Puerto Rico Dive Sites

Pájaros

Also known as: Playa de Pájaros Reef · Pájaros Reef · Playa de Pájaros · Playa Pájaros spur and groove

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Dive siteFrom Puerto Rico Dive Sites, the sourced field guide

Pájaros

RegionIsla de Mona & Monito
MunicipalityMayagüez
IslandIsla de Mona
AccessAccess not established
Site typeSpur & groove / canyons
Depth (reported range)43–72 ft (13–22 m)Historical source only (1998)
HazardsSurge, Current
Protected areaIsla de Mona Natural Reserve
LocationPinned on location: a DRNA mooring buoy at the site.Location evidence: Official GIS[5]
ConfidenceModerate confidence
Last researched2026-10-17

Overview

Heads up: the 2026 Coast Pilot notes that a swell sets into the Playa Pájaros landing with south winds and that a northerly current of about half a knot has been felt offshore; boats can land inside the reefs. The reef lies within Isla de Mona Natural Reserve, where NOAA lists fishing and anchoring as restricted; check current DRNA rules. A 2001 survey report (fieldwork in 2000) described spur-and-groove reef at about 43 to 72 feet toward the shelf edge, with boulder star and pillar corals, large basket sponges and 56 fish species, but no longer saw the large snappers and groupers common in the 1990s. A long-term monitoring station here is mapped as spur and groove at about 49 feet.[1][2][3][4]

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Heads up: Surge · Current. See safety notes

Habitat & marine life

  • Spur & Groove (Outer-Shelf, Island) at station 'Pajaros'[4]

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

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Access

  • boat harbor with 3-8 ft of water inside the reefs; main south entrance 7-12 ft; former Coast Guard landing with 7-8 ft alongside; boat landings can be made here[1]

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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

  • Surge — with south winds a swell sets into the landing (para. 85)[1]
  • Current — a northerly current of 0.5 knot has been experienced off Playa de Pájaros (para. 82)[1]

What to know

  • Waves and surge can knock you around near shore and rocks. Check the surf forecast and never turn your back on the ocean. 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.

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Protected area

  • Isla de Mona Natural Reserve (Reserva Natural Isla de Mona)

    Natural Reserve · Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources · Site position falls inside the official boundary[2]

    NOAA's MPA Inventory classifies this area's protection level as "Zoned w/No Take Areas"; fishing: commercial and recreational fishing restricted. Anchoring: restricted.[2]

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

Depth reports by source

ReportedSourceStatus
43–72 ft (13–22 m)García-Sais JR, Castro R, Sabater Clavell J, Carlo M — final report to NOAA CRI and DNER (DRNA)[3]Historical

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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: Moderate confidence

  1. 1.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
  2. 2.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
  3. 3.Coral Reef Communities from Natural Reserves in Puerto Rico: a quantitative baseline assessment for prospective monitoring programs. Vol. 2: Cabo Rojo, La Parguera, Isla Desecheo, Isla de Mona — García-Sais JR, Castro R, Sabater Clavell J, Carlo M — final report to NOAA CRI and DNER (DRNA) (2001-08) · Scientific publication · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · historical
  4. 4.Puerto Rico Long-Term Coral Reef Monitoring Program Database Compilation (DwC-A v1.9, GBIF dataset b3b7d5c4-f73a-475b-a203-c6a1ddd040cd, DOI 10.15468/heuugg) — DRNA Puerto Rico / NOAA CRCP (published via OBIS-USA IPT) (2022-02-13) · Government dataset · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · accessed 2026-10-17
  5. 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.