions. How confidence is assigned.