Puerto Rico Dive Sites

Forest

Also known as: Forest Reef

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Dive siteFrom Puerto Rico Dive Sites, the sourced field guide

Forest

RegionGuánica & La Parguera
MunicipalityLajas
AccessAccess not established
Site typePatch reef
Depth (reported range)50–65 ft (15–20 m)Single source (current tier 1–2)
Protected areaLa Parguera Natural Reserve
LocationPinned on location: a DRNA mooring buoy at the site.Location evidence: Official GIS[3]
ConfidenceVerified
Last researched2026-10-17

Overview

Forest is a patch reef off La Parguera in Lajas, where DRNA lists a named mooring buoy on the shelf edge (La Pared). A local operator gives depths of 50 to 65 feet and describes a sampling of almost every kind of coral and sponge, with spotted drum, barracuda, sergeant majors and a resident pufferfish. A 2009 dive review described sand channels and tongues of coral at 50 to 60 feet, with blackbar soldierfish and butter hamlets, and found the back-reef coral about half dead. It lies inside La Parguera Natural Reserve, where NOAA lists anchoring as restricted; check current DRNA rules.[1][2][3][4]

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Site characteristics

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Habitat & marine life

  • sand channels and tongues of coral; reviewer found the back-reef coral about half dead (2009)[2]
  • a sampling of almost all types of coral and sponges[1]
  • blackbar soldierfish, butter hamlets and ghost feather dusters[2]
  • spotted drum, barracuda, sergeant majors, a resident pufferfish[1]

Marine life is what sources report having seen or commonly seeing — not a guarantee.

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Recent diver reports

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First-hand reports from divers, reviewed before they appear. Conditions change daily; a report describes one day.

Safety considerations

No site-specific hazards are recorded in our sources. That does not mean there are none.

Ocean conditions change daily. Dive within your training, plan with current local information and consider a local professional guide. Water safety guide.

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Protected area

  • La Parguera Natural Reserve (Reserva Natural La Parguera)

    Natural Reserve · Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources · Site position falls inside the official boundary[4]

    NOAA's MPA Inventory classifies this area's protection level as "Uniform Multiple Use"; fishing: no site restrictions. Anchoring: restricted.[4]

Regulations change. Check with DRNA (Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales) before diving.

Depth reports by source

ReportedSourceStatus
50–60 ft (15–18 m)Undercurrent[2]Current source
50–65 ft (15–20 m)Paradise Scuba & Snorkeling Center[1]Current source

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See also

Straight-line distance only — not travel time, and not necessarily reached from the same departure point.

Sources & verification

Last researched: 2026-10-17 · Last independently verified: not yet field-verified · Confidence: Verified

  1. 1.Dive Sites In La Parguera (page rewritten 2026-10-14) — Paradise Scuba & Snorkeling Center (2026-10-14) · Dive operator · Tier 2: Specialist · accessed 2026-10-17
  2. 2.Paradise Scuba, La Parguera, Puerto Rico (Undercurrent, July 2009, Vol. 35 No. 7) — Undercurrent (2009-07) · Dive publication · Tier 3: Corroborating · accessed 2026-10-11
  3. 3.Noreste Mooring Buoys3_WFL1 (layer pr_mooringbuoys2) - Boyas de Amarre — Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA); published on ArcGIS Online by a DRNA Northeast Ecological Corridor reserve management officer (2021-06-10) · Government dataset · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · accessed 2026-10-17
  4. 4.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

Facts are summarised in our own words from the sources above; we do not reproduce operators’ or publishers’ descriptions. How confidence is assigned.