CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons (G. Edward Johnson)Snorkel· Vieques· Virgin Islands (BVI, USVI and Spanish Virgins)
Blue Beach (Bahía de la Chiva)
18° 6.8′ N · 65° 23.3′ W
La Chiva, the long beach the Navy nicknamed Blue Beach, with soft sand and gin-clear water and reef patches that rank among the best snorkeling on Vieques.
Practical
Coordinates from Wikipedia. Part of the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge, with gazebos, restrooms and trash bins, about 20 minutes by car from the ferry terminal. Sail Caribe names two snorkel spots, the 'Blue Tang' reef and Isla Chiva, but Wikipedia says visitors are prohibited from landing on La Chiva Key (Isla Chiva) because of unexploded ordnance, and Coast Pilot 5 reported UXO in 2013 about 600 yards south of the bay around Isla Chiva and cautions vessels not to transit or anchor around it: snorkel the beach-side reefs and stay off the cay. A reef with 2 to 18 ft extends nearly 0.5 mile from shore 1.5 to 2.1 miles west of Punta Conejo (Coast Pilot). Wikipedia also cites good snorkeling at Blue Beach.
Best for
Some of the best reef snorkeling on Vieques
Nearby
- Bahía de la Chiva Anchorage (Vieques)0.3 NM away
- Red Beach (Playa Caracas)1.5 NM away
- Ensenada Honda (Vieques)1.7 NM away
- Playuela and Cerro Playuela trails2.1 NM away
- Puerto Ferro Anchorage (Vieques)2.1 NM away
- Puerto Ferro Lighthouse2.3 NM away
- Vieques National Wildlife Refuge2.9 NM away
- Vieques unexploded ordnance zones3 NM away