Puerto Rico Dive Sites

Tarpon

Megalops atlanticus · Also called: Sábalo, tarpón

Protection: In Puerto Rico, tarpon may only be caught for sport and released; keeping or selling it is banned.[1]

Facts

  • Big shiny silver scales, an upturned mouth with a jutting lower jaw, and a long filament at the end of the dorsal fin.[2]
  • Gulps air at the surface to get extra oxygen.[2]
  • Mostly found in coastal waters, bays and mangrove lagoons. Females can pass 8 feet.[2]

Where it's been reported (3)

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

  • B-29 Superfortress Wreck · Aguadilla & Northwest“lionfish, rays, sometimes tarpon” (Aquatica Underwater Adventures)
  • Crash Boat · Aguadilla & Northwest“tarpon” (PADI / Scuba Diving)
  • Mosquito Pier · Vieques“tarpon schools” (Black Beard Sports)

Sources

  1. 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)
  2. Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) species profile · Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida (accessed 2026-10-22)

Last checked 2026-10-22