Playita del Condado Reef Trail
Also known as: Vereda submarina de la Laguna del Condado · Playita Condado Artificial Reef · Playita Condado · Laguna del Condado – Taíno Reefs / Playita del Condado · Taíno Reefs · Playita del Condado · Condado Lagoon · Laguna del Condado · Playita del Condado reef modules · Reserva Natural Estuarina Laguna del Condado · Laguna del Condado coral reef
Dive & snorkel siteFrom Puerto Rico Dive Sites, the sourced field guide
Playita del Condado Reef Trail
| Region | San Juan & North Coast |
|---|---|
| Municipality | San Juan |
| Access | Access not established |
| Site type | Artificial reef |
| Depth (reported range) | 3–34 ft (1–10 m)Range spans 2 sources (current tier 1–2) |
| Snorkel | Snorkel-friendly |
| Location | Pinned on location: the artificial reef's published position.Location evidence: Official GIS[3] |
| Confidence | Moderate confidence |
| Last researched | 2026-10-17 |
Overview
The Playita del Condado reef trail is a dive and snorkel site in San Juan's Condado Lagoon: an underwater interpretive trail about 100 m long, north of the Dos Hermanos bridge, built from 45 cement coral modules known as 'Taíno Reefs'. Sources differ on the coral count: DRNA's 2015 management plan cites about 2,500 colonies, while the estuary program reports more than 1,200, plus 176 fish of 35 species nine months after installation. NOAA lists about 8 ft of water at the reef. The lagoon is the Reserva Natural Estuarina de la Laguna del Condado, where the law bans motor vessels, fishing and taking any species; it is a manatee feeding area. Do not touch or lean on the modules.[1][2][3][4]
Site characteristics
Habitat & marine life
- more than 1,200 coral colonies growing on the modules[2]
- underwater trail (vereda submarina) about 100 m long, running north-south, north of Puente Dos Hermanos[1]
- seagrass beds in shallow water along the north of the lagoon[1]
- 176 fish of 35 species recorded nine months after installation[2]
- manatees (frequent visitors, numbers reduced)[5]
- about 2,500 growing coral colonies visible on the trail[1]
- Antillean manatee (feeding and breeding area)[4]
Marine life is what sources report having seen or commonly seeing — not a guarantee.
Access
Snorkeling
- plan permits underwater activities (diving, snorkel) in areas designated for bathers; a permanent educational display about the trail at Playita del Condado[1]
- snorkeling: the estuary program ran a public snorkeling tour at Playita del Condado (July 2025)[6]
- snorkeling: management plan lists diving and snorkeling, mainly at the reef modules at Playita del Condado[1]
- snorkeling: law's motives list snorkeling among the lagoon's recreational uses[4]
- snorkeling: SJBEP educational snorkeling tour held at Playita del Condado (July 2025)[6]
- snorkeling: good snorkeling opportunities in the Laguna del Condado reserve[7]
- snorkeling: estuary program ran an underwater tour of the Laguna del Condado coral reef and a coral-monitoring dive (June 2026 coral-week events)[8]
What sources say about snorkeling here. Conditions change — check the sea state before you go.
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
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.
Depth reports by source
| Reported | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 8 ft (2 m) | NOAA Office for Coastal Management (compiled from state/territory agency sources)[3] | Current source |
| to 36 ft (11 m) | Wikipedia[5] | Current source |
| 2.6–34.1 ft (1–10 m) | DRNA (prepared by Estudios Técnicos, Inc.); hosted by Programa del Estuario de la Bahía de San Juan[1] | Current source |
See also
Straight-line distance only — not travel time, and not necessarily reached from the same departure point.
- Escambrón — 0.4 mi
- Isla Verde Reef — 4.5 mi
- Playa Tocones — 15 mi
Sources & verification
Last researched: 2026-10-17 · Last independently verified: not yet field-verified · Confidence: Moderate confidence
- 1.Plan de Manejo y Reglamento para la Reserva Natural Estuarina de la Laguna del Condado (plan final, 30 abril 2015) — DRNA (prepared by Estudios Técnicos, Inc.); hosted by Programa del Estuario de la Bahía de San Juan (2015-04-30) · Government dataset · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · accessed 2026-10-11
- 2.Laguna del Condado Artificial Reefs Project — Estuario de la Bahía de San Juan · Other · Tier 2: Specialist · accessed 2026-10-11
- 3.Artificial Reefs (OceanReports/ArtificialReefs MapServer; Marine Cadastre national artificial reef locations) — NOAA Office for Coastal Management (compiled from state/territory agency sources) · Government dataset · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · accessed 2026-09-25
- 4.Ley de la Reserva Natural Estuarina de la Laguna del Condado (Ley 112-2013), texto revisado 15 abr 2024 — Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto, Gobierno de Puerto Rico (2013-09-30) · Government · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · accessed 2026-10-11
- 5.Condado Lagoon — Wikipedia · Other · Tier 3: Corroborating · accessed 2026-10-11
Facts are summarised in our own words from the sources above; we do not reproduce operators’ or publishers’ descriptions. How confidence is assigned.