San Cristóbal
Also known as: Cayo San Cristóbal
Dive siteFrom Puerto Rico Dive Sites, the sourced field guide
San Cristóbal
| Region | Guánica & La Parguera |
|---|---|
| Municipality | Lajas |
| Access | Access not established |
| Site type | Reef |
| Depth (reported range) | 7–13 ft (2–4 m)Single source (current tier 1–2) |
| Protected area | La Parguera Natural Reserve |
| Location | Pinned on location: a DRNA mooring buoy at the site.Location evidence: Official GIS[2] |
| Confidence | Moderate confidence |
| Last researched | 2026-10-17 |
Overview
San Cristóbal (Cayo San Cristóbal) is a middle-shelf emergent reef about 2–4 km off Lajas; a 2009 university study found it had the highest land-derived sediment input of its study sites. DRNA designated mooring buoys here for diving, and a 2008 survey for DRNA found about 7–13 ft of water at the buoy anchors, on carbonate sand with Halimeda algae, with colonies of ESA-listed staghorn coral and Acropora prolifera next to two buoys. It lies inside La Parguera Natural Reserve, where NOAA lists anchoring as restricted; check current DRNA rules.[1][2][3][4]
Site characteristics
- Reef[1]
Habitat & marine life
- carbonate sand with calcareous algae (Halimeda) at the buoy anchors; colonizing seagrass at one buoy[3]
- colonies of staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis, ESA-listed) and Acropora prolifera next to two of the buoys[3]
Marine life is what sources report having seen or commonly seeing — not a guarantee.
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.
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
| Reported | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 7–13 ft (2–4 m) | Vicente & Associates, Inc. for DRNA (Coral Reef Initiative NA06NOS4190108, task CRI-13)[3] | Current source |
See also
Straight-line distance only — not travel time, and not necessarily reached from the same departure point.
- El Mario — 1.5 mi
- Media Luna (La Parguera) — 1.8 mi
- Enrique — 1.8 mi
- Cayo Caracoles — 3.0 mi
- Turrumote — 3.8 mi
- Chimney — 5.0 mi
Sources & verification
Last researched: 2026-10-17 · Last independently verified: not yet field-verified · Confidence: Moderate confidence
- 1.Spatial and temporal patterns in reef sediment accumulation and composition, southwestern insular shelf of Puerto Rico (Caribbean Journal of Science 45(2-3):138-150) — Hernández R, Sherman C, Weil E, Yoshioka P / UPR Mayagüez (2009) · Scientific publication · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · accessed 2026-09-25
- 2.Estudio de boyas de amarre localizadas en las Reservas Naturales de Guanica, Parguera y Caja de Muertos - Inventario, evaluacion ambiental y recomendaciones (main report, file E1) — Vicente & Associates, Inc. for DRNA (Coral Reef Initiative NA06NOS4190108, task CRI-13) (2008-05-07) · Government · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · accessed 2026-09-25
- 3.Estudio de boyas de amarre localizadas en las Reservas Naturales de Guánica, Parguera y Caja de Muertos (file E2: field inventory, section 3.2) — Vicente & Associates, Inc. for DRNA (Coral Reef Initiative NA06NOS4190108, task CRI-13) (2008-05-07) · Government · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · accessed 2026-10-11
- 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
- 5.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
Facts are summarised in our own words from the sources above; we do not reproduce operators’ or publishers’ descriptions. How confidence is assigned.