Isla Desecheo

18° 23.2′ N · 67° 28.3′ W

A steep, 715-ft uninhabited island 13 miles off Rincón in the NE Mona Passage, with clear blue-water reefs that divers visit from Puerto Rico's west coast.

Belize Barrier Reef

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Coordinates from Wikipedia. The island itself is the Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge and is CLOSED to the public because of unexploded military ordnance (USFWS): do not land. The Virgintino PR guide (~2015) says it is NOT an anchorage, only a day stop, used mainly by divers for a site called South Gardens plus wrecks and sea life; its reference waypoint is 18°24.07N 67°30.26W (1 nm NW of the island). Most people dive it with a Rincón or Aguadilla operator rather than taking their own boat. Marine reserve: Wikipedia says the waters received a marine reserve designation in 2000, that diving is allowed around the island with visibility of 98 to 148 ft (30 to 45 m), and that trespassers on the island can be arrested by federal officers; Wikivoyage likewise says you cannot land but may dive, snorkel and fish around it. Fishing rules within the reserve have changed over time: check current DRNA regulations before fishing.

Isla Desecheo

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