Playa Pelícano (Caja de Muertos)

Overview

Heads up: DRNA said the Caja de Muertos reserve closed to the public after the January 2020 earthquakes. In September 2025 the land zone was still closed; by March 2026 the old ferry pier was gone and the boardwalk to the beach was in very poor shape, and in July 2026 rebuilding was still on the agenda. In 2023 only private boats went, and a 2024 report said trips were running again; check before going. Playa Pelícano is a snorkel spot on the island off Ponce, where a 2015 newspaper list mentioned corals, crabs, squid, trunkfish and octopus. In 2022 rangers said boats and jet skis enter the swimming area. You cross a row of rocks to get in, and there is no fresh water.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]}

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Heads up: Boat traffic. See safety notes

Habitat & marine life

• seagrass beds and coral reefs around the island; beaches used for nesting by hawksbill and green turtles^[10]
• sand patches at the 2008 reference stations off Playa Pelícano (proposed buoy / anchoring area)^[11]
• corals, crabs, squid, trunkfish (chapín), octopus^[7]

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

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Access

• Boat dive^[8]
• a row of rocks at the shoreline must be crossed to enter; no fresh water or facilities on the island^[8]
• 2010 plan: visitor areas limited to the Playa Pelícano bathing area, two anchoring areas (main pier and Coast Guard pier), the lighthouse hill and the caves^[12]
• 2008 DRNA study delineated several safe traditional-anchoring zones at Balneario/Playa Pelícano^[13]
• 2023: the island was reachable only by private boat; the municipality planned a new departure point at Parque Enrique González (La Playa de Ponce)^[5]
• 2024: Waterland Adventure was running trips to Caja de Muertos^[6]

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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

• Boat traffic — 2022: rangers say bather-area buoys get cut and boats and jet skis enter the swimming area^[1]

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

• Caja de Muertos Natural Reserve (Reserva Natural Caja de Muertos)

  Natural Reserve · Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources · Site position falls inside the official boundary^[9]

  NOAA's MPA Inventory classifies this area's protection level as "Zoned Multiple Use"; fishing: restrictions unknown. Anchoring: restricted.^[9]

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

See also

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

• Caja de Muertos Northeast Reef — 1.3 mi
• Isla Cardona — 8.5 mi