Puerto Rico Dive Sites

Antillean manatee

Trichechus manatus manatus · Also called: West Indian manatee, manatee, Manatí antillano, manatí

Protection: Threatened under the US Endangered Species Act. In January 2025 USFWS proposed listing the Antillean manatee, the subspecies in Puerto Rico, as endangered. As of October 2026 that rule is still not final.[1]

Facts

  • Large gray-brown mammal with two flippers, a paddle-shaped tail and bristles around the muzzle. Adults are usually 9 to 10 feet long.[2]
  • In Puerto Rico it needs seagrass, shelter and fresh water close together. USFWS proposed about 78,000 acres of critical habitat on the island in 2024.[3]
  • Collisions with boats are one of the main threats. Also protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.[3]
  • Puerto Rico's fishing rules ban catching, keeping or selling marine mammals.[4]

Related guide: see the guide →

Where it's been reported (15)

From the sources on each dive site's page. Sightings are never guaranteed.

  • Crash Boat · Aguadilla & Northwest“manatees” (Crashboat Watersports (Aguadilla))
  • Shacks · Aguadilla & Northwest“manatees” (Primera Hora)
  • Cayo Diablo · Fajardo & La Cordillera“green moray eels, barracudas, octopuses, occasional manatees” (Frommer's)
  • Cayo Icacos · Fajardo & La Cordillera“reserve-wide: turtles, manatees, sea cucumbers, starfish, juvenile fish, queen conch, stingrays — stated for La Cordillera as a whole, not Icacos specifically” (Discover Puerto Rico)
  • Las Cabezas de San Juan (shore) · Fajardo & La Cordillera“manatees, sea turtles, fish and rays (reserve reefs)” (Pirate Snorkeling Shack (Fajardo))
  • Enrique · Guánica & La Parguera“sea cucumbers, brittle stars, spiny lobster, spotted eagle rays; occasionally manatees or dolphins” (Paradise Scuba & Snorkeling Center)
  • Media Luna (La Parguera) · Guánica & La Parguera“sea turtles, spotted eagle rays and manatees frequently pass through (operator)” (Paradise Scuba & Snorkeling Center)
  • Blue Hole (Ocean Park) · San Juan & North Coast“manatees” (PuertoRico.com)
  • Cerro Gordo · San Juan & North Coast“manatees” (Primera Hora)
  • Escambrón · San Juan & North Coast“occasional manatees” (Scuba Dogs)
  • Isla Verde Reef · San Juan & North Coast“manatees visit to shelter and feed” (Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto, Gobierno de Puerto Rico)
  • Playita del Condado Reef Trail · San Juan & North Coast“manatees (frequent visitors, numbers reduced)” (Wikipedia)
  • Cayo Afuera · Vieques“nurse sharks; occasional manatees” (vieques.com)
  • Playa Esperanza (Vieques) · Vieques“manatees (occasional), barracudas, nurse sharks” (Fodor's Travel)
  • Isla de Ratones (Cabo Rojo) · West Coast“West Indian manatee near the cay” (Primera Hora)

Sources

  1. Antillean Manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) species profile (ECOS) · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (accessed 2026-10-22)
  2. West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (accessed 2026-10-22)
  3. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes critical habitat for two West Indian manatee subspecies (press release, September 2024) · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (accessed 2026-10-22)
  4. Reglamento de Pesca de Puerto Rico - 2010 (Reglamento Núm. 7949), Art. 4, 8, 14 and 22 · Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA) (accessed 2026-10-22)

Last checked 2026-10-22